Thailand is the new destination for Gastronomic Tourists and Foodies. It is expanding by an incredible amount every year. In 2017 receipts from tourism increased to Baht 1,831 million, a whopping 85% increase compared to five years previously. The number of tourists continues to increase. Preliminary revenue figures for 2018 indicate increased expenditures to Baht 2,004 million, a 9.43% increase over the previous year. Suvarnabhumi Airport is now far exceeding its annual capacity of 45 million travellers as the Thai government pursues ways to expand that capacity to meet ever-increasing demand.
In the past, the majority of people coming to Thailand were backpackers, adventurers and party seekers. Now there has been a paradigm shift whereby increasing numbers of tourists are presently seeking more sophisticated experiences, especially affecting the Hospitality services industry. For 2016, “Gastronomy Tourism” accounted for Thailand's fourth-largest spending of tourism dollars, at 20%, after “Accommodation” which garnered 29% of tourism expenditures, This fine food-based segment requires a certain level of Premium F&B Service which is NOT so much asked for, but is EXPECTED, and requires high-level staff at many, if not most, hotels, bars and restaurants. These need to be poised to provide services to this segment, but have not been adequately trained to meet these levels of demand.
Since early 2017, the Thai government has backed a new era of gastronomy with innovative strategies such as spending Baht 144 million to commission the Michelin Guide (considered the world’s most recognised and respected Hotel and Restaurant reference guides) to rate Thailand’s fine restaurants during the five-year period, from 2017 to 2021. The expectation is that this segment’s contribution to tourism expenditures will have grown to 25% of the total tourist spend by the time all of the figures are available for 2018.
By 2022, the government of Thailand is expected to commit the funding necessary to make Thailand a world-renowned destination, offering the ultimate dining experience for international “foodies”, the name given to tourists who travel worldwide seeking unique dining experiences and participating in culinary trends that cannot be found anywhere else. This is also the reason why important trend setters in the sector, such as Lionel Dantiacq, Managing Director of East-Asia and Australia’s Michelin group, has recently stated that Bangkok “stands out as one of the culinary capitals of the world.”
This increasing hunger for epicurean experiences has created a gap within the hospitality services industry in Thailand. Even though culinary knowhow is at world-standard level, the overall service aspects at many hotels, restaurants, and bars, private and corporate events, are not up to the standards required to meet the service expectations of those international foodies.
Service is a lost art
“True Hospitality Service” is where you go out of your way to meet someone else’s needs ahead of your own needs. When done correctly, this is performed with pride, professionalism and utmost joy. For a hospitality service provider to be in a position where they can create a professional and everlasting impact on an individual diner’s experience is extremely powerful. It is a responsibility and an honour not to be taken lightly by the hotels, restaurants and bar managements. Not if they wish to compete in this ever more lucrative service environment.
So how are excellent service experiences created?
Excellent hospitality service experiences start with tailor-made training programs designed specifically for hotels, bars and restaurants, catering and event companies, as well as for private and corporate events, and for all production-level staff. These standards inspire high levels of grooming, behavioural standards, technical skills, guest interactions, cultural understanding, and basic guest psychology. The vast majority of dining venues have not invested enough time and money in creating and implementing F&B service staffing solutions and training programs that will achieve the service levels expected by the ever-increasing new segments of tourists coming to Thailand. This is a terrible position in which to find the local hospitality scene as the Thai government continues to pour money into building Thailand into the ultimate gastronomical and service experience.
The Thai people employed within the hospitality service sector have a strong desire to be of service. These people therefore have the raw potential to reach the high level of professionalism required to exceed the service expectations of the world-traveling foodies, providing unforgettable experiences and customer delight. However, the vast majority of hotel, bar and restaurant venues do not make the necessary investment in training required to provide this experience. Therefore they do not reach their potential in hospitality services provided, nor in revenues generated.
Why hospitality service is important
Everyone wants to be treated as if they are the most important person in the room and there are good reasons for that. They come from all over the world, and make great efforts to go out of their way to experience what an establishment has to offer in exchange for their time, travel and money. From an establishment’s point of view, both managers and employees should see this opportunity as a true privilege to welcome these visitors into a location that provides the hospitality service experience of a lifetime. So, in order to make these gastronomical tourists feel that they are truly valued, the staff and F&B teams should ideally be trained, prepared and capable to both anticipate and cater to these visitors’ needs and expectations, whatever these might be or whenever they might occur.
It is vital that these hospitality service skills are taught to service management and staff so that the hotels, bars and restaurants may ride the gastronomic wave as it continues to break over Thailand.
Failure to provide these desperately needed premium F&B service staffing solutions and training will result in negative consequences as less-than-satisfied customers post on-line reviews describing their excellent and exotic foods with unique experiences, but with mediocre-to-poor service: a sure way to lose potential sales.
Great food and beverage experiences MUST be aligned with great hospitality service. These two must go hand-in-hand to provide the ultimate dining experience. Amazing food is only part of the experience. Outstanding hospitality service is what makes the experience memorable and worth both repeat visits and excellent restaurant reviews. Make the investment in outstanding service and watch your investment pay EXTREME dividends as the Gastronomic Tourist wave continues to build.
Authors: Claus Enghave – COO & Co-Founder and Scott S. Roach, PHD – Data Analyst Specialist
Kingsmen Hospitality Services, a leading advisory and training organisation for the hospitality industry can be reached at cenghave@kingsmenhospitality.com
Series Editor: Christopher F. Bruton, Executive Director, Dataconsult Ltd, chris@dataconsult.co.th. Dataconsult’s Thailand Regional Forum provides seminars and extensive documentation to update business on future trends in Thailand and in the Mekong Region.
