In the pursuit of excellence through education and a regional network
"The
blue colour symbolizes the Mediterranean sea,
the golden yellow the sun,
the
stars symbolize the founding members and Europe,
and the green open book symbolizes
the knowledge and our commitment to environmentally friendly".
A new organization has been re-launched in Cyprus to
promote the highest standards in Education, training and Professional practice
for the benefit of the Euro-Mediterranean Tourism Industry. The new not-for-profit has been established recently following an
initiative from a number of Educational Institutions and Professional
Associations from Cyprus, Malta, Romania, Egypt, Serbia and Syria.
As the
founding members of the council communicate today under the Executive direction of Theo
Charalambous, it appears that they received the highest of recognition from the gathering with the Minister of Commerce, Industry and
Tourism of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Antonis Paschalides who welcomed the
formation of the Euro-Mediterranean Academy of Tourism and expressed his
support to this important initiative.
The members which form part of the council are Educational Institutions offering
Hospitality & Tourism Education, Professional Organizations in
the fields of Hospitality & Tourism and National Tourism Organizations/Boards representation have all subscribed to the founding objectives stated below:
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To act as an Academic Body
awarding Hospitality and Tourism Qualifications at craft, supervisory and
management levels.
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To support the Hospitality and
Tourism Industry with relevant training programmes for existing employees and
to promote Continuous Professional Development.
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To support and engage in Hospitality
and Tourism related research and to disseminate the research findings.
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To promote Best Practice for
the Hospitality and Tourism Education and Industry.
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To promote the mutual
recognition of Hospitality and Tourism Qualifications, within the
Euro-Mediterranean region, through the Educational and Training Programmes of
EMAT.
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To support other Organizations
which have similar objectives with EMAT, and to promote co-operation and
partnerships.
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To invite the Hospitality and
Tourism Educational sector and Industry to participate and support the work of
EMAT.
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To build-up the membership of
EMAT to be representative of the Euro-Mediterranean Hospitality and Tourism
Educational and Industry sectors.
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To provide networking
opportunities between the Hospitality and Tourism Educational sector with
industry professionals, to exchange knowledge and examine future trends.
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To establish a website Link and
to provide common Research Questions inviting contributions from Academics and
industry professionals.
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To publish reports,
professional guides and directories.
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To promote e-learning aiming at
improving the knowledge and skills of students and Industry Professionals.
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To organize Conferences,
Seminars and Workshops bringing together the Hospitality and Tourism
Educationalists and Industry Professionals.
The EMAT, for the occasion is
organizing its 1st Euro-Med Tourism Conference on Friday 26th
November 2010, at the UNESCO Amphitheatre, University of Nicosia. The theme of
the Conference is Tourism in Hard Times with high profile speakers, and can be consulted at the Euro-Mediterranean Academy of Tourism Website. We wish the organization lots of success with the new appointment and relaunch.
More about the founding of the EMAT Organization: Visit the EMRF, the Europ-Mediterranean Restaurant Federation
The uncomfortable reality of what happens to your business when customers feel robbed
Although the video shows a personal account based on personal suspicions, the customer actually invites us to reflect upon how connected and organized we are when it comes to thinking, acting, creating and maintaining the good health of the total customer experience.
As you can investigate further, the hotel is still refusing to accept
full responsibility. It will not be long before the destination, hotel management and tour operators implicated will be forced speak out on the issue thanks to Social Media, as awareness and negative reactions increase in time. Now that the hotel business has been exposed, what do you think it will cost them to fight and recuperate their reputation online and offline. Becoming the first hotel where a customer video films your night manager robbing from your clients, isn't exactly the recommendation you would want to have online.
Turn off the internet, some would dearly demand.....can we not go back to business as usual?....others would wish. Business as it has been lately, is finished. It is recommendable to understand the message from your customers the first time around; goodwill from customers has to be built earlier in this new context, because you never know how or when your next customer will make you famous.
It does not have to be this way and all parties in the value chain for The Total Customer experience is at stake: Destinations management, tour operators, hotel managers, hotel employees, human resources departments, customer service, security, quality labels, quality auditors are all implied in this story.
Am i missing someone? Your comments are welcome.