Touristology: A solution to Overtourism!

Overtourism has become an important/interesting word. Some people describe it as a problem…. I prefer to describe as an opportunity to improve the way we try to manage our beloved sector.

The other day, I enjoyed reading this article about the topic “How cities can fix Tourism hell”. After reading it I share with my Touristologists this Tweet

Can reactive policies like limitations and taxes be effective? Of course!

Can technology help us to manage better Tourism? Of course!

Here you can see this interesting video

Here  you can remember the actions of Amsterdam…

BUT the important idea is to manage tourism giving support to the Tourist from the beginning to the end of the trip! Let’s embrace XXI century Tourism Management!

XX century Tourism Management:

1) I want that someone bring THEIR Tourists to my Tourism Destination/Enterprise. I will be successful if I get a high number of Tourists!...even if they appear at the same time at the same place.

2) “Tourism is travel for pleasure” 

We have to update old-fashioned definitions of Tourism and get back to our origins… the Grand Tour (travel to learn) Marco Polo (travel to make business) Charles Darwin (travel to get a bunch on creativity)… Otherwise, it will be impossible to avoid the bad impacts of our beloved sector and maximize all its opportunities.

XXI century Tourism Management: 

My enterprises will seduce Tourists (in a broad sense) from around the world AND We will send them around the world! I will be successful if my enterprises get most of the revenues of the trip AND a decent profit. If my people get a fair salary. If I avoid massification, gentrification!

Can you combine XX century Tourism management with XXI one? Of course! As a matter of fact, I strongly believe/recommend that you do so in order, to maximize the PROS of Tourism (Profits for your enterprises, Good salaries and great careers for your people, international contact and new perspectives for your inhabitants, a way to get revenues to take care of your cultural heritage…) and minimize the CONS (OverTourism, Massificaction, Local inhabitants unhappy with the Tourists, Gentrification…).

BUT the important question is… Can you combine the two typologies of Tourism Management if you don’t know how to apply one of them???

When you have a clear goal… begin to climb!!!

I want to give support to the Tourist from the beginning to the end of the trip! That means that I will need to use different software from different companies.
But this could be a problem - said the usual copyologists always looking for excuses for not paying attention. Always nervous to check out unnecessary comments in social media…
Problem? Never say “there is a problem” without presenting a solution. Not to your boss, not to yourself… if you want to have a successful career and a happy life!!!
You can use Docker! BUT how to orchestrate the different dockers container in different hybrid clouds of different enterprises members of the chain of value? You can use Docker Swarm or Kubernetes!
BUT Jordi! How can we TRUST the authentication of the docker container? Does Blockchain ring a bell to you? You know this technology that people unable to understand say that is not useful anymore!!!
But Jordi! How can we customize the 3C’s (Content, Commerce, Community) to each single Tourists? Does Artificial Intelligence ring a bell to you? You know this technology that people unable to understand say that is something small to them!
But Jordi! How can we provide this customized 3C’s to the Tourists in an easy way during the trip? Does Augmented Reality ring a bell to you? Forget chatbots, forget talking to a machine… I know that you are here and for that reason I send the customized 3 C’s. Then, if it is necessary talk or write to the system. So, Chatbots, talk to the machine interesting but…. SECONDARY!!!
But… this is very expensive! It is impossible to provide a profitable service to a generic Tourism focus on low price or for individual Tourists - Said an Intelligent Touristologists always listening, always thinking, always bringing news, videos… related with our beloved sector.
YES! For that reason, we need to use Deeper Segmentation and be sure that we will create GROUPS inside an international community!!! 
The other day, I saw this interesting tweet from Alexis Ohanian cofounder of Reddit “Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian issued an ominous warning for Facebook: 'We've hit peak social”
You can learn more about it here…
In this article He predicted
“…users will move away from the big social networks toward new, more community-focused platforms.”
I wrote down this comment I, strongly, agree! It will happen as well in Tourism! Platforms of International communities will help Tourists to satisfy better their needs though a trip. From Generic to Specialized… are you ready???
Can you connect the dots Touristologists? International community-focused platforms… technology allowing to provide support from the beginning to the end of the trip… Time to start climbing!!!
Do you like the mountain that I have just described? Do you want to enjoy the view at the top of it? Are you NOT afraid of the effort? I will be there climbing this mountain... to the end!!

WHY???

- Jordi, Why do I have to learn Deeper Segmentation? Why Simple Segmentation, based on demographics (age, country of origin…) is not enough?
This is the question that some of my students, participants in a seminar, members of a team of a future disruptive StartUp… ask to me. Maybe YOU, reader of this OUR blog focused on Touristology, have the same question!
I will try to provide an answer. We can represent Deeper Segmentation with this slide...

We know that we are dealing with a deeper segment when it can be linked with three profit generators:
A) High level in the Maslow Pyramid (customized for business uses by Chip Conley). When you have your Tourists in the second and third level you can keep your price and you can find more ancillaries products to sell to them because you know what is really important to them. Usually, in simple segmentation leisure, business, Tourist low price orientated, millennials, generation Z… the main factor of differentiation is a low price. In deeper segmentation you only have a segment if they love to define themselves as… if they love to meet other customers similar or complementary to them… if they love to get a customized service!
B) You can create GROUPS both of Tourists and professionals (and future professionals) willing to sell, hire, to know more about them. Do you agree that is better to sell a product/service to a group that a single person? Do you agree that if you are able to seduce an international group to your place (Tourism destination enterprise) your place become a magnet for this segment? In simple segmentation a group (MICE) is a segment. In deeper segmentation you can create a group inside this segment!
C) You can use Long Tail. You can use specialized social networking sites, where you have to pay less or not pay at all, in order to promote or distribute your services. You also can create YOUR OWN Platform! In simple segmentation you have to use generic channels of promotion and distribution, always asking you for a higher commission and for a lower price for THEIR Tourists. In deeper segmentation you can use/create specialized channels!
-Jordi Why is this so important NOW?
Because… have you been seen an increase of competitors and substitute products/service lately (AirBnB, Uber, OYO Rooms…)? Do you think that this trend will increase or decrease? What will you do to remain competitive???
Because… do you believe that the number of people asking for lower prices will decrease or increase. Are you able to provide this price PROFITABLY? If the answer is yes, perfect. Otherwise…
Do you believe that new luxury is to get a customized service, enjoy something tailor made to you?
Do you believe that a trip has transformation power, that during a trip you can become a better person, outcome personal problems, increase your creativity…  increase your networking, get contacts around the world,  increase the bounds inside your family, your business, your StartUp…
In order to remain competitive, you have to add Deeper Segmentation in your toolbox. You need to build international communities based on specialized segments in your own Platforms!
Forget about offer “More for less”; “To provide a Quality/Good service”… Good, More, Quality are SUBJECTIVE terms! Be sure, that you provide a service able to better satisfy their specialized needs!
For that reason, you have to learn Deeper Segmentation, future of Touristology! Because (as a Teacher) I’m only good if you are good! If you will have a promising career in our beloved sector! If you are able to create the new, new disruptive StartUp! If you are the best minds working in the best sector ever!
I love to build Touristology minds!!!!

Digital Nomads: A good example of Deeper Segmentation!

The other day, I shared with my fellow Touristologists this video about Digital Nomads claiming that they were a good example of Deeper Segmentation. 

Do you agree?  

Today, I will try to bring more information about this segment… Here you can see how Tourism Destinations are trying to seduce these Digital Nomads. We can find plenty of information about Thailand, Budapest, Costa Rica…. but let’s enjoy this video from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: 
  

Not only Tourism Destinations… Here we have an interesting example of Cruises from Nomad Cruise 

Apartments offering workspace like nomadx. We can also find sub-segments inside, like this one on this video for  families 

Can we study/analyze/try to improve/detect threats and scams… using OUR favorite frameworks?  

Deeper Segmentation: 

1) Identity Refreshment 2) Groups creation 3) Long Tail Distribution. 

PEST/Strategic Triangle /4P 

Strategic Triangle 

I Love Touristology’s games! What about you?!?!?

Building the best minds in Tourism!

In OUR classes, seminars, in-company training or start-up meetings in order to define (or redefine!) the Business Model and the Technology Scheme, we have to use the right methodology. I mean…
Simple/repetitive/ copy-the-way-Tourism-enterprises-work-today
VERSUS
Complex/creative/ let’s-define/visualize-the-way-Tourism-enterprises-will-work-in-the-future
I could make OUR life easier providing summaries and funny videos that you can memorize and then pass a simple test, BUT my job/passion/mission is to build the best minds in the best sector ever!
I want to be sure that I build on you the following competences:

Competence: To listen to someone, get his/her message, extract the knowledge and then read/look at/talk to… and get your OWN conclusions.

Competence: To convey your own ideas in front of an audience and argue/improve your position even if others disagree and/or they give new visions/examples right on the spot.

Competence: To seduce local Tourists BUT also INTERNATIONAL ones. To wait for other people to bring their Tourists BUT also to know how to seduce your OWN ones!

Competence: To adapt to any Tourism enterprise and follow their processes BUT also to be able to improve them AND visualize a new disruptive idea and be able to implement it!

Competence: To practice simple segmentation (Leisure, Business, Groups, the-ones-who-make-the-reservation-in-this-channel…) BUT also deeper one, in order to get better RevPar, TRevPar and GopPar!

I’m a Touristologists builder. I help to create the best minds in the best sector ever! Minds able to visualize, imagine, improve how to manage new scenarios. Competences that machines/robots will start to develop in no less than 10 years! By the way, I’m building these machines too!

Can you feel the power of Touristology’s principles?

The other day, I was reading an excellent article about ICELANDAIR. This article  explains that “Iceland should be a good air market right now. But increased competitive capacity is putting major pressure on Icelandair. The carrier's new CEO is going to have to find a way to get the airline back on track. ”

What about... YOU are the NEW CEO of ICELANDAIR!!

Can you read the article and using your Touristology’s frameworks explain your set of strategies? Are you willing to practice a little bit of your favorite subject??? Here you have a kind of blueprint…

So far, the former CEO has tried to do the following…

1) Appear a low cost competitor lowering the price? His answer? Mark down the price!

2) A Tourist want to travel from USA to London. His idea is that He/She spends time and money in the middle!

3) Thinking about opening new routes (India…)

Good ideas? Bad ones? What do YOU think?

Let’s see what Touristology can bring to the table (remember in disruption table if you don’t have a seat… YOU are the meal!!!)

Is it a good strategy for an airline company to sell other components of a trip? Well, EasyJet, Ryanair  and now Virgin are doing so…

Wouldn’t be, even better, if they practice deeper segmentation and develop special packages for specialized Tourists?

Do you want an example of deeper segmentation providing 1) Loyal Tourists with a high Identity Refreshment 2) The possibility to create groups and sell to them new and more customized services, getting a higher profitability 3) The advantages of Long Tail distribution and communication allowing to distribute and communicate your services with zero o no cost….? What about the one that I shared with you in this Tweet? Can you connect the dots? Are you able to provide an example where an airline company try to seduce this segment?

Can you see the BIG difference if you organize a meeting in any place (before, during or after the trip) for these “Digital Nomads? Meetings with possible investors, future customers, employers, trainers… Do you see the potential growth of revenues sources from these meetings. Do you see a higher relationship between the airline company and this segment? Do you see the advantages of Long Tail Distribution and communication?

Can you feel the power of Touristology’s principles?

I can provide thousands of examples of specialized segments BUT… I am NOT the important one… YOU ARE!!!

BUT… Jordi! I work in an airline company… I have/want to sell seats!

I want to keep my business simple! At the end of the day, as Steve Jobs say…

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

OK! Let me convey this fundamental Touristology idea in a very simple way!

Your business is NOT selling rooms, seats or F&B… Your business is to satisfy your Tourists, providing what they need, when they need it, in the way they need it!

But… Jordi! this idea is simple, BUT its management is complex!

Exactly, for that reason you will need to become or hired a Touristologists!!!

I love Touristology’s games! What about you?

Platform Business Model in Tourism.

These days I have been travelling in Web-Engineering land. I have been enjoying how to create Deep Learning models in TensorFlow and PyTorch, learning how to make them available in a native mobile application, trying to combine them with Augmented Reality and Blockchain… I like to travel in Web-Engineering land!!! BUT… You know, my Touristology’s voice never sleep! So, to me, it is almost impossible not to listen to experts talking about our beloved sector! In my opinion (WHAT DO YOU THINK????) there are two important missing ideas when they talk about Platform Economy and Tourism that I try to summarize in this post…

1) Experts in whatever applying their knowledge in Tourism… Stop highlighting the customer journey (inspiration, consideration/planning, booking, experiencing and sharing). Is this journey important? Of course! BUT in Tourism exists a REAL journey… the trip! For that reason, successful Tourism platforms will be the ones providing a customized experience from the beginning to the end of the trip.

This experience has to include all the services needed for the Tourist. Which services? the ones decided for and by the Tourist! Syndication technologies (Web Services and Web Scraping would help us to provide an INTEGRATED and SYNCHRONIZATATED digital customer experience. Welcome to Web 3.0!!!

2) Experts in whatever applying their knowledge in Tourism… Stop highlighting INDIVIDUAL experiences… start focusing on COMMUNITIES experiences. Start thinking in the power of groups created for and by the Tourists! Groups in order to get discounts for services. Groups in order to get customized product/services for the community, even to create, communicate and commercialized new product/services based on the interest of your community. Groups creation is a fundamental action for building profitable Tourism enterprise AND it is strongly connected with PLATFORMS where people go to share, meet… create GROUPS!

Here you can enjoy the vision of John Hagel. In this article, He conveys the necessity to change from the three I’s—intercept, isolate and insulate (the PUSH) to the three A’s: attract, assist and affiliate (THE PULL).

Intercept means getting people’s attention wherever they are and whenever you need them. Then you isolate, trying to get your message across without interference or distraction. Finally, marketers have tried to insulate people over time to create a walled garden where it’s just you and me forever.

On the other side, Attract means motivating people to seek you out (or as Touristologistly we say… Seduce!). Assist means helping people before and after a purchase, so they get more value and use from your product or service (Remember in Tourism, that means during the TRIP, the real one!). Finally, instead of focusing on one-to-one marketing, bring in any and all participants that could be helpful to the prospective buyer, creating a broader ecosystem of participants that the customer wants to interact with (So, create groups BY and FOR the customer. Create communities!!!)

In a nutshell, the customer journey? Of course, the REAL trip! Offering Transformative experience better satisfied during a trip and inside a Group! This will mean a better transformative experience for the Tourist and a more profitably enterprise for intermediaries/infomediaries and service suppliers! How on earth is possible that Hoteliers define groups as an important segment (we can discuss if Groups is a segment 8-)) and don’t promote and make easy for the Tourist the creation, communication and commercialization of their own packages!

Start building communities, if your Tourists don’t talk each other, don’t create groups of interest, and create, communicate and commercialize their own products focus on satisfying necessities better satisfied during a trip… you don’t have a community, you have a bunch of customers and above all else you are NOT making the most of the Platform Economy!!!

But.. JORDI! - all these concepts customized, syndicated, Pro-Am creating groups… are very similar to the ones we practice with the name Web 2.0 Business Model, right?

Exactly, Touristologists! Thanks for noticing it!

Touristology is a science and you are at least, as good as any other scientist, my fellow Touristologists!!!

Improving Medical Tourism applying Touristology’s principles!!!

The other day, I was reading an interesting article related with Medical Tourism and some start-ups focused on it.

Usually, Tourists are looking for a better quality-price balance, to have a pleasant and fast recovery and to return as nothing it had happened.

I found very interesting this video about one of these new new enterprises:

Can you try to improve it using Touristology’s principles?

Do you think that you can create a more profitable business if you add to YOUR Platform /Social Networking Site / Online Travel Agency...  students from universities around the world willing to learn with an international vision AND professionals willing to do a little bit of international networking?

What about going deeper in the segmentation process? Is this  specialized Tourism? Of course! Can you go deeper? Can you focus on people that have these necessities and then offer a solution to their necessities better satisfied during a trip? Why do you want to make an operation in your knee? For sport reasons? For running with your son/daughter? To feel forever young? For ….

Do you think that Blokchain can be useful in this scenario?

Can Blockchain provide… A shared and trusted identity (Credentials of the professionals, quality of the materials…). Smart contracts linking together actions and consequences. Secure payments…

Can you use a little bit of Deep Learning to connect practitioners and customers? To connect the best procedure or material with a customer? To analyze better and faster a radiography?...

Can you use a little bit of Augmented Reality? To show to the customer the final result? To provide a better training for both University students and Professionals?...

Come on Touristologists use YOUR frameworks! Otherwise, they will get rusty!!!!

Enjoy your holydays!

Just remember WE don’t take holidays, WE just travel around and abroad in order to know other markets, make international contacts, plan future business… 

I LOVE TOURISTOLOGY!!!

Land, Factory… PLATFORM!!!

Marriot CEO has a clear idea about it! - I said to my daughter the other day…
Here you have an excellent article with his declarations”
“We Are in an Absolute War for Who Owns the Customer’”
“the next big innovation in hospitality will take place at the platform level.”
“Not to be unfair to them (Tourists), not to steal their data, but to use it in a way that causes them to say, ‘You know what? I like what Marriott is doing with my information. It’s making my traveling a little better.”
Jordi! What are you talking about?

Sorry, Touristologists I have to explain myself better…
The other day, I was reviewing with my daughter the different economic systems (Capitalism, Communism, Socialism…) and its evolution during the last centuries.
In 19th century rich/powerful people controlled the land as a way to get profits and rents.
Then, the Industrial Revolution appears, and the powerful ones were the owners of the Capital (I mean, the owners of the production means, factories, machines…).
Nowadays, the power will be into the hands of the owners of platforms or digital ecosystems that customers use and TRUST.
Do you need land? I own it!
Do you need factories, machines…? I own them!
Do you need platform, digital ecosystem OR CHAIN OF VALUE giving support from the beginning to the end of the trip….? I own/manage it!

 
So -said my daughter to me- Hoteliers, Tourism destinations using these platforms are like “proletariat” working for “bourgeois” and getting a low salary /profit and for that reason they need a lot of Tourists and this become a problem like gentrification, locals not happy with the Tourism sector…
Why don’t they build their own platforms? - Touristologistly, my daughter asked?

 
Well, they can do it! As all My Touristologists know but, in order to be and keep being competitive they have to use “long tail” theory. I mean, they have to build platforms providing support to the customer from the beginning to the end of the trip FOR SPECIALIZED SEGMENTS as we saw here.

 
There are plenty of opportunities in the Tourism sector! The question is… Do you want to work for yourself or for the real winner?

 
Do you know the VERY GOOD NEWS??? The new reality that platform economy creates, that was almost impossible in land or factory economy? YOU can be a winner! Using your skills as a Touristologists and Web-Engineer, YOU can create your own platform to seduce specialized segments related to international communities which have necessities better satisfied during a trip. If you feel that this is your call… I’ll be here waiting for YOU!

Tourism Transforming Tourists. Touristology’s vision!

The other day, I shared with you a tweet about the Transformational Economy. 

I highlighted in the tweet that this transformational economy could be even more important in Tourism!
Could we relate this Transformational Economy with Touristology? Of course, we can! Tourism to become a better person, to overcome illness or personal problems, to create bonds with your family, with your colleagues at work… to get new perspectives, to get a bunch on creativity, to get international contacts...! I LOVE #Touristology  What about YOU?
Some of you sent me messages, e-mails, phone calls asking for more information… So, here I’m writing this post!
The idea of Transformational Economy has it origin in the article that Joseph Pine and James Gilmore wrote in Harvard Business Review. Here you can find more information.
The same authors predicted that Transformation economy would be the next step.
Anyway, what I want to highlight is that in order to provide an experience (and even more if you want to provide a transformation!!!) it is NOT enough saying so. You have to follow a process… Touristology’s one!
Phase 1: Define a segment AND identify the necessities that they could better satisfied during a trip
Phase 2: Build a chain of value in order to give support from the beginning to the end of the trip.
Phase 3 and 4: Improve the processes that will allow the transformation in the Tourists using Web 2.0 Business Model.
Phase 5 and 6: Be sure that you serve this process in the right device. What is the right device? The one selected for the Tourist!!!
Touristologists like to summarize this process with this slide

Do you want to implement this process in your Tourism Enterprise /Destination?
If you have any doubt… don’t ask me! Ask any of my Touristologists, they are the best minds working in the best sector ever!!!

Different enterprises... same negative consequences!!!

From time to time, the future of Touristology, the wannabe future disruptors entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs… proudly say to me.

“ Jordi, I have the new, new thing!

I always reply with this sentence… Are you sure? Everything has happened before! In Internet as well…more often than not… the new business model and the new technological schemes… are the forgotten ones!

Now, people talk about different enterprises changing the Tourism sector giving support to the customer from the beginning to the end of the trip…. TripAdvisor buying Bokun (as I tweeted here); Booking buyings FareHarbor; Marriot buying PlacePass; AirBnB buying Trips/Trip4real…

At the end of the day, they want to become the big Tour operators of the 60’s. There are some important differences BUT some dangerous similarities from the point of view of Tourism destination and their service providers.

What are the important differences?

1) These new digital aggregators change static/prefixed Tourism packages for Dynamic ones. They engage customers making very easy to select the best components of the package. Thanks to syndication they offer plenty of choices (at the best possible price, don’t forget we talk about generic Tourism, right?). Thanks to Machine Learning they proposes the best options and improve the communication and commercialization process. Thanks to pro-am they add the opinion of other relevant Tourists!

2) They change “I own the components of the package OR I control them” TO “I don’t own anything I only get a commission!”

So, clearly, the business model and operations and processes are different BUT the consequences for the Tourism destination and their services providers are very similar…

Get Tourists loyal to foreign’ enterprises which get most of the profit and don’t get any negative consequences.

Get Tourists looking for experiences, BUT low price orientated. So, in order to be profitable, it is necessary to receive plenty of Tourists.

As we need plenty of generic Tourists, usually, appear at the same place and at the same time!

It is very difficult to seduce THEIR tourists when is important for US…

If they were OUR Tourists, we could send them around the world!

Is there a way out of “Different enterprises... same negative consequences”?

Definitely, YES!!! Now, it can be different!

In the 60's it was very difficult to compete with big Tour operators. Basically, for two reasons:

1) They were very focus on the Tourists from where they create the business. If you try to sell Tourism services directly to the Tourists they warn you “We won’t promote your destination!” Nowadays, the big players are international ones! The world is OUR office! Your customers are around the world and it far more difficult that somebody say to you “I don’t recommend YOUR destination TO MY Tourists”!!!

2) To create a Tour operator meant a big investment!  BUT now it is different!!! Thanks to cloud computing you can create an internet platform as powerful as the one from your competitors and you have the power of specialization!!!

From 1 to 1 Tourist to N to N. From individual tourists TO Groups' creation of an international community THAT YOU MANAGE!!!!

The world is changing very fast! Do you want to get the opportunities and avoid the threats? Stop doing your operations and processes in the usual way because “That’s just the way it’s done”…Follow the innovation path! Touristology’s one!!!

Blockchain and Cooperativism.

Next Monday I will begin a new course in Touristology! You know how much I love first day!!! Everything is possible in first days!
I always begin with this image by Escher (I love Escher, but you already know that!)

If you want to talk about new technologies (at least if you want to talk about them in Tourism) you have to provide a business model, a way to monetize this technology, a way to organize the new, new enterprise!

We talked about Blockchain and its wonderful features: Trusted and shared identity, adaptive and smart contracts and secure payments,  here.

In this post, We were talking about sharing economy and the Touristology’s principles that I am sharing around the world since 1992. 

To sum up:

If you want Tourism to be a profit-engine and avoid all-Tourists-in-the-same-place-at-the-same-time …. Start playing Touristology’s principles!

1) Seduce your OWN Tourists!

2) Be able to send them around the world! Create International routes!

3) Get higher profits/salaries and taxes!

Enjoy Touristology!!!

When we talk about sharing economy we can add some interesting ideas…

1) If YOU are the owner of the home/car/whatever-you-want-to-share…Doesn’t it make more sense to create a cooperative? We are talking about sharing economy, right? Let’s use the right sort of enterprise! I love capitalism! If you own the capital, you MUST own the company and profits!

2) Paraphrasing Alan Key… if you are really serious about sharing economy, you have to build your own platforms. If you use THEIR platform you are dealing with THEIR customers

3) From the point of view of the tourist destination. Begin to use the most important and efficient Tourism resource ever… YOUR PEOPLE! Help this cooperative to create communicate and commercialize their products. Help them to make partnerships with your tourism enterprises (hotels, incoming travel agencies…) begin to think about how YOU can bring tourists here!

The other day, I read an interesting article talking about Blockchain and Cooperativism. I, strongly, recommend that you read it! They highlight interesting examples…

https://www.upandgo.coop

https://www.partago.be

…

BUT Jordi! This is not the usual things! This is not possible… How it is possible to compete with the big gorilla? 

First, look for solutions NOT for excuses! Second follow the specialization path!!! If you are successful, the generic one will follow!

In the last interview, Steve Jobs talked about that sometimes in business, people do things in a way because “That’s just the way it’s done”…

 

He was 21 when he changes a whole sector forever!

Maybe it’s time to change some operations and processes in the Tourism sector! 

Who can do that?  YOU! The future of Touristology! Now it’s your time, don’t look for excuses work hard and prove that you are the best mind working in the best sector ever!!!

Religious Tourism: The success' path!

In the last days have appeared some articles … talking about Religious Tourism. There, I highlight two very important ideas in order that your Tourism destination/enterprise become successful in this kind of Tourism. 

You can also apply those ideas in any kind of tourism. Touristology is a science so, principles are always valid! 

In this post, I want to go deeper in those ideas. If you have any doubt… You know where to find me! 

Religious tourism is very important. We have to remember that 300 million Tourists enjoy it, even though, for some of them religion is not the main motivation of the trip, we still have a very import figure! We only have to remember that the total number of Tourists in the entire world is 1.300 million. If you want to visualize this, you can imagine ALL the inhabitants of China moving around the world!!! 

First idea: Create your own platform. I can describe this idea in many ways. Build your own chain of value, define your own digital ecosystem… BUT the important thing is…In order to be successful in Tourism you have to create a direct relationship with your customers. 

In XXI century it is not enough to create religious packages and try to seduce tourists from other enterprises. That is what I mean when I said in these article “We need to be able to generate online religious tourism platforms equivalent to Airbnb” We need to seduce Tourists from around the world and send them around the world. Can you seduce your Tourists to go to your Tourism destination? Of course! Specially, in the space/time that is more convenient for YOUR inhabitants and YOUR Tourism enterprises. 

Just remember, in order to be successful your business must be GLOBAL. Does AirBnB only sell Tourism services from USA to USA’s citizens? Apple has a deal with a big factory in China. This factory builds most of the Apple’s digital devices. Is this factory a LEADER? 

In a nutshell, to follow the success’ path you can use other enterprises social networking sites, use other intermediaries/infomediaries BUT be sure that you have a direct relationship with your customers and that most of the time they use your platform to create and buy your products. 

Remember, YOUR Tourists can also create their own packages, share them with their friends inside your platform, building groups… generating a sense of community, better experiences and more profits for your company!!! 

Second idea: Focus on specialized Tourism! If you are successful, the generic one will follow. 

A) Generic Tourist relate to Religious Tourism can be anyone that during the trip decide to visit a monument or participate in any religious activity. 

B) Specialized Tourism are the Tourist that the main motivation of the trip is to do or visit any religious activity. 

C) Very specialized Tourism are Tourists that want to combine both the benefits that travel provides (international contacts/experiences, a boost of creativity, bonding experiences for professional or family groups…) with the benefits of participate in religious activities (relaxation, find yourself, create and build a sense of community…). 

Can you image a couple near to divorce BUT that they don’t want to do that? Do you think that a trip and participate in religious activities can regenerate a relationship? 

Can you imagine a start-up becoming a big enterprise and feeling that they are losing the sense of community that they had at the beginning? Do you think that a trip and participate in religious activities can build again this community feeling? 

Can you imagine any person in a grieving process? Do you think that a trip and participate in religious activities can help him/her to overcome this process? 

I could go on for a month, but I think I have made my point! I’m NOT important YOU ARE! Waiting for YOUR examples, waiting to see YOU becoming the best minds in the best sector ever!!!

Talk less and code more!

I’m reading, again, the wonderful book “E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation” by David Bodanis BUT, this time, I’m reading it together with my son. It is a wonderful experience both for the reading and also for sharing it with him.
One of the things that I like to highlight to my son (and that now I want to share with you) is that the book shows how connecting the dots it is so important. People usually think in silos and when we deal with complex problems we need a broader approach.
Electricity and Magnetism are different kinds of Energy… appears Faraday and proof the contrary!
Liquids, gases, solids are different kinds of matter… appears Lavoisier and began a chemical revolution!
Energy and mass no connection whatsoever… appears Einstein and enlighted the world!

- Jordi! When will you begin to talk about OUR science?!?!?!
- Right here, right now, Touristologists!!!
Do you think that Touristology and Web-engineering are two opposed topics?
Do you think that you can implement a good mobile app or website without knowing the business model and the members of the chain of value related to Tourism?
Do you think that Touristology and Web-Engineering are NOT connected? Do you think that, nowadays, people developing software for the Tourism sector have a lack of knowledge of our current business model AND its necessary evolution in order to deal with the new Digital Ecosystem ?
Do you think that experts in Tourism know about how to use the cloud, syndication (web-services, web-scraping) multi-devices platforms (Native app, Hybrids, Responsive web design) in order to connect all the members of the chain of value in an integrated and synchronized way, allowing them to give support to the Tourist from the beginning to the end of the trip?
Do you think that Tourism enterprises/destinations have to use social media? Do you think that they have to follow Alan Kay’s advice "People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware."? I mean, paraphrasing Alan Kay: People (Travel companies) who are really serious about social media should make their own communities. Why does Vail Resorts create EpicMix an international social community of skiers, as we saw here?
Do you think that the 100 million users of Marriot are one of its most important assets? Do you think that Marriot create and manage a social networking site?
Do you think that you have to know how to create and manage international social networking sites using multi-devices platforms, cloud computing, machine learning, augmented reality, blockchain….?
I strongly believe that to be successful you have to be a consilient thinker and learn whatever it takes in order to understand reality and improve it!
Do you want to practice this consilient attitude? Developing software able to connect these sciences? I will be here waiting for you! Dreaming about the future of our beloved sector! Helping my Touristologist to change the way we define, enjoy and manage our beloved sector!
I have MY partners, I have MY Touristologists…I have MY family! All together willing to connect the dots! Loving Touristology! Loving Web-Engineering!

Do you think that you already know about segmentation?

If you think that you already know about segmentation I have several questions for you…
Are you able to …
1) …keep the loyalty of your customers even when appear a strong competitor (you can call it a new hotel, apartment provided for the new-new intermediary/infomediary or whatever-it-can-appears-in-the-near-future!!!) offering a 10-15-20% discount?
2) …know what kind of ancillary/auxiliary services you can sell to them in a CUSTOMIZED (Versions of ME, Geolocation/Proximity…) way, avoiding the SPAM of generic offers?
3) ….Increase direct reservations in your web booking engine OR in the widget that you have in an SPECIALIZED on-line magazine, social networking site…(meeting places) related to this segment. OR even better… are you able to create these meeting places connecting the segment and the benefits travel can provide to a human being…
Getting and keeping international contacts; healing wounds (both physical and psychological); learning new things (specially multidisciplinary ones);giving a bust to their creativity; improving relationships (organization teambuilding , couple, grandparents-grandson, single parents…)… as we mentioned here.
Are you sure you have learnt about segmentation from Touristology's point of view? OR you have learnt it as a Sociologists? Is it Sociology an interesting science? SURE! Is it focus on PROFITABILITY as Touristology does????
Maybe you are willing to practice with this study case! By the way, I like to provide examples related to RoomMate because they always have an interesting and original approach to Tourism issues. For instance, the creation of Bemate that you can see here and it is the beginning of OUR study case!!!
Can the man that appears in the video, wishing to get together the freedom of an apartment and the services of a hotel provide positive answers to the questions asked in this post?
Can the other segments that appear in the picture (Families with babies and toddlers, Startups, Families celebrating the 100 year anniversary of grandparent/grandmother) provide these answers?

Are you the best minds working in the best sector ever? Time to prove it!!!!

Everything is possible in first days!

Yesterday, I had my first session with future Touristologists with the Yield/Revenue Manager’s hat on!
I love first sessions in classes, seminar, in-company training or start-up meetings!!! Everything is possible the first day.

The objectives that appear in OUR syllabus, minds and hearts are ALL possible. Everyone can become the best Touristologists in town, create the new, new disruptive star-up, become the intrapreneur of the year in her/his company, to start a promising journey to become a Manager of Hotel or a Travel Agency, or the new, new Intermediary/Infomediary…
In this first class there was a very dynamic student with strong ideas that I wanted to challenge… to see/think/feel these ideas with another view, another attitude… Touristology’s one!!!
1) It is NOT possible to apply Yield/Revenue Management in Hotels that close after the high season!
Is not possible to apply Yield/Revenue Management in this kind of Hotels? Are you pulling my leg? This kind of Hotels are a wonderful opportunity for REAL Touristologists!!! Do you want to become one?
You can review this post where WE explained the study case of the Wickinn hotel in British Columbia (Canada). This article explains this Touristology’s attitude… “The Wick” sits on the western-most coast of Vancouver Island, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. During the summer, it is one of the prettiest and most tranquil spots you can imagine. But from mid-October to late May, this elegant hotel and surrounding area is pummeled with horrific storms complete with howling winds, huge waves and horizontal rain.
Instead of shying away from this horrendous weather for half the year, The Wickaninnish Inn embraced it, creating a whole experience out of Storm Watching. Everyone who experiences Storm Watching comes away from it somehow captivated, transformed and full of stories that they enthusiastically share with others.”
You can get more information here.

There are many things in life where the normal attitude is to get along, just wait until things fix themselves.
When prices are down what will your reaction be? Will you mark down the prices as well? When everybody closes their Hotel… what do you do? Maybe, you will decide to think as a Touristologist does! Looking for new segments, new opportunities, new chains of value, new ancillary products, new ways to add value…
Again, are you special or an average Touristologist?
Average people are ONLY good at making excuses…
2) I will never make an offer in January! People run out of money, they already went on vacations…  so, forget about Yield/Revenue Management in January!
I, clearly, listened to Touristology’s voice talking through me…
What about looking for new segments?
People that win the lottery, any lottery in any country… The world is flat AND definitely, OUR Office!!!
People that want to learn how to eat properly in order to reduce cholesterol levels, to keep their weight at bay… Do you think that you Food and Beverage department can create special packages for this segment?
People locking for a job… can you make a special agreement with the government and provide special training to them in order to develop new Touristology skills and find new opportunities…
I could go on for a month, but I think I have made my point!
As I said in all OUR first sessions… I’m NOT important YOU ARE! Waiting for YOUR examples, waiting to see YOU becoming the best minds in the best sector ever!!!

Mentoring is a lifelong experience!

The other day, I was talking with a Yield/ Revenue Manager (one of the best in this field). You know, I was a mentor to them, nowadays… They mentor me back!!!  I Love Touristology!!!
I really enjoy talking with my mentors! I like to see the light in their eyes when they talk about something that is very important to them AND they love to share with me all the details of their everyday battlefield!
Then I have the opportunity to propose to them new approaches or just remember the classical ones. It is a win2win situation. A privilege for being a lecturer in Tourism for the last 26 years!
In this specific mentoring session, we began to talk about segmentation process…
My mentor very fast explain to me the  BAR (Best Available Rate) for each segment, each Groups…Then the classification of the segment based on the distribution channel that they use…
WoW! Wait a moment Touristologist! We are talking about SEGMENTATION, Right?
You don’t define a segment properly just because you assign a BAR to them!
You don’t define a segment properly just because you know which OTA, CRS... they are using in order to make a reservation in your hotel!
If you really want to generate demand and not only to manage it, you need to remember what you learnt as a Touristologists! You have to look for the usual suspects to define segments for your hotel…

Are you able to improve the profitability of your hotel using Touristology’s segmentation???
Are you able to find places where these segments meet together? Just remember…
The beginning of your channel (Chain of Value OR Digital Ecosystem) it is NOT your hotel! It is your Tourists!!! If you are unable to find places real or virtual (What is the difference between them in XXI century???) where your customers meet… you don’t have a segment! You have a good example of Dr. Frankensteins segmentation!
Of course, you can have a profitable Hotel using Dr. Frankensteins segmentation! Hotels for millennials or a Hotel for Emmas or Paus. But maybe you can get a more profitable Hotels following Touristology’s segmentation. The one based upon on Maslow approach and developed for hotels by Chip Conley which will allow you to use long tail theory to seduce YOUR customers in specialize places where usually you don’t have to pay in order to get a direct reservation. It is another example of a Win2Win situation that, clearly, will improve your GopPar!!! On the other hand, as you are focus on a very specialized segment, you can focus on selling VALUE not rooms. This will also increase your RevPar and your TRevPar.
This conversation was going on for hours! We finished it with plenty of good examples and eager to apply them in our beloved sector! I love intellectual dancing with My Touristologists… It is the best way to start a new year and the best gift ever!!! It is also the best way of not becoming the characters in the following figure… 

Are you too busy to improve? Even, when you have your solution INSIDE your hotel. You have the best Tourism Resource of all times… Your people!

Do you think that 2018 can be a good year to change (or complement) the way you define and practice SEGMENTATION in your hotel? If you have any doubt… don’t ask me! Ask any of my Touristologists, they are the best minds working in the best sector ever!!!