Escher, as always, helping us to visualize complexity!

I have been enjoying the last 30 years being a Touristologists builder. My motto is to learn about something interesting then, convey this knowledge to someone willing to learn then, see how they improve their lives using this knowledge making me the happiest and proudest man on earth!!
During all these 30 years, there are a few things that appear over and over.
“Tourism is a low value sector”, “Tourism is managed by itself”….
Today, I don’t want to talk about these silly comments by people with low level knowledge about our beloved sector!
Let’s focus our attention on other comments related to the relationships between new technologies and Tourism.
- “Internet will be the end of Travel Agencies” people said in 1996. Something similar happened with Blockchain in 2016, some people will say the same with the Metaverse…
Technology don’t destroy enterprises! Technology update, change or just IGNORE old Business Models!
As we always say in OUR classes making and homage to Escher… in order to provide a good analysis you have to know about BOTH technology and Tourism Business Models, otherwise your analysis will be incomplete!
Touristologists have to understand new technologies, visualize new business models and know how to ask (OR do it themselves) the implementation of these new business models!
Escher represent this idea with this wonderful picture. How is possible that the two hands appear if one hand is drawing the other one? This is only possible if we take a higher vision and visualize Escher drawing everything!
In the same way, Touristologists have to know about New Technologies and the Business Models and Operations and processes of Tourism destinations and Enterprises!

Far from destroying travel agencies, Internet opened the possibility of creation of On-line Travel Agencies (OTA)
- Generic OR Specialized, Jordi?
BOTH!!!
Generic, playing the low-price game:  Expedia, Booking…
Specialized, playing the value game:
Travel agencies seducing books lovers to travel to the places where the story of the books happens.
Travel agencies helping to improve relationships between mothers and daughters.
Travel agencies offering new perspectives and possibilities to architects  OR ... OR ...
Nowadays, people with low level knowledge about Tourism could say…

“Metaverse will end Travel Agencies”! Metaverse open plenty of opportunities for Travel Agencies willing to deal with Hybrid Experiences!!! BOTH Generic and Specialized!!!

Hybrid experiences in the Metaverse?
It is a classic. It is a trip inside a trip.

At the end of the day, the same idea that happens in Hamlet! A son of a killed father making a play inside the play, in order to discover the killer!
The same idea that we can enjoy in this movie of Woody Allen “The Purple Rose of Cairo”. A movie inside a movie Touristologists!!!  

Time to begin creating, communicating and commercializing #HybridExperiences where #Tourists will be in one Tourism Destination and other members of their #SpecializedSegment around the world! Trips inside other trips!
Of course, you can do it for generic Tourism and focus on INDIVIDUAL Tourists…

 

BUT… listen to your inner Touristology’s voice!!! “First Specialized then Generic!"

Focus on Specialized Segments, build communities inside them, create or help them to create GROUPS. Sell to them anything that they need in THIS trip or in ANY trip or anything related to their travel motivation!
The Metaverse can be a Quantum leap for Touristologists and Travel Agencies!!!

 

Time is not linear but cyclical my fellow Touristologists! Knowledge, professional careers, personal relationships…have an evolution that is better described as a circle than a line.  Like in this picture by the genius Maurits Cornelis Escher… we believe that we are going up or down but in reality we stay in the same place. You can see in this picture some people that have stopped walking. Maybe because they believe that is not useful at all.
Don’t be like them Touristologists! Be aware!  Something is missing in this picture!
Time can advance as a circle BUT from time to time you get a quantum leap and you will have a chance to pass from one average circle to a special one.
Be prepare, be ready and wait for the quantum leap that can transport you to another circle… a superior one. Do you know who will have the opportunity to pass to the next level?
That’s right! The ones that choose not to stop, to keep loocking for new opportunities, to try new things, the ones willing to leave their comfort zone!  
Be ready, for the next quantum leap, Touristologists!!!!