Why I Love Travel and Hospitality

Some people live for delicious food. Some people get excited by bugs and plants. Me? I love travel and everything to do with it - hotels, airlines, passenger planes and trains, cruises, local arts and culture, the business of tourism. In fact, I confess - it is an obsession. I collect coffee table books on hotel architecture, interior design, train journeys, history of airline liveries and evolution of crew uniforms. When I travel, I check out iconic hotels and noteworthy new developments. I speak to hotel staff during my stay to understand market dynamics, guest profiles and operational challenges. You get the hint.

So, how did this love affair come about and why do I love it so?

Where It All Started

I am a Malaysian Chinese of Hainan and Hakka dialect descent. If you are familiar with the peculiarities of Chinese ethnic groups, you will know that each dialect group is said to display certain tendencies. For instance, the Hakka Chinese are reputed to be shrewd (many go into business), the Teochew are easy-going (and love rice congee). The Hainanese? They are usually the proprietors of hotels, coffee shops (or locally known as "kopitiams") and other places of hospitality. It is in our blood to take care of people (or so they say) and make people feel at home. My great-grandfather ran a small hotel on Beach Road in Singapore after World War II (unfortunately, the hotel is no longer there), my grandfather and uncle ran a bakery, and my father ran a coffee shop for a few years. Our family home was always hosting visiting and transiting friends and relatives... way before vacation rental became a thing!

More specifically, the a-ha moment dawned on me in my early teens during a memorable family trip to Switzerland and Austria when we stayed in multiple hotels - one of which was a large convention Sheraton. I vividly recall standing in the hotel lobby in awe of the scale, the furnishings and the bustling atmosphere. There was so much going on, everyone seemed happy; the hotel staff was welcoming, attentive and accommodating. I wondered... how are these hotels operated? What goes on behind the scenes, or more accurately, behind the walls? How are employees trained to deliver such service? How does a hotel make money (this is the Hakka side of me, evidently)? As I took a deep breath of the distinct smell that only hotels have (to date, I still can't put my finger on it - I think it's a combination of air conditioning + air refreshener + carpet), I knew I wanted to join the Travel and Hospitality industry. I wanted to grow up and become a Hotel General Manager.

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Fast forward to today, I have spent the last modest 16 years of my career in this industry learning more than I could imagine and loving it more than I thought possible. Getting into the industry with a business degree wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be (more on that another day), but I have had the privilege of being involved in different parts of the value chain - from on-property hotel revenue management to hotel and resort development consulting (best job ever for a young, curious and mobile individual - more on that another day too), from digital marketing at the hotel management company corporate level to online travel today. I didn't become a Hotel General Manager as I had prophesied when I was 15, but who knows what the future holds?

There are many reasons why I love the Travel and Hospitality industry. Today, I'll just talk about three.

1. There Is Something for Everyone

The decision to develop my experience across the value chain has been a deliberate one and it has accorded me with a very unique cross-sectional view of Travel. Aside from broadening my understanding of this fascinating industry, it has convinced me that there is something for everyone.

Love people? There are Guest Relations, Customer Service and Human Resources.

Love numbers? There are Revenue Management, Analytics, Finance and Accounting.

Love solving problems? There are Product Management, Technology and Business Strategy.

Love processes? There are Operations and Compliance.

Love design? There are Technical Services, Architecture & Design and UX Design.

The list just goes on. There is something for everyone regardless of your background, location, training, strengths and personalities. As a result, you also get to meet and work with people from all walks of life (how about an actual rocket scientist???). There is so much to learn and so much one can do, you can stretch yourself in many directions which I personally find a very good challenge.

To me, this is like a parallel universe. I wish more people knew how multi-faceted and dynamic the industry is and how much opportunity it presents for everyone to contribute, thrive and build a fulfilling career.

2. Travel Tourism Uplifts Communities and Economies.

Tourism is one of the most significant GDP contributors around the world. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, "the global Travel & Tourism sector contributed a record $8.8 trillion and 319 million jobs to the world economy in 2018 (representing 1 in 10 jobs globally). For the eighth consecutive year, this was above the growth rate of world GDP."

Here are some other fun facts:

• Generated 10.4% of all global economic activity
• Is responsible for one in five of all new jobs created in the world over the last five years
• Is the second-fastest growing sector in the world (+3.9%), behind only Manufacturing (+4%); and ahead of Healthcare (+3.1%), Information Technology (+1.7%) and Financial Services (+1.7%)

Travel Tourism is forecasted to contribute 100 million new jobs globally over the next ten years, accounting for 421 million jobs by 2029. The impact that this has on global economies, local communities (in particular marginalized groups of society such as woman, youth and others) and the environment is humongous. Of course, this also demands strong governance and responsible, sustainable development (another passion area of mine).

I spent a fair amount of my early career in Thailand and witnessed historic events such as the wide-reaching impact of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, and the 2006 Coup d'etat and subsequent political crisis. The humility and resilience of the Thai people in the face of adversity is remarkable, and tourism has played a big role in helping the country recover from those very rough years. Working with and at hotel properties in Thailand was and remains one of my most enriching experiences. It gave me a front-row perspective of the life-altering impact that tourism has on people's livelihoods, the ability of local communities to survive and a battered economy to recover.

3. Travel is Good for Us.

Mark Twain is famously quoted on the following phrase (which I love):

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

We are living in very interesting times where AI threatens to eliminate massive number of jobs and plunge the human race into chaos, the rise of nationalism is impacting trade and movement, climate change is raising sea levels and global temperatures (floods in Venice! Australian bushfires! 19C in Norway in January!), so on and so forth. It might be hard to remember that, amidst all this doom and gloom, we are living through one of the most peaceful times in history (in terms of global conflict). Here is an overview of the last 600+ years of global deaths in conflict:

Not sure about you, but I'm pretty keen to reduce the statistics above so our future generations are able to experience this beautiful world that we have and have more opportunities to make the world better and more equitable.

Idealistic? Perhaps. Important? Absolutely.

Travel, in my opinion, has the power to do that. I believe the more we understand one another - our individual and collective histories, cultural backgrounds, preferences and priorities - the better we can empathize with one another, accept our differences and appreciate our interdependence. A recent (first!) trip to India reminded me of how crucial it is to be an observer when we travel ("take only memories, leave only footprints"), how humbling it is to learn about a culture different from mine, and how new travel experiences can expand the mind and heart. Travel enhances my world views and makes me a better member of society. And boy, the stories to share!

So there, this is why I love Travel and Hospitality, why I am thankful for the last 16 very eye-opening and fulfilling years, and why I am excited about the years to come. So much for us to discuss.

On that note, I'd love to know why you love what you do; and if you're in Travel and Hospitality, how you got into it and what you love (or not love) about it... or anything else you'd like us to talk about. Let me know in the comments section below!