Recently appointed Institute of Tourism Studies chairman Claire Zammit Xuereb aspires to have the St Julian’s campus run similarly to a hospitality business to narrow the gap between the school and the industry.
“Under this strategy, our 1,000-odd students would have the opportunity to learn in the environment that they will eventually work in,” Ms Zammit Xuereb told The Times Business. “Attitude, approach, inter-personal skills and personality are crucial attributes students must possess before they enter this business. Tourism is a ‘people industry’. In this way, I hope to narrow the gap between ITS and the tourism sector by implementing certain practices, procedures, environments pertaining to the industry in the school itself. When students eventually enter the working world, the shock to their system should be significantly reduced.”
Ms Zammit Xuereb, who was appointed in April after a short stint on ITS’ board, believes human resources in tourism is the most important arm of the sector, particularly as Malta is gearing itself to attract more quality tourism. If the service standards are not up to scratch, that objective will not be met, she said.
Ms Zammit Xuereb has often advocated the pivotal issue of human resources as opposed to the primary focus on sales and marketing. Her interest in the matter led her to lobby with Education Minister Dolores Cristina for the inclusion of tourism studies in schools’ curriculum.
Ms Zammit Xuereb was raised in the industry. As group hospitality director of AX Group, the Xuereb family business founded by her father Angelo, she has a firm vision for her year-long chairmanship of ITS and intends to apply all her knowledge of the sector to her new role.
“I aim to bring ITS in line with the industry’s ever-changing requirements,” she said. “My focus is the curriculum for 2011-2012 and the intention is to change all the modules. This year will be more about observing the market’s needs. Next year will be more about change. With the board of governors, I am working on short- and medium-terms plans which will eventually be presented to the minister. The board will be provided with all the necessary information to map the way forward. In this way, all stakeholders will have full ownership of that plan. I believe we will arrive better – and quicker – to where we want to be.”
Ms Zammit Xuereb added she was also monitoring developments in other institutions and trade trends locally and abroad to gather further market intelligence. The chairman said she would also work to strengthen ties with associations and stakeholders, and listen to their suggestions. All proposals would be considered by the ITS board.
“A lot of work is being done which the industry and the public are not aware of. I aim to work on heightening public and industry awareness and influencing their impressions of ITS. I hope to encourage the industry to continue to support ITS by recruiting students as it has always done, and to continue to encourage hotels to enrol their own employees at the institute. We need to keep the public informed so that we are able to encourage young people to consider tourism as a career and to spur their parents to alert them to the option.”
ITS, she points out, is more than a catering school as it is mistakenly, but widely, thought of. The industry, after all, offered opportunities far beyond food and beverage and for all skill levels: marketing, human resources, housekeeping, front office management, and guiding.
“There are plenty of opportunities,” she emphasised. “The hotel industry is still growing and so too are the demands. The hotel industry is one that has always given full return on investment, whenever the government or the private sector invested in it. There is ample opportunity for growth for all stakeholders, including staff. Tourism is an industry that allows people to work their way through the ranks to the very top positions. In this industry, it is a must that managers have experience of every department. That experience forms managers’ attitude. Irrespective of qualifications, attitude is key.”
Ms Zammit Xuereb said tourism was changing daily and it was imperative that change was understood and adapted to by hoteliers and the ITS. Understanding the business and the client was crucial.
The Maltese, she conceded, were less hospitable than they were a decade ago, and there was a need for better supervisors in the industry to elevate standards.
ITS also had to become more proactive and the role of its market research department would be heightened, particularly as the global economic crisis has had an effect on travellers’ choices.
“Personally, I have learned more about the industry in the past year than ever,” Ms Zammit Xuereb admits. “I had to revise each and every cost and analyse what it was bringing to the customer and restructure my own organisation to suit the current situation. The need to revise costs continuously is a reality – costs are increasing. The present situation is an opportunity to analyse the business even more closely and fine-tune or change strategy, if necessary. Low-cost travel does not mean low standards. It poses a challenge to the industry to maintain standards at different rates from diverse segments. Reducing standards is never an option. It is very hard to recoup once standards are on a downward trend. Besides, guests are more frequent so they are better bench markers.”
ITS has carved a remarkable legacy. Since it opened in 1987, it has produced most of the top managers and leaders in Malta’s tourism industry. Ms Zammit Xuereb said the institute’s strategy now needed to be fine-tuned for its own sake and for that of the industry.
Through her roles within the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Malta Tourism Authority, she aims to bring more industry knowledge to ITS. Her short-term plans include the recruitment of a new director-general to execute decisions taken by the board of governors and run the institute. The director-general will also sit on the board to ensure continuity.
ITS is also to have a new deputy director, Ms Zammit Xuereb added.