The other day, I got an interview about “The
future of Tourism”. You can read it here.
Next week, I will have to talk about the same. What better way to practice this
interesting topic that sharing it with you, my fellow Touristologists?!?
I always get your feedback that make me
both a better Touristologists and a happier person!!!
First of all, we have to be specific about
the typology of Tourism that we want to talk about because, it is compulsory to
provide different analysis for the Generic or Mass Tourism of for the
Specialized one.
Generic Tourism has as a main
characteristic a Tourist focused on a low price and as winners of the game the
enterprises able to control all the members of the chain of value using economy
of scale. You can talk about a big tour-operator, the new search engine, the
new Social Networking Site or the new Platform Economy
related to Tourism.
Then, we have the Specialized Tourism where
the Tourists are focus on value and the winner will be the enterprises able to
discover a segment, disclosure to them the necessities, that they have, better
satisfied during a trip and controlling all the chain of value giving support
to ITS Tourists from the beginning to the end of the trip.
Future of Mass/Generic Tourism? Price will
continue being the most important thing. To provide it the winner will need to
manage great numbers of Tourists (origin of OverTourism )
and reduce the cost of its packages. Consequences for Tourism Destinations?
Less profit for local enterprises, less salaries for local employees and less local
taxes.
Is Mass/Generic Tourism a bad think? NO! But
if we are unable to compensate it with Specialized Tourism… We won’t provide a
solution to the dark side of the most beautiful sector ever! For example,
making strategic alliances with other Cities/Tourism Destinations. Creating
international routes seducing YOUR Tourists to go to one place or the other
based on the situation of each City/Tourism Destination.
Becoming waves Managers
of Tourists, embracing the principles of Yield/Revenue Management! So, the
future of Tourism… IT’S UP TO US!!!
At the end of the day, specialized Tourism
is strongly related to the origins of travel from the beginning of the
humankind. We have to remember that one of the supposed origins of the world
Tourism is related with The Grand Tour.
Travel has always been a great provider of
international networking for business or for sharing a passion. You can think
to Marco Polo for instance! Travel has always been a great provider of new
perspectives because you get isolation of your normal environment. For that reason,
divorce Hotel or divorce Tourism
are good business endeavors. Travel has always been the origin of a bunch of
creativity. Was Darwin travelling when He developed one of the main ideas in
Biology? A trip has always been an excellent way to create bonds between Tourists
travelling together. I’m sure that you know examples of team building for
enterprises or for families both classic ones or new ones (PANKS, Single Dads,
GrandParents…).
To me, the best Psychologist of the world
is the mother of my kids BUT Abraham Maslow
is also a genius who always try to use Psychology not only to recover people
from emotional damage BUT also to help them to become extraordinary ones! In
the same way, Tourism can be the source of motivation and the lighthouse to see how to become a better human
being AND to have better economies for Tourism Destinations! We deal with these
ideas in this post.
Let me share with you two good examples of
becoming a better person enjoying a transformative experience through a trip.
As always… waiting for YOUR examples!
What do you think about digital nomads? You
can get more information here
What do you think about getting an university
degree in your favorite science during a trip? Visiting different Universities
in different countries. Doing internships in different enterprises, getting a holistic
vision, working with international teams, getting experience, contacts… seeing
the big picture. Becoming the best mind in the science that you choose OR discovering
connections between different sciences as Consilient Thinkers like to do!
Of course, to manage the communities
related to these segments and provide support from the beginning to the end of
the trip you can use technologies. They are also an important component of the
Future of the Tourism!
What about Blockchain? Providing the
information that you decide and for specific scenarios, in order to get credits
in different Universities, to share your professional experience…
Blockchain allow us to verify our identity
and all the information that it is necessary for the transaction that we want
to do. I repeat, NOT all the information, ONLY the information that we need!
Remember, customization without privacy it is a nightmare!
Blockchain allow us to create “smart
contracts” to link together actions and consequences. For instance, to get
access to different places with a single identification…
Blockchain can be very useful for secure
micropayments. For instance, to get rewards in a kind of Loyalty Program.
What about Artificial Intelligence? To get
customized 3 C’s (Content, Commerce and Community), to avoid scams, to ….
What about AR (Augmented Reality) and VR
(Virtual Reality) to get these 3C’S right here, right now.
All these technologies will also allow you
to create and manage teams around the world!
Before, during and after the trip, each
student, each professor, each potential employer will see in their Smartphone or
in the new, new device that soon will appear (the new version of intelligent
glasses, an implant in your brain or eye…) the results of an Artificial
Intelligence Model able to recognize people and places relevant to them making
real the word Ubiquitous Computing coined by Mark Weiser.
Thanks to Augmented Reality this customized
information will appear where necessary making easier networking activities,
events, congress… AND thanks to Blockchain the information for each person will
be only the authorized one for each specific situation.
YES! I think that Artificial Intelligence,
Augmented Reality and Blockchain will improve the transformative experience of
doing Tourism!!!
In a nutshell, the future of Tourism? A
world of endless opportunities for My Touristologists!!! As I always say… IT IS
UP TO YOU!!!
You are the best minds working in the best
sector ever!
