tourism

Dr. Rachel Fu Speaks with CNBC

Travel is 'roaring back' - but the industry might not be ready for a boom

On January 11th, Rachel, J.C. Fu, PhD, Chair of the UF Department of Tourism Hospitality and Event Management, and Director of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute discusses travel trends with CNBC writer, Monicca Buchanan Pitrelli.


Dr. Fu dove into the advances of technology and artificial intelligence in the tourism industry saying, “Using AI wisely can significantly reduce labor costs without sacrificing the level of personalized services.”

Dr. Rachel Fu Speaks on Space Tourism

Space: The Hot New Travel Destination

On January 18, 2022, Rachel, J.C. Fu, PhD, Chair of the UF Department of Tourism Hospitality and Event Management, and Director of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute spoke with Bottom Line Inc. regarding the potential of space tourism.

 

How William Shatner's Blue Origin space trip can reignite passion for science

On October 12, 2021, Rachel, J.C. Fu, PhD, had the pleasure of speaking to ABC News on the realities of space tourism.

"If you are attracting this attention and other entrepreneurs want to invest in this revolution, this will lead to improvements, make [space travel] safer and make it more affordable," Fu said.

 

A lot of folks want to get away from it all, as in way away. Is space tourism ready for takeoff?

On December 11, 2021, Rachel, J.C. Fu, PhD, gave hope to the likelihood of space travel in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer.


“The sky is not a limit anymore.”

EFTI Advisory Board Welcomes Sean Doherty!

The Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute and the Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management are grateful for the contribution of the industry leaders who are part of our Industry Advisory Board. We take this opportunity to thank all members who have been with us for the past years sharing their experiences and insights with our faculty, researchers, students and staff. We are excited to continue expanding our board and welcoming new insights and perspectives in the field.

Now more than ever, the Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management industries benefit from the information provided by research, as well as students need to be properly trained to showcase excellence when becoming the next generation of professionals. The input from the Industry Advisory Board will continue to be valuable for our next research projects and curriculum adjustments in the years to come. This month, we welcome Sean Doherty to our board.

Sean Doherty currently serves as the Tourism Director for the Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau. He is a proud double Gator, graduating with his Bachelor of Science in Exercise & Sports Sciences in 1994 and his Master of Exercise & Sports Science in 1997.

Doherty has led the VCB team in producing record visitation (+23.4%), economic impact (+35.7%) and Tourist Development Tax collections (+36.8%) in Fiscal Year 2021. In addition, he increased the number of hosted sporting events and corresponding economic impact ten-fold for Punta Gorda/ Englewood Beach as well as launched the Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach meetings market sales program from scratch.

Outside of his impressive career, he currently serves on the Destinations Florida Board of Directors and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association - Charlotte Chapter Board of Directors. Doherty is also a member of several organizations like Visit Florida, Destinations International, the Sports Event & Tourism Association, and the Florida Sports Foundation.

EFTI Advisory Board Welcomes Michael Andrew!

The Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute and the Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management are grateful for the contribution of the industry leaders who are part of our Industry Advisory Board. We take this opportunity to thank all members who have been with us for the past years sharing their experiences and insights with our faculty, researchers, students and staff. We are excited to continue expanding our board and welcoming new insights and perspectives in the field.

Now more than ever, the Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management industries benefit from the information provided by research, as well as students need to be properly trained to showcase excellence when becoming the next generation of professionals. The input from the Industry Advisory Board will continue to be valuable for our next research projects and curriculum adjustments in the years to come. This month, we welcome Michael Andrew to our board.

Michael Andrew, a Gator alum, is Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Enterprise Holdings, Inc., which operates the Enterprise, National and Alamo car rental brands. In this position, Mr. Andrew oversees the company’s global legal and government relations activities and advises the company on a wide range of legal and business issues, leading attorneys and government relations associates in the US, UK, Canada, and Continental Europe.

Outside of his successful career, Michael Andrew currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis, a role he has maintained since 2018. Before this, he served from 2005-2009 on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida. He has also served in various positions on the Florida Commission on Volunteerism & Community Service, the Florida Advisory Council on Condominiums, the California Department of Real Estate’s Timeshare Taskforce, and the Hawaii Department of Consumer Affairs’ Destination Club Legislative Reform Group.

Bleisure, Workcations, and Life - a trend could be here to stay

Bleisure, Workcations, and Life – a trend could be here to stay

On March 9th, Rachel, J.C. Fu, PhD, Chair of the UF Department of Tourism Hospitality and Event Management, and Director of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute spoke with the BBC News to give her perspective on the current trend of 'Workcations'.

Q. Workers who might spend a week vacation on the beach, but work 9 to 5 and then enjoy vacation leisure time after/before. (As opposed to just tacking vacation days on to a business trip.) For that first group, who are the types of workers taking these bleisure vacations who couldn’t before the pandemic, do you think?

A. Before the pandemic era, bleisure referred to people who built their vacation days into their business trips by extending their trips before/after their business hours and days, so they could invite their loved ones to spend quality time and enjoy a nice accommodation (partially at employers’ expense) at a destination.  During the pandemic, we all have been well trained that as long as we can deliver remotely, companies seem not to interfere with where their employees are working from (home vs. non-home places where Internet connection and/or satellite tower is well equipped).  Similar to the remote learning environment, some students have decided to stay at AirBnBs in the mountains, beach houses, and other fun places to use their cameras while taking notes and Zooming in and out freely.  

Before and during the pandemic, some companies and institutions already have their designated rental car companies welcome contracted companies’ employees to enter their company codes when renting a car for employees’ own leisure trips.  Some companies even provide the contracted hotels/rental car companies as part of employee benefits such as contracted lodging places and/or rental cars.  

Q. Why is it more accessible to them now?

A. The combined revolutionary concepts of work experiences, lifestyles, employee benefits, technology convenience, flexibility, productivity, and employers’ retention/recruitment strategies have impacted how we see the future of workplaces. We’d assume it might be the group of millennials who would enjoy the bleisure work-life styles, but when we think further, it seems to be an acceptable and win-win situation for both employees and employers. With mutual understanding, as long as employers accept that their employees do not need to be in an office 8 am to 5 pm, through consistent and good quality of their work products, reporting and delivering by effective communications integrated with reliable supportive systems (stabilized broadbands and Internet), the new type of bleisure will attract certain types of individuals. If using a rental/leasing office space is a high cost for the employers, the new concept could be seen as a new future of the workplace: encouraging employees to work remotely to reduce emissions, use hours more mindfully, and hopefully be happier and more productive.

Q.We talked about how people have been able to change their behaviors… anything else, maybe something about big systemic changes (companies being more flexible, etc.)?What do you think the implications are of more workers doing bleisure travel? Might it create inequalities between workers who can work remotely on vacation and those who can’t?

A. Individuals use their talents to make a living, and even more so to make a life. They select their expertise and skills and make decisions about their work and career; it’s a life choice. It’s about the nature of individuals’ job requirements, and I would not personally connect the reality with the inequalities at this moment. We may want to focus more on “access”, “strategies”, and “advanced approaches” (either through technologies or based on supply/demand mutual understanding and agreement) that can permit workers to deliver their work in-person and/or remotely more effectively.

Q. Or does it make remote work while on vacation more common? Something else?

A. From the tourism and hospitality business perspectives, combining vacation/work at destinations that will make contributions to local economies and generate further job opportunities. From a mindfulness perspective, we all have freedom of choice. “Leisure” stands for “freedom”. Individuals being able to enjoy their leisure freely with various choices [destinations, types of lodging, travel partners, etc.] and enjoy their working hours productively sounds wonderful. To work effectively and productively in a beautiful place is not only to be seen as the balance between work and life but could also be perceived as enjoying the life journey while we can. Having the freedom to make various choices about our work-life style is an empowering benefit.

Read the full article @ https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220309-workcations-the-travel-trend-mixing-work-and-play