Hospitality Malta 06 | Page 9

from the Editor Adapting Chev. Anthony C. Coleiro to Change M alta’s last decade too, akin to that of other countries far and wide, was witness to tumultuous change within the hospitality industry. Distribution channels have shifted, and the cost for hoteliers to acquire their target markets has risen, both in terms of feeding the channels as well as in the internal cost to professionally surf them. The market’s demographic segments are shrink- ing, seeing as how millennials in particular are more inclined towards the sharing economy. And competi- tion is high, particularly so on our islands. That hotels have kept rising in value as fixed assets has inexorably mitigated the risk element and has thus lowered barri- ers to entry for new entrants as well as expansionism. The traveller is evermore seeking to experience the culture and happenings of the countries they visit. This means that they have become more demanding, adding complexity to the service provision and si- HOSPITALITY MALTA multaneously thinned out profits whilst widening the possibilities within one’s product portfolio. But per- sonalising services to the traveller; competitively ca- tering for these demands requires precision, for which Technology is key. This is also true because the mil- lenial is an early adopter of technology. And while this segment wants easy, frequent and efficient trav- el, their enjoying memorable experiences without breaking the bank will reward the obliging service provider with extensive promotions in their social media channels. These elements form the basis of what market players must pay heed to in order to be able to main- tain growth, and these and other interesting and use- ful factors form the basis of this edition of Hospitality Malta’s contents. The scope, as always, of this edition of Hospitality Malta is to empower you, dear reader, with further knowledge and information to sustain your mission towards better hospitality management. I hope you enjoy your read. Issue 06 7