Núm. 04, julio-diciembre (2003)

It is a fact that the hospitality industry -- tourism-- is the socialeconomic activity with the highest growth in the world, by 2008 it will also be the largest industry in the world. Apart from being a fundamental generator of foreign currency, few people are aware that one of its most important effects is the exportation of "work". Service is the keystone of tourism and this is a subject everyone talks about, however it is difficult to define. The objective of the present article is to be a reflection about service and is the result of many years in the hotel industry. Based on interviews carried out with hotel managements and students, it aims to answer the following questions: what is service?, what importance does it have?, is it possible to measure service?