Eureka! Institutional Repository

In recent years, most businesses are going through a period of enormous change, both directly related to the market in which they operate and to their main operations. International competition makes the business environment frustrating and hostile as consumers become increasingly demanding. For the most part, this has driven companies to adopt quality improvement approaches, with the primary aim of being able to meet new requirements. Although the concept of quality is extremely simple, the complexity of the means, tactics and data contained in the provision of high quality goods or services is enormous. Many professionals are called upon to face many and different difficulties in terms of understanding as well as accepting approaches, such as overall quality management. Nowadays, it is becoming more and more recognized that the development of the tourism market and industry requires immediate response in scientific terms, with the management of the companies concerned being the key element for this approach. Quality relies less on the luxury of infrastructure and focuses more on the kind of relationship that is possible to develop between employees in a tourism business and the visitor. It is also one of the key issues in the modern business environment and represents the key concept in terms of strategic planning and organization of tourism and hotel businesses. Quality of service and human resources are the basis for achieving the main business goals in modern tourism and hotel businesses, especially in the present conditions of over-supply, strong competition and the economic crisis. These are the reasons why quality standards have been developed.