Vol. 2 No. 2 (2018)

 Editorial

Alison McIntosh, Shelagh Mooney and David Williamson

Kia ora and welcome to the latest issue of Hospitality Insights. The journal continues to provide open access to short, peer reviewed summaries of research for the hospitality industry and community. In this issue, discourse around the state of the industry, accessible hospitality employment and the notion of hospitality itself are presented. Topics include, firstly, the latest findings from the 2018 Restaurant Association Hospitality Report on eating out trends, employment in the industry, and the challenges facing hospitality business owners. Two papers consider how inclusive employment pathways are for disabled youth in the hospitality industry, commenting on the drivers and barriers to accessible employment. Also considered in this issue are the ways in which non-English-as-first-language employees select which language to use in hospitality service encounters, and the contradictions in cultivating a ‘family’ environment in accommodation service provision, while also excluding children. Finally, the notion of ‘hospitable’ training and experience delivery is considered in the context of nature-based wildlife tour guiding. Through the dissemination of these research findings beyond academia, we hope we can co-create dialogue that will lead to a healthier and more sustainable industry and hospitable workforce in the future.