Fresh Ideas from Dusit Thani College Students at Thailand Tourism Forum 2024
Starting the year of 2024 with one of the largest events for tourism and hospitality industry in Thailand Thailand Tourism Forum 2024 which was wonderfully run under the concept #TimeForGrowth by C9 Hotelworks Hospitality Consulting Group at InterContinental Bangkok.
The event connected over 1,000 hoteliers and those related to the industry to update the current trends in this field while identifying issues and ideas for their solutions. There were also speakers who shared knowledge and experience from many challenging cases and key takeaways from success stories.
To tackle new challenges which are emerging in the era of change, we need new waves of ideas and creativity to ripple inspirations in the red ocean. That’s the reason why Dusit Thani College joined the stage in Bang Bang session and let our 11 students blast their individual ideas toward each topic.
For the topic ‘Waste Management’ in hotels and restaurants, Mr. Pawares Kento Kasai from Hotel and Resort Management International Program (currently Hospitality Management International Program) gave an opinion to apply sustainable purchasing policies, use environmentally friendly products, and support local vendors who adopt minimal packagings and sustainable practices. While Ms. Nicharas Rujiteerapat from the same program answered the question about talent nurturing and retention that prioritizing staff wellbeing and growth is the key and this can create an inside-out satisfaction which leads to better guest experience.
‘The Art of Hospitality’ is a topic for Mr. Teethat Raksa from Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management Thai Program to state his opinion. He mentioned the needs of people are diverse and customizable responses could differentiate great hospitality from good ones, with a plus of uniqueness and trend catching. Mr. Jetsada Thamrongrungrot, student of Hotel and Resort Management International Program, gave a recommendation on the issue of language barriers to invest more in multilingual staff, translation assistance materials, and crosscultural communication.
Following, Ms. Jirada Kluaymaingarm from Professional Culinary Arts International Program was given an interesting issue ‘Lack of Innovation and Weak of Soft Power’ which she suggested to nurture cultural pride as well as encourage environment that fosters innovation, out-of-the-box thinking, and hands-on experiment. The more intense question ‘Market Saturation’ was answered professionally by another Professional Culinary Arts International Program student Mr. Neo Sachdev that hospitality businesses need to identify the desires of specific visitors and fortify with the right partners to stay competitive.
Mr. Bruce Saran Ide, a Hotel Management Thai Program student, received the topic ‘Issues with the Current Administration’ and gave remarkable ideas that better communication from the authorities, more legislations which support hospitality industry, and higher security level could elevate travel experience in Thailand. While Mr. Kongphop Kanchanaveera from Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management Thai Program was asked about how food and beverage offerings integrate green practices. He opined that the businesses could support local organic farmers in order to reduce cost, transport, and the gap of SME approaches.
Another Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management Thai Program student Mr. Natchanon Choopaibool expressed his idea on the pressure to fit in an organization for younger generations which hinders innovation and their authenticity. He suggested an open space and mentorship by the senior professionals combining eccentric ideas with practicalities. The speech was followed by the perspective of Ms. Pailin Braddel from Hotel Management Thai Program on the topic ‘AI Takeover in the Hospitality Industry’. Her statement included the understanding of people’s fear over technologies and the bright side of Artificial Intelligence, concluding a recommendation to work with than combat AI.
Last but not least, the only MBA student from the latest cluster Gastronomy Business Management Ms. Panida Yamthongkam extracted her experience in an airline company into a solution for the issue ‘Sustainability in Aviation Hospitality’. She mentioned the needs of alternative power sources such as biofuel, hydrogen, and electricity as well as their international implementation. Moreover, she highlighted the reduction of single-use plastic products and food waste is necessary in order to save the environment. Lastly, staff and passengers ought be aware of carbon footprint and the power of their actions that minimize carbon emission though their normal activities.
As an educational institution which specializes for hospitality businesses, Dusit Thani College encourages students to speak out their minds to develop the industry without limiting their ideas while fostering their growth with opportunities to expose to other professionals who connect them to future careers.
