Be proud of being a Touristologists!!!

Is it bad to be a copyologist? No, it is just easier. I love to do easy /simple things when it is enough and the results are positive BUT what happens when the easy path increases the DARK SIDE of Tourism (OverTourism) and reduce the beautiful one (More profit for local enterprises, Higher salaries for Local Touristologists, Higher taxes’ revenues for Local Public services)...
- But Jordi...I just do what other people do!
That’s right! That is my point! You are a copyologist NOT a Touristologist.
As you don’t have a deep knowledge of OUR Science you do what everybody do!
Maslow, our favorite Psychologist, love to explain this with this sentence 
“If the only tool you have is a hammer every problem looks like a nail!”
You need a Touristologists to manage Tourism Destinations/Enterprises! Otherwise, copyologists will use their hammer…

We, as a Touristologists, love to highlight the potential benefits of Tourism for local economies! Of course, the Tourists is here now. BUT… the important thing is that He/She has contacts AROUND the world! 
The Tourists can seduce members of their international community to appear (Physically or Virtually, #Metaverse, Remember? ) in a local company with a low occupancy NOW (#YieldManagement, Remember?). Specially, if He/She is a member of a #SpecializedSegment!!!
The Tourists can provide Marketing Research about how to communicate and commercialize product/services from other sectors of the economy (Tourism providing synergies, remember?)
Even further, The Tourists can help us to communicate and commercialize becoming a product manager of them! 

The Tourists can be part of our enterprise in order to provide a better Servuction (#Travel2Earn, Remember?)
Somebody, has to define these Specialized Segments of Tourists
Somebody, has to create, communicate and commercialize our services to them!
Somebody has to proof to them that travelling, they can improve their personal/professional life!
Somebody has to build a chain of value able to provide solutions to potential problems and opportunities FROM the beginning to the END of the trip!!!
Somebody has to proof that Tourism is NOT something that just happens! 
Somebody has to create International Routes able to improve the management of Tourists’ flow in the most convenient way to THEM and to US!!!
Somebody? #Touristologists!!! 

The best minds in the best sector ever!!!

Don’t be like them, Touristologists!!!

From time to time, in OUR classes, seminars, in-company training or start-up meetings in order to define (or redefine!) the Business Model and the Technology Scheme, appear these kind of humans…these enthusiasm killing machines that we talk about here!!! 

They don’t want to learn OUR framework. They just want to copy one example and use it all the time. They love to be a copyologists!!! They will put all the effort to show that OUR frameworks are not useful. They love to find examples of applying them with a not practical result. They love to find excuses! As a matter of fact, they love NOT to learn!!! I always say the same to them! You can disagree with OUR frameworks! At the end of the day, this is how the Science is done! BUT you can’t disagree/improve them if you don’t fully understand them! 

Please, stop looking for excuses…follow the knowledge path!  

When we have to create and manage a project group, they ask for doing the easy part and don’t learn/practice the rest of the project. They are crazy followers of building silos. WE love to break silos! To create and manage chains of value making them to work as a single organization!!!

  

Let me be crystal clear! To pretend to be a member of a project group and don’t work in all the project is a scam…To yourself, to the other members of the group and to all the people with studies about our beloved Science!!!

Is it so difficult to try to be an A+ player?
“As Steve Jobs always said “A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players.”

 

 

Choose wisely, Touristologists! Choose to be a A+ player! Don’t allow these excuses finders to be a member of your project group, enterprise, start-up…
Try to be a PERFORMER!
OR a Doer
Not a less effective Doer
Not a PTS
And...definitely NOT a SP!!! 

  

We are opportunities finders! 

We are the best minds in the best sector ever!

Copyologist from the beginning… to the end?

The other day, I was helping my son with some homework. I was trying to develop a framework for him. (You know how much I love frameworks , don’t you? 

I created a table with the basic ideas that he had to develop:

And I gave an example to him…

Then, I said to my son - Now, it is your turn, give me an example!

To my surprise, He didn’t provide any example. He just repeat (copy) the table and my example, then, proudly, said to me - Finished!

When I complained that he had done ANYTHING, he complains back - you don’t know how to teach. At school we have to repeat everything. This is what learning is all about!

WOW! I had a “déjà vu” moment!!! Some of my students (some of them will become Touristologists, others will just get a piece of paper proving that they stayed four years in the University copying like crazies) think the same! I gave them theories: 1,2,3, theory, Revenue Management Framework, Servuction, Strategic triangle, Bermuda Triangle… then I asked them for examples. They reply that I have to give them some examples first.

Fair enough! So, I show them examples related to the latest tendencies in Tourism, the ones that then I convey here in OUR blog!

Then, what I classify as the most puzzling moments in my career as a Touristologist builder happens…

1) Sometimes when they have to give a presentation or do the final test, they just repeat my examples or copy the ones created by other Touristologists then, I give them a low grade.

They, strongly, complain - this is not fair!  With other teachers we memorize definitions and examples and writing them down always means a good grade.

2) Other students complain because they have to use Touristology’s theory (like chain of value) in each presentation.

- Jordi, we know, perfectly, this theory

- Ok! Can you provide and ORIGINAL example of its application? Because, if the only thing that you are able to do is to repeat my examples…. then you only prove that you are able to copy.

Let me clarify this once and for all…

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN EXAMPLES THEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THE THEORY!!!!

You are not tired of this theory. You are tired of not understanding it! You are tired of copying ideas from other Touristologists. The day that you create your own ideas I guarantee… you will enjoy using it! The day that you get a promotion because of it; you will feel proud of yourself and… I will feel even prouder!!!

Do you want to copy from the beginning to the end? Well, NOT on my watch! I’m a Touristologist builder you have to fall in love with tourism, don’t copy, don’t imitate; find your own way… Become a Touristologists!!!

If I believe that allowing copyologists’ behavior you will get a high paying job or you will be able to set up the new killer start up. I would allow this, until then… I will keep swimming against the tide… to the end!!!

For myself..

For the future of Touristology as a science

And, above all else, for respect to the Touristologists I mention here.

By the way, while I was finishing this post, my son came to me with the table full of original examples.  He gave it to me together with a kiss… I kiss him back… Like in a film this song wraps up the magic moment!!!

CAN I HAVE SOMETHING SIMILAR FROM YOU?!?!?!?!

Selling rooms is what I do, a copyologist was saying proudly …

Sometimes, I have the opportunity to attend meetings, supposedly related to tourism. I say supposedly, because I was fed up of listening to speeches from Mr/Ms. I-know-from-first-hand and I travel-twice-a-year-so-I-know-a-little-about-tourism.

I neither have the space, nor the intention of repeating their speeches here. On the other hand, is not necessary, because you can summarize it on the two golden rules of copyologists. Their favorite sentences when they talk about tourism: 

Rule 1- You know, first we did this initiative focus on local Tourism then, it will be easy to extrapolate it to international tourism. 

Rule 2- You know, first we did this initiative focus on generic Tourism then, it will be easy to extrapolate it to specialized one. I was fed up BUT, not anymore! Now it is a joy to attend these meetings. I don’t have to say anything, I don’t have to argue with anyone anymore… Nowadays, sooner or later appear one of my Touristologists and reply to the copyologists making clear why Touristology is a science and copyology… well, a copy! 

The other day, I was in one of these meetings. It was very interesting, not because any copyologist’s sentences BUT for the reply of one of my Touristologists! They talked about the tendency in Labour Law to let hotels to externalize all that is not its core business. They can externalize these non-core activities to anyone. Some of the attendants were afraid of the future of quality employment in tourism. 

Selling rooms is what I do - a copyologist was saying proudly. All the other activities are complementary services that I can externalize: Do the beds, serve drinks, clean the swimming-pool, serve breakfast. Thanks to this legislation I will be able to reduce my costs and become more competitive! 

Well, I don’t know about you -said a Touristologists- but I don’t just sell rooms anymore! Let’s clarify this once and for all… My business is NOT selling rooms or F&B… My business is to satisfy my customer, providing what they need, when they need it, in the way they need it! I provide experiences; I’m a provider of a service that nobody knows how to externalize. 

I know what makes people travel.

I know how to transform your tourism resources into a product / service customized to a specific segment.

I know how to communicate and commercialize through a chain of value.

I know how to set up this chain of value… I’m a Touristologists!!! Now externalize this or copy it if you can!

I was speechless for the first time in my entire life! But this is not a problem anymore… I’m a Touristologist builder. I have been helping to create hundreds of Touristologists. They’re spreading like a plague into the tourism sector around the world, changing the way we enjoy, manage and define Tourism. They are Touristologists, Touristology is OUR science and this is OUR blog!

Copyologists versus Touristologists…battling for a science! Part 1

Once upon a time, it was a small country aiming to become a leader in the Tourism field…- We will do things differently around here. We have the opportunity to bring prosperity and wealth creation thanks to the tourism sector - was saying with conviction the man who seemed to be the leader of an impassioned debate.
A Touristologist happens to pass by and hearing the words Tourism and seeing excitement on the faces…  He/She can help and asks to join the conversation.
We want to create a successful resort. The main attraction will be casinos BUT we will offer more than that… shopping experiences, family attractions, big music concerts, congresses.. you name it! At the end of the day, this is working in Macao. So, it is a tested business model. We can’t fail!

Just to put an example, Touristologist -  Said one of the most famous Copyologist around the world -Hard Rock Cafe offered a concert performed by Bruce Springsteen… they get more than 80,000 tourists.
I thought that the days of assessing the success of a Tourism activity based on the number of tourists was dismissed long time ago - say the Touristologist…
Don’t worry, everything will be fine! We get investors, we get companies that bring us the tourists… we will become leaders in Tourism!
What? Others will bring you the tourists? Well, enough is enough -Said the Touristologist…
I don’t doubt that this is a good business model, BUT the problem is that it is THEIR business model. So, as the creators are intelligent and profit orientated people… It doesn’t matter that you get a lot of tourists, neither that you get a lot of revenues… At the end of the day, the creators of the business model will…
1)  keep most of the profit
2) keep the trust of the tourist and the power to decide if they send the tourists here or there
3) have bargaining power to ask for less taxes, special laws, etc
4) and last but, definitely, not least… As you duplicate an existing business model you are buying numbers to become a commodity!
Maybe one day, a first class tourism destination with plenty of people studying Touristology will come up with a better idea!
Better? I mean… original!!! Not just copying business model, but OUR business model, the one which promotes our culture, the one which will create wealth for our small and medium size enterprises (SME), the one which will create quality jobs (not temporary, with real possibilities of promotion, with good salaries…)
The other day, while I was jogging, I was listening to my favorite podcast news related to technology, Tourism, Science… They talked about how nowadays scientists are doing experiments with mice. They apply laser in order to activate stem cells and to grow teeth. They said that it’s a faraway better methodology than just cover the cavity.
Is it related to Touristology, Jordi! Of course it is. As a matter of fact it’s an excellent metaphor (I’m the king of metaphors, remember?) Do you want to be leader in Tourism? Activate your people, your SME, look yourself for the tourist, bring them to here… In other words, activate stem tourism cells!!!
Do you want to become the Copyologists of the year? Copy other people business model, use their tourists, let them bring their tourists here. In other words, just cover the cavity. Not find a real solution BUT a pretend one!
Are we Touristologists or just simple Copyologists?
Are we willing to bring OUR tourists and NOT just waiting for others to bring THEIRS?
Are we the best minds working in the best sector ever? Time to prove it!