Internal and external linkages and flows

Linkages are the interactions and relationships between tasks, functions, departments and organisations. These interactions allow and promote the flow of information and ideas in achieving the objectives of the tourism business.

Source: http://hscgeographyeconomicactivity.hsieteachers.com/linkages.html

People, goods, service and ideas are linked as part of the daily operations of the enterprise. Within these linkages, flows of information and ideas may also occur. Consider the following examples in each category at three scales, local national and global, and think how they might be linked, or how information and ideas might flow from one to the other. An example is provided below.

Local

People - guests (YHA members), staff, contractors, suppliers

Goods - food & beverage, local produce, cleaning supplies, other stock sold (e.g. postcards, souvenirs, water bottles, keep-cups)

Services - laundry, wi-fi internet access, travel tour desk, cafe, ongoing hostel bookings

Ideas - use of Staff Suggestion Log; communications books; organisational intranet: staff meetings; regional management meetings and conferences; quality management system (HIQ); industry awards.

National

People - YHA Staff and guests

Goods - stock sourced nationally (eg. keep-cups)

Services – Travel/tours bookings, government safety warnings (eg. COVID-19 pandemic restrictions updates), accommodation booking software (Guest Centrix), online bookings platforms (YHA website and YHA app)

Ideas - Australian work and holiday Visa program, national award wage requirements, work health and safety requirements (eg. fire evacuation training) Australian Hotel Association (AHA) star ratings program, designed to ensure consistent quality across all accommodation providers.

Global

People - International staff and guests

Goods - Furnishings, equipment (if sourced internationally)

Services - International YHA travel services and booking service for global properties.

Ideas - Working with Hostelling International to assist with international marketing campaigns, international web based booking engines e.g. hostelworld, hostelbookers.

An example of a linkage and flow associated with providing a service:

The laundering and supply of fresh sheets and towels (linens).

A guest stays for a night in a dormitory room. To maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene all bed linen must be washed after each guest's use. This is to comply with the hostel's hygiene and cleanliness policy, as well as industry standards expected by guests and the Australian Hotel Association (AHA) who accredit accommodation providers and occasionally perform surprise inspections to determine if accommodation providers maintain their rating standard. Rooms are cleaned every morning after checkout at 10.00 am by the Housekeeping staff. At Sydney Harbour YHA, these staff are employed by YHA Ltd to clean the rooms. Laundering sheets and towels is contracted out to an external local laundry company. The accommodation bookings system (Guest Centrix) is used by the housekeeping staff to determine which rooms need cleaning each day, and the reception desk team advises housekeeping of any additional guest cleaning requests. Clean bed sheets and towels are kept in a dedicated storage room and an inventory is kept to ensure the hostel does not run low on supplies. Used sheets and towels are collected both at reception (as a hostel, guests are asked to bring their used linens down to reception when they are ready to check out) and by housekeeping and are dropped down a dirty linen shute to collect in wheeled trolleys in the ground level utilities area ready to be picked up by the local laundry service truck, which returns cleaned and folded linen at the same time. The clean bed linen and towels are then picked up by the housekeeping staff who use them to make up the beds and bathrooms as part of the morning cleaning of rooms, ready for the afternoon guest check in from 2.00pm.