Evaluation, Synthesis and Formulation of Proposals for the Use of ...

«Evaluation, Synthesis and Formulation of Proposals for the Use of ICTin the Tourism Sector»Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, conducted in the framework of the present study. During this interview,it was also noted that the small and medium tourist enterprises cannot attract specialized employees,a fact that broadens the digital gap and the associated problems. It was also stressed that the suitablytrained graduates are always hired by the same big players in the market. This was also confirmed bythe field research in hotels, rent rooms and other accommodation units. The percentage of largehotels (50 or more employees) that attempted to hire new employees specialized in ICT during thelast year was 12%, while the corresponding number for medium-sized units (10-49 employees) wasonly 4%, and no case was registered in the smaller units. These data also confirm the view that, ingeneral, there is very limited demand for higher education graduates in the tourism sector, and thismainly comes from large enterprises. The primary demand in the sector is for staff with skills in food,beverages etc.Similar differences are observed in the practical training offered by hotels to their employees, withseminars, special on the job activities etc. Large units train many more employees than the small ormedium ones, in a proportion approximately 6 to 1. With regard to vocational training issues, it isworthwhile mentioning the modern e-learning practices in tourism, which are indicatively applied inPortugal and Spain for the training of foreign tourist agents (with the use of the German Grafensteinsystem). The idea is that the tourist agent who is well informed for a country, finds it easier andprefers to promote the tourist products of this country.5.4.2 Technological Culture and AwarenessAlthough not directly relevant to ICT, the question of the more general tourist culture and awarenessmust be stressed, not only because it was mentioned several times during the focus groupsdiscussions, but also because it leads indirectly to matters of ICT infrastructures. The general idea isthat, in the study of tourism issues, the modern trend is to avoid making distinctions between citizensand tourists. The visitor of a country must enjoy the same technological benefits as the permanentresident.With regard to the technological culture and awareness in Greece, there has not been any particularprogress in the tourism sector, mainly because the benefits and advantages (especially financial) fromthe adoption and use of new ICT remain largely unknown. An important factor for this is the delay ofour country in the provision of specialized education and training. The tourism professionals say thatthey would like to hire new employees trained in tourism and simultaneously able to managetechnological information, and not graduates strictly specialized in ICT.Version 1Month: December Year: 200749