Hospitality

The Hong Kong Tourism Board predicts that the number of tourists visiting Hong Kong this year will increase by 6.8 per cent to 51.93 million visitors. To cope, more hotel rooms are needed. Once these are available, more manpower will be in demand.

In fact, a number of new hotels will open this year and next, so hiring prospects in the hotel industry will remain highly positive. Students currently studying hospitality will, hopefully, find little problem when it comes to seeking employment.

The industry faces challenges, however. For a number of reasons, young people tend not to want to do certain front-line jobs, so there is a lack of manpower for a number of entry-level positions.

The opening of the first berth of the new Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in June this year could make matters worse, as it will certainly attract a number of hospitality jobseekers.

Hotel human resources departments really need to come up with some solutions for these ongoing problems.

Dr Eric Chan, assistant professor, HK Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management
As told to Chiu Po-sze