Customer service is important for businesses in the travel and tourism industry to meet and exceed customer expectations due to high competition. Providing good customer service leads to customer loyalty, competitive advantage, and lower costs for companies. Principles of good customer service include making a positive first impression, providing speedy and accurate service, developing a good company image, establishing clear customer service policies, promoting effective teamwork and communication across an organization, meeting diverse customer needs, and creating a mission statement that outlines a company's goals for customer satisfaction.