Exploratory Study of Soft Skills in Tourism and Hospitality  Sector: Perspectives of Hotels and Travel Agencies Managers

Zekry, Mariam Samy; Moussa, Mahmoud Ali; Salama, Mahmoud Ahmed

doi:10.21608/mfth.2023.288573

Exploratory Study of Soft Skills in Tourism and Hospitality Sector: Perspectives of Hotels and Travel Agencies Managers

Authors

¹ Department of Tourism Studies, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Suez Canal University

² Educational Psychology department, Faculty of Education, Suez Canal University

³ Department of Hotel Management, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Suez Canal

10.21608/mfth.2023.288573

Abstract

Tourism industry needs people with effective soft skills. These are basic skills to efficient performance across all types of jobs. Many stakeholders find a gap in the graduate’s performance because of lack of soft skills. This research aims to determine the required soft Skills for staff in the Tourism and hospitality sector, evaluate the most important soft skills required in Tourism and hospitality sector in Egypt and determine the soft skills differences between tourism and Hospitality sector from hotels and travel agencies managers perspectives. A total of 295 questionnaires were distributed (190 hotel managers(general managers, human resources, and training managers) represented 64,4% from the total population and 105 travel agencies managers represented 35.6% from the total population).The participants are from Great Cairo and Sharm Elsheikh. Results indicated that the Core and Special skills were the same scores in weighted means. Soft skills differ from the perspectives of hotels and travel agencies managers in special and managerial soft skills scores, this means that hotels care about these skills during selecting and recruiting. The study recommends that educational institutions should focus on developing students with soft skills such as communication, planning, problem-solving, and leadership.

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