2nd International tourism conference tourism of culture and the creative industries: exploring the linkages
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Nowadays animation and entertainment services have become a constituent part and are playing an important role as a special function in hotel businesses. This is probably due to the constantly increasing requirements of hotel clientele for better service and an integrated holidays experience in resorts. Animation services encompass every activity offering movement, joy, leisure and spectacle, such as games, sports, shows, events, etc. From a business perspective, the main aims of resorts managing and operating such services are: (i) to offer a wide spectrum of recreational opportunities to their guests; (ii) to enhance and improve their reputation, customer loyalty and, par extension, to increase occupancy rate; and (iii) to gain a competitive advantage in a very difficult market.
The aim of this study is to explore various aspects and address various management issues related to the successful offering of recreational services. This topic constitutes a research theme not sufficiently investigated. A review of the related literature is performed in the first section. This is followed by a synoptic presentation of international experience. The main part of the study is dedicated to four case studies of Greek resort hotels; focusing on the main management issues, such as organization, program and activities, human resources, etc. The paper concludes by identifying the factors crucial to the successful offering of animation services and to the appropriate approach to link the local culture and production to tourism and hotel industry. Finally, the study provides some proposals to create synergy between entertainment services and local culture.
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