Examining the impact of socio-economic development programs on hotel employee quality of Life in Dipolog City’s tourism and hospitality industry: Exploring connections to enhance environmental sustainability

Abstract

Tourism investment when poured into a destination, employment opportunities are open for local manpower that is hired to fill up the posts in the tourist establishment. As the number of labor force surges, this creates new demand for services and goods that will be fulfilled by third party groups which have nothing to do with the tourism investors. These third party groups’ clients are the workers themselves who have their own needs. This paper presents an assessment of hotel employees’ self-development and their quality of life with their employment in the tourism and hospitality industries of Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte. The result of this research serves as the bases of analyzing the extent of how tourism and hospitality business in Dipolog City contributes to the quality of life leading to the self-development of the people particularly of the hotel employees. The findings also initiate comprehensive strategic and developmental planning of the city government to sustain the tourism growth in the city of Dipolog. This study uses descriptive method using the appropriate statistical tools such as Frequency Distribution, Weighted Mean, ANOVA and Linear Regression Coefficient of Correlation. Results show that in most of the instances the social variables -social development and socio-cultural diffusion affected the hotel employee self-development. However, the economic variables -the compensation and other financial rewards affected the hotel employees self -development only in a few instance. Employment is an indicator of the social development and economic progress of an individual, thus, workers in the tourism industry lives an enjoyable qualitative life consciously improving oneself- improved personal skills, competencies, talents and knowledge. Through conscious efforts to harmonize economic progress, social welfare, and environmental preservation, Dipolog City’s tourism and hospitality industry can serve as a model for holistic, responsible growth that benefits both its people and the planet.