The Source

The hospitality and tourism industry is under immense pressure and facing huge and unique challenges not only here in the UK but all throughout Europe and the rest of the world. However, The hospitality and tourism industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, providing a colossal number of job opportunities. Between 2021 and 2031, employment in the hospitality and tourism industry is projected to expand faster than any other job sector, creating about 1.3 million new positions.

In February, I was invited to attend the Hospitality and Tourism Innovation Summit for the Hospitality Industry in Malaga, Spain via the Spanish Embassy. The H&T is the Innovation Summit for the Hospitality Industry and gathers some of the most renowned food producers, chefs and food and catering equipment firms and professionals operating in the industry across the globe. More than 400 companies and organisations were represented including more than 250 from the agri-food sector, 34 reference chefs and Michelin stars, and 15 sommeliers, oenologists and professionals from the world of wine. Countries represented included Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Portugal, France, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United Sates of America, Japan and Canada. 

At this incredibly interesting and exciting exhibition, which covered the entire world-wide hospitality and tourism sectors, we heard about the problems, challenges and solutions that chefs, restauranteurs, business leaders and organisations are currently facing;  including the implications of AI, business management in hospitality, gastronomy at the service of biodiversity, energy efficiency in the hotel field, new trends in the dining experience and opportunities for growth and development. 

The summit returned with a specialist call connecting with the sector’s needs to provide innovative and technological tools to drive the future, competitiveness, and development of the hospitality, hotel and tourism industries. 

The current cost of living crisis and the shortage of labour are not problematic issues mutually exclusive to here in the UK but can also be felt all over the world, especially in Europe. 

However, there is an exciting and a very lovely buzz of innovation, solutions and developments happening that will undoubtedly affect you, the consumer, in a great, positive way. 

There is a hunger for the understanding and the implementation of hospitality technology  in core businesses of the industry such as the implementation and use of Artificial Intelligence. 

Also, Spain is a beacon of gastronomy, equipment and services in both the hospitality and tourism sector; especially with food. 7% of uk food is imported from Spain, which is the largest amount to come from any one single country. Everything from fruits, tomatoes, broccoli, and leeks.