How to Craft and Market Customer-Centric Tourism Experiences - Experiential Travel: Differentiating Your Destination While Spreading the Benefits ...
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Experiential Travel:
Differentiating Your Destination While Spreading
the Benefits to Communities
How to Craft and Market Customer-
Centric Tourism Experiences
Tourism: A Vital Force
By the end of 2012, one
seventh of the world’s
population will have crossed
international borders as
tourists in a single year. This
“extraordinary number” will
contribute to more jobs, higher
income possibilities, and
countless opportunities for
development.
Source: Mr. Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary General.
Customer-Centric Benefits
•Focus on visitors whose interests match
what you have to offer.
•Create unique market-responsive
products and experiences.
•Enhance the customer experience.
•Select the best business and marketing
partners.
.
•Differentiate against competition.
•Target your marketing and PR strategy
•Improve return on investment
Cutting Edge
.
Consumer Travel Trends
Destination Choices Significant shift in the countries that are experiencing real tourism growth. Traditional tourism 'hotspots' are being overshadowed by rising star emerging destinations. Travelers’ desire to seek authentic vacation experiences has led to a rise in travel to exotic and off-the-beaten path destinations.
Multi-generational Travel Baby boomers are becoming grandparents. Seniors are more affluent, active, and travelling more. Families vacationing more with children and grandchildren. They are opting for more far-flung and active adventures.
Women’s Travel
Women are travelling more often without men. Women-only tours
and retreats choices are increasing.
Number of women-only travel companies and women-only travel
sites has grown rapidly.
Over half of all adventure travellers worldwide are women, and
their average age is 45.
Photos: www.adventurewomen.com
Meaningful Travel
People are more conscious of their
values and seeking more
connectedness and meaning.
Increased interest in self-growth
and helping others.
http://www.i-to-i.com
Learning Tourism
There is a growing demand for lifelong learning and
fun learning travel experiences.
.
Cultural impact of ‘being there’ creates memorable,
personally enriching experiences.
Photos: www.contexttravel.com/
Let’s Learn from Each Other….
What your experience?
Are you seeing these trends?
. What other visitor experience trends?Experiential Travel: Overarching Global Trend
The E-Factor 85% say experiential travel is important/extremely important for growth and sales. 53%. plan to offer new experiential programs. 26% plan new culinary tours and 22% new culture tours. Nature, adventure and photography also popular.
The E-Factor Baby Boomers 46 to 65 years of age largest group of seeking “E Factor” vacations. . Europe (37%) and South America (20%) most popular destinations because they offer the most experiential travel options.
Experiential Travel Defined
Engages visitors in a series of authentic,
memorable travel activities, revealed over
time, that engage the senses, are inherently
personal and makes connections on a
physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual or
social level.
Source: Canadian Tourism Commission.Experiential Tourism
Photo Credit: GMIST Photo Credit: Celes Davar Photo Credit: Experience PEI
Most successful are experiences that offer active,
.
participatory and engaged learning. Ones that are
sensation-rich, world-view altering, instill a sense of
wonder, beauty and appreciation.How is it Different?
“A tourism Product is what you buy ...
A tourism experience is what you remember. “
Photo Credit:
Theresa StormThe Experience Economy
Authors: Joe Pine & James Gilmore (1999)
Greater
Differentiation
Higher Yield
Transformation
Experiences
Services
Goods ROE drives value pricing
Undifferentiated
Commodities • WOW Guest Experiences
Lower Yield • Good Partnerships
• Word of Mouth and Word of Mouse
Value of Economic ProgressionAgri-Tourism
Greater
Differentiation
Higher Yield
Cashew Roasting
(Experience)
Meals &
Gift Shop
(Services)
Preserves
(Goods)
Cashews
Undifferentiated (Commodity)
Lower Yield Rock View Lodge
www.rockviewlodge.com
Value of Economic ProgressionDesigning
. Customer-Centric
ExperiencesUnderstand Your Best Guests
Demographics?
Market origins?
Characteristics?
Interests and passions?
Attitudes and behaviors?
Planning and purchasing?
Media consumption?
Social media habits?Focus on Special Interests and
Themes
Travellers are matching their interests and
. passions – such as cooking, yoga, fishing,
gardening, wine-making - with the places they
decide to visit.Culinary Travel Culinary . travel is one of the biggest special interest trends, driven by rise of celebrity chefs, TV food channels and shows, ‘foodies’ and promotion of unique culinary experiences by destinations.
An exciting gastronomic adventure exploring the
delectable and varied world of Vietnamese cuisine
A journey that takes in 'must see' sights of Vietnam while tantalising the
taste buds with some of south-east Asia's finest cuisine.
Highlights (10 days/9night):
•Cooking classes including full day with local celebrity chef
•Chef-led visit to a Fish Market and cruise on a local drift
boat
• Prepare and dine on a traditional ‘Royal Dinner’
• Learn Relaxing Tai chi in a park in Saigon
• Visit renowned Mai Gallery and private meeting with
owner Doung Tuong, who translated for Jane Fonda during
her visit to Hanoi during the war
• Interpretive walking tour of Hanoi’s Ancients Quarter
• Farewell Dinner at the legendary Hanoi Press ClubFocus on Special Interests and
Themes
.
Culture, wildlife, adventure
are other popular themes.Earthwatch Expeditions Conserving Grevy's Zebra
Samburu District, Kenya
Experience the rich traditions of the Samburu people of Kenya as you join them
to help protect the endangered Grevy's zebra.
Highlights (13 day - Family):
• Count and photograph zebras to help to monitor
population size, structure, and distribution
• Record GPS locations, activities, and other details of
livestock, people, and wildlife you observe
• Visit local homes to experience life in a Samburu
manyatta (homestead or ranch)
• Visit a local school
• Visit Samburu National Reserve, staying overnight at
the Samburu Serena Lodge.Learn about Frida Kahlo, an enigmatic and ground breaking woman
who expressed herself through her art, politics, friendships and loves.
Visit historic sites, museums and receive special lectures by art historians and anthropologist
who will give us more insight into Frida Kahlo's life and work.
Highlights (8 days/7 nights):
• Attend special seminars on Frida Kahlo and visit the
Frida Kahlo Museum
• Learn about the provocative murals at the Palace of Fine
Arts
• Interpretive walking tour of Mexico City’s Historic
District
• Explore charming Coyoacan, San Angel and the Bazaar
Sabado market
• Interpretive tour of Puebla and Cholula , to see
traditional Talavera pottery and visit Spanish and
Indigenous churches
• Final dinner enjoying Mexico's finest traditional cuisineExplore multiple ethnic communities and discover their
cultural and ethnic expressions in dress and textiles
This is an extraordinary, close up journey into the communities where
we meet the people and artisans who create visual masterpieces.
Highlights (10 days/9 nights):
Learn of the Indigenous Textile Traditions of Oaxaca
Meet weavers and coops in remote communities to learn of
their unique traditions in weaving and dress
Travel with the purple Murex dyers of the coast to see how
they extract this scarce purple dye
Learn about the history and evolution of "traje" from the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Meet weavers and dyers from Teotitlan del Valle who
continue to develop their ancient traditionsBreak away from the crowds and enjoy the rich
cultural flavors of Waikiki’s Chinatown
Walk though its mysterious streets, learn about local Tongs (quasi
secret societies), cultural dishes and even homeopathic remedies.
Highlights (3 hours):
- Interpretive cultural walking tour of Waikiki’s Chinatown
- Experience the sights, sounds, and smells of Chinatown,
something most tourists don't get to do.
- Taste the various offerings of Chinatown from hand-selected
vendors:
Malasadas and Kona Coffee; Local Artisan Jams and Jellie;
Char Siu and Roast Pork; Dim Sum; Manapua; Bubble Tea;
Exotic Seasonal Fruits; Traditional Asian Street FoodsGain insight into Aussie beach culture
Gain insight into Aussie beach culture at the
easternmost point of Australia, Byron Bay.
Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
Highlights:
• Surf with a former world champion
• Take a night-time nature walk with a local wildlife
expert
• Visit Gunnawannabe (an Aboriginal café and
learning centre) and learn about Bundjalung
culture while trying some bush tea and damperInteractive Exercise….
Choose and describe a best guest
Choose a special interest and theme
Create and describe the experience
.Promoting
.
Customer-Centric
ExperiencesReaching your Best Customers If you communicate the special value you bring and if you connect to your guest, you will attract more customers and they will pay more. It doesn’t cost more money to demonstrate value . or connectedness, it takes creativity and attention to detail.
Power of Storytelling
The best stories often
illustrate one simple truth.
The story clearly illuminates
a idea, principle, or belief for
the reader.
To make a difference, the
story must be easily
understood. It must be
simple, direct, and
entertaining.Powerful Storytelling
Storytelling & Product
Marketing
Label describes how a
community harvests a plant that
is the key ingredient in Body
Shop product. Connects you to
community and makes you feel
that you are personally
improving the lives of community
members by using product.Storytelling & Product
MarketingStorytelling for Tourism Gives you ability to connect and create trust in a way that is far more powerful than any other marketing document. Provides context, is memorable and makes emotional ties. Helps customer to connect more deeply with your company. Start with the facts. Mix in emotions. Close with your message.
Tools for Telling your Story
Photo Credit: Olivier BekaertSocial Media
28 percent of travelers start their travel
search with social media, travel opinion
websites and general search engines.
Over one-fourth travelers are using
.
resources outside tourism industry BEFORE
they begin the purchase process.
IBM Institute for Business Value Travel 2020: the distribution dilemmaUse and Encourage Social Media
Encourage Social Media
Users take a photo with
their iPhone, type up a
description, and add it to
Afar's library of travel
experiences. Or they can
check out the photos others
. have posted and use for
planning their next trip.Social Media Explained Twitter – I am in Guyana Facebook – This is what I am doing now in Guyana. Foursquare – This is where I am eating in Guyana FlickR – Here are photos of me in Guyana Instagram – Here’s a picture of me right now in Guyana You Tube – Here’s a video of me in Guyana Pinterest – Here is a recipe for Guyana Pepperpot LastFM – I am listening to Guyanese music Google+ - I hang out with Guyanese photographers Linked in – I work in tourism development in Guyana
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