UCSI Malaysia Conducted a Guest Lecture with The Hospitality Study Program of UMN

(Doc. Marketing Communications UMN)

TANGERANG –  The Hospitality Study Program of UMN welcomes Dr. Hanafi Bin Hamzah, the Dean and an Associate Professor of Tourism Planning and Development at the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management at UCSI, to speak as a guest lecturer for UMN Hospitality students. The guest lecture was conducted on-site at the UMN campus on Tuesday (08/11/22).

During the guest lecture, Hanafi spoke about how COVID-19 has affected the Hospitality and Tourism industry, the trends and challenges the sector faces post-covid, and the industry’s future.

“This is a people’s people industry– a 24/7 industry, an industry that never sleeps,” Hanafi said, describing the Hospitality and Tourism industry. He shared that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many uncertainties and decreases. Still, with the post-pandemic recovery, the Hospitality and Tourism industry is likely to increase in 2023 and the years to come.

Hanafi quoted several data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). In 2020, the global Travel & Tourism sector suffered a massive loss of almost US$4.5 trillion. The sector’s contribution to GDP dropped 49.1%, compared to the overall global economy, which fell by just 3.7% in 2019. In addition, 62 million jobs in the Travel & Tourism sector were lost in 2020.

“You can imagine how the pandemic is killing the industry,” Hanafi said. During the pandemic, with the lockdowns and social distancing, people could not travel domestically and internationally– which negatively impacted the Hospitality and Travel industry. 

Hanafi also added that the pandemic affected not only the economy but also human behavior, like how cautious people started to get when buying food, washing their hands more constantly, sanitizing their packages, using gloves, and more.

(Doc. Marketing Communications UMN)

Despite the massive loss, Hanafi shared that the industry will bounce back. Again, quoting data by WTTC, the Travel & Tourism sector is expected to create nearly 126 million new jobs within the next decade. Meaning there will be one in three new jobs will be made.

“Global Travel & Tourism GDP could reach pre-pandemic levels by 2023 – just 0.1% below 2019 levels. The sector’s contribution to GDP is expected to grow a massive 43.7% to almost US$ 8.4 trillion by the end of 2022, amounting to 8.5% of the total global economic GDP – just 13.3% behind 2019 levels,” said WTTC in their article. 

The positive bounceback is also likely seen in the Asia Pacific Region. WTTC’s report expects positive growth until 2025. It is estimated that by 2025, the travel revenue from the Asia Pacific Region will contribute 32% more to their GDP, even more than pre-pandemic. 

He also shared some trends in the hospitality market: Domestic holidays (more people are seen traveling domestically since the pandemic), traveling to neighboring countries, the younger generation is traveling more, nature tourism is becoming more trendy, micro-holidays (brief vacations to a nearby place, e.g., recreational place), and road trips will become more normal than trips that require flights.

“There’s also an increase in sustainable practices (sustainable tourism). People also started to talk about the 4th industry revolution,” Hanafi added.

(Doc. Marketing Communications UMN)

Hence, Hanafi shared that he hopes UMN Hospitality students could continue their studies at UCSI, Malaysia. He ensures that hospitality students shouldn’t worry about finding a job after graduation as in UCSI, most of their students were able to find jobs during internships before graduating.

In addition, he also shared that according to a 2021 survey, 94% of hotels are understaffed and 96% of hotels shared that they are constantly trying to hire but unable to fill the open position. 

“So, who says that taking this study program won’t guarantee you a job? This is a thing you don’t have to worry about,” Hanafi said. He understands that job uncertainty can be a concern for Hospitality students due to the pandemic.

The guest lecture went successfully. It is hoped that the guest lecture led by Hanifah can inspire and comfort UMN Hospitality students in the midst of uncertainties during the pandemic, and pursue their careers in the Hospitality & Travel industry after they graduate!

By Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika | Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. www.umn.ac.id