EHL Faculty

🏥 Hospitals can learn from the hospitality industry to improve patient experience by enhancing material environment, service quality, and technology use. Suggestions include using calming colors, natural light, and signature scents in non-medical areas; creating quiet spaces; providing higher quality meals; concierge services; wellness offerings like spas; and utilizing technology for personalized care and real-time feedback. Partnerships between sectors can facilitate knowledge transfer for integrated service excellence in healthcare.

🌍 Overcrowded beaches, streets, and long queues at tourist attractions are signs of overtourism. Despite rising travel costs, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicts record tourism for the season. McKinsey found that 66% of travelers are more inclined to travel now than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Overtourism is driven by the increasing demand for travel and the limited capacity of popular destinations. Lucerne, Switzerland, faces high volumes of day tourists, causing traffic jams without economic benefits of longer stays. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok contribute to overtourism, as seen in Hallstatt, Austria, which saw about 145,000 overnight stays last year. Travelers are avoiding popular destinations due to overcrowding, commercialization, and poor maintenance. Concerns over overtourism affect 61% in Spain, 49% in France, and 46% in Italy. Alternatives include traveling during the off-season or choosing less crowded destinations, as shown by a 2.2% and 3.0% increase in off-season tourist arrivals in Spain's Balearic Islands between 2016 and 2023. Valencia, Spain, saw a 9.8% increase in tourists in 2023 compared to 2019, particularly from January to April, with a 29.4% increase from 2019 to 2024.