In full swing...
Our summer was spent driving around the Alps sampling the cultural, culinary and natural delights of France, Austria and northern Italy.
But that seems long ago now and it has a been busy start to the second half though with our batteries recharged we are ready for the run in to Christmas. Once again our research and consulting projects are taking us out on the road regularly and we are enjoying the opportunity of working with some new clients doing exciting things locally and internationally.
Speaking of travel, it was interesting the other day to see that shopping has now taken over from culture as the main motivation for visitors to Japan. This hardly surprising given that shopping now seems to be the principal leisure activity of a good part of the rich world's population ( we certainly dragged back a good haul of gourmet booty from the Alps).
However, this is a reminder for the tourism industry that shopping is a central part of the travel experience for nearly every destinations and needs to be addressed. Many destinations focus their offer primarily on their cultural or natural attractions but their visitors soon dispense with these sights and head off to shop and eat.
Eating out is another essential ingredient of travel and restaurant cleanliness ratings were something that caught our attention last time we were in Los Angeles. It's nice to know but anything less than an 'A' and I found myself wondering in which particular department they fell down - bugs? washing hands? Better not to wonder really.
Now Cleanscores also provides online ratings of local restaurants. I wonder how they would go in Spain where cleanliness and service seems to depend mostly on the attitude of the chef and whether the local football team won this weekend. And I can't imagine the chaos this sort of thing would cause in Italy where even trendy cafes in central Milan have bathrooms that would be at home in a third world bus station.
In fact, apart from Ciao, the whole field of consumer reviews doesn't seem to have taken off in Spain yet but will undoubtably. One day soon I'll be able to stop outside a bar in a Barcelona side street and pull up some recent reviews on the Blackberry before venturing in to sample their wares.
But that seems long ago now and it has a been busy start to the second half though with our batteries recharged we are ready for the run in to Christmas. Once again our research and consulting projects are taking us out on the road regularly and we are enjoying the opportunity of working with some new clients doing exciting things locally and internationally.
Speaking of travel, it was interesting the other day to see that shopping has now taken over from culture as the main motivation for visitors to Japan. This hardly surprising given that shopping now seems to be the principal leisure activity of a good part of the rich world's population ( we certainly dragged back a good haul of gourmet booty from the Alps).
However, this is a reminder for the tourism industry that shopping is a central part of the travel experience for nearly every destinations and needs to be addressed. Many destinations focus their offer primarily on their cultural or natural attractions but their visitors soon dispense with these sights and head off to shop and eat.
Eating out is another essential ingredient of travel and restaurant cleanliness ratings were something that caught our attention last time we were in Los Angeles. It's nice to know but anything less than an 'A' and I found myself wondering in which particular department they fell down - bugs? washing hands? Better not to wonder really.
Now Cleanscores also provides online ratings of local restaurants. I wonder how they would go in Spain where cleanliness and service seems to depend mostly on the attitude of the chef and whether the local football team won this weekend. And I can't imagine the chaos this sort of thing would cause in Italy where even trendy cafes in central Milan have bathrooms that would be at home in a third world bus station.
In fact, apart from Ciao, the whole field of consumer reviews doesn't seem to have taken off in Spain yet but will undoubtably. One day soon I'll be able to stop outside a bar in a Barcelona side street and pull up some recent reviews on the Blackberry before venturing in to sample their wares.
posted by J @ 5:34 PM
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