“No matter
why and where you travel. There is always something wonderfully new to be
found.”
Tourism is the bundle of tangible products and
intangible services that can help to bring most profound experience one can
get. With respect to time, tourism has been changing from the ancient form of
religious tourism to a few new forms. Tourism industry contributes to 9% of the
global GDP and offers one from every 11 jobs. In addition, the number of
tourists have doubled over the past 20 years and a propelling growth is
expected in coming few years among all market segments.
Tourism industry has an intense potential to grow
and generate revenues. Let us see, the new shaping trends in tourism today.
Future of Tourism
It is quite obvious that tomorrow’s tourists and
tour operators will tend to rely more on technology. With the introduction of
the next generation apps and online services, tourism is going to get further
accessible and enjoyable.
According to Ari Steinbuerg, the founder of a
travel startup Vamo, the tourists will tend to spend less time planning in
advance. Efficient booking services and apps will enable the tourists to create
versatile itineraries with reasonable price. Future tourists would not prefer to
be confined to packaged tours. With the availability of large number of
options, the tourists would prefer to realize every possible wish regarding
tourism.
With more flight connectivity, travelling modes
and accommodations introducing more comfort, technology helping mankind
progressively, the tourism will continue to bring momentum in its sector.
Digital Technology in Tourism
Today, tour operators and tourists, both are
equipped with latest technology. It has empowered the tourism business managers
and tourists to explore, discover and reach new places by facilitating online
travel and accommodation bookings, and more.
The tourists use various mobile apps as simple as
a compass app, online booking apps, currency converter apps, world time apps,
language translation apps, weather apps, google maps, and restaurant or
accommodation locating services on their mobile device. The tourists can also
add their own data to create overlay on the Google Map and explore all
possibilities in visiting a location by using Google Maps API. Some apps help
to plan the tour, find out cheap flights, local transport hubs, eating joints,
and destination attractions.
The apps enhance the tourist experience before,
during, and after the tour.
Today, the large tour operators invest finances
to create their own mobile apps. They are inclined to use as less papers as
they can and prefer to send pdf documents of itinerary to their customers and
insurance documents to insurance service providing clients. They also use most
of the apps the tourists use; plus, they highly rely on some apps such as Trafalgar
app, Passport to Tour app, mTrip app, which can connect them with
the tourists on the trip, track the itinerary, and get on-the-fly information
of the tour.
Since technology is making tour operators reach
their customers and clients at the speed of light, the tour operators use it
for promoting their business and various products, increasing their brand
awareness, knowing tourists’ preferences, and providing easy access to their
products and services.
New Trends in Tourism
Tourism is an ever changing industry. A few
previously unknown or unnoted forms of tourism are establishing today. Some of
them are −
Polar Tourism
Arctic and Antarctic polar regions have always
attracted tourists. Polar tourism is a dynamically growing industry due to the
efforts tour operators take to provide various attractions, destinations, and
activities for their customers. Adventure tourists and common tourists who long
for unique weather experience, solitude, and view of wild life in its natural
habitat opt for polar tourism.
Space Tourism
It includes orbital and suborbital rocket flights
into the space. Riding into the space for recreation and unique experience was
the idea behind this tourism. Till date, only very rich tourists paying very large
sum of money could possibly realize the dream to see beyond the blue planet. In
coming years, this extravagant tourism can be made available for common people
too.
Dark Tourism
Dark tourism is the oldest form of tourism
developed recently. Due to the fear and natural attraction to uncover mystery
of death human beings always have, some tourists prefer to visit the
destinations such as battlefields, places of violent homicides, or any places
where large number of people lost their lives naturally or forcefully in the
span of last 100 to 125 years.
For example, tourists visit Pompeii to see the
corpses of the victims of the volcanic disaster literally turned into plaster
casts. The volcano on Mt. Vesuvius had destroyed the ancient town of Pompeii.
Though the disaster occurred and claimed thousands of lives long ago, the
threat of more such volcanic eruptions still exist today. Hence, Pompeii is an
archeological and also a dark tourism site.
Some more places the tourists visit for dark
tourism are −
Chernobyl and Prypiat, Ukraine − Tourists
visit this place to see the ruins of the nuclear disaster that took place on 26
Apr 1986.
Ground Zero, USA − It is The World Trade
Centre site attracting tourists since the 9/11 attacks that took place in 2001.
Auschwitz, Germany − This dark site is
famous for Nazi concentration camps with various rooms piled with thousands of
pairs of glasses, shoes, and human hair. It displays the walls of the corridor
exerting the lists of their victims' names and the dates of their death, and
the house of the camp commandant.
Costa Concordia − On the coasts of
Tuscany, Italy; the site of this wrecked ship attracted tourists for around two
years.
Voluntourism
It is taking volunteered vacation and touring for
charity. People do not just go touring for recreation and fun but also to serve
the community dealing with natural calamities. In case of flash floods or
cyclones, the people in the affected areas need support. Some tourists
voluntarily visit such places and extend their hands for help in whichever
possible way they can.
Also, tourists are travelling to care for
orphans, for plantation, protecting wildlife, and similar other tasks.
Luxury Tourism
It mainly pertains to the rich business tourists,
who strongly believe that time is of prime importance and they must pay to save
time at any cost. Wealthy tourists are inclined to undergo unique experience
such as staying at a private island, personal attention from the service
providers and access to elite class attractions and amenities.
Culinary Tourism
The tourists who like to receive local culinary
experience, like to tour for this purpose. They attend food festivals, food
competitions, visit local farms, vineries, and cheese manufacturing companies,
interact with local community or cooks for special culinary experience.
BRIC Tourism
The four major developing countries namely
Brazil, Russia, India, and China have a great potential for driving global
economy through hospitality and tourism industry. These countries are important
for both inbound and outbound tourism. Global tour operators are adapting their
tourism businesses to exploit the huge market these countries provide.
Thanks for giving this information, it will helpfull to study tourism management.
ReplyDelete