Every time I stop giving classes…

Every time I stop giving classes, basically on holydays (even though Touristologists don’t take holidays, they just travel around and abroad in order to know other markets, make international contacts, plan future business…), I try to finish the big summary of everything-that-matters-to-me intellectually: Touristology, Web-Engineering, Economy, Psychology… I had an unfinished version of this big summary on my laptop, on several hard disks, on older desktop PC...
Every time I stop giving classes, I start a new version but… I have never finished it!
Why will you begin again if you know that you will be unable to finish it, Jordi? Because, this big summary is one of my utopias, Touristologists. It is something that highlights the way to follow.
This is the key, I start each new summary with the same passion and energy, using the knowledge that I squeezed in the previous ones as a base. Then I build up an improved structure over it. Each time, the big summary is better, still incomplete, but better…
Something similar happens to me when after holidays I face a new subject… a new bunch of future Touristologists. I try to build the perfect Touristologist (I’m a Touristologists builder, remember?).
Jordi, don’t you see that it’s impossible to create the perfect summary, to build the perfect Touristologist?
Maybe it is impossible BUT what if one day I achieve my goal? What if you don’t get it because you don’t try with all your guts/soul? I prefer to live this way! Trying is much better than saying it is impossible and not trying at all. This idea is carved in my brain. The day I was born I appeared in this world together with liters of water. Doctors slapped me in order to provoke the first cry… no answer… they decided that healing was impossible and they left me on a table. Then the doctors and my parents, quietly, left the room… I don’t have any memories of this moment, the only thing I know is that just thinking about it provokes in my mind, emotions, guts, a silent scream “Wake Up! You have unfinished business here!” 50 years later when experts decide that something is impossible… Well, I try! What about you?
Furthermore, I have been around here long enough to know that time isn’t linear it is cyclical. You can apply this idea to relationships if you wish, but let’s focus on intellectual activity. If you have been working with/on the web from the beginning (I mean since the first popular browser in 1993) you know that change is the only constant BUT also that, like life, its evolution is better described as a circle than as a line.
Let’s see a few examples. Shall we?
 In the year 2000, XML became very popular and everybody was talking about how this language, or meta-language to be precise, will (apart from other interesting features) allow your content to be multiplatform (using, for instance, XSLT templates), then this idea became less relevant, until now where everybody is talking about Responsive Web Design. Same idea, different terms /concepts and methodologies BUT same goal! Do you believe that it is easier to understand/achieve your goal, if you remember both events?
The same thing happens with Intelligent Systems. In the year 2000, they were very popular, then the market, academics… seemed to lose their interest. Nowadays, it appears again with a different name: Machine Learning.
Another example, is the creation of a lot of enterprises using a new technology and then disappearing when they are all are copying the same business model.
As I said, life, knowledge, evolution can be better explained with a circle than with a line! So, I will begin a new circle after holidays. I’m sure that with the right attitude I will end up near my goal!
I live with faith, dreams, hope… and those are food of the soul.
I eat and sleep properly, I exercise my mind and my body and also I feed my soul! What about you?
Finally, why does something become important to you? Because you dedicate time to it!  Do you want to be a coward? Think over and over about all the bad things that can happen to you. Do you want to be courageous? Think over and over about the prize!
Do you want to become a Touristologist? Give time, energy and dreams into it!
I choose to spend as much time as possible with my family, then with my Touristologists, then with my big summaries, because I know that you have to dedicate time to the most important things. What about you?
So, in a nutshell…
1) Try it! Because you can win and because trying is far more rewarding, far more healthy for your soul than not trying.
2) Create a framework before you change subjects! When you are tired or you don’t feel like continuing, take notes, make a summary. I can’t emphasize this point enough! It’s like climbing a mountain. You don’t want to start from the beginning again, do you?
3) Think that it is possible! As Henry Ford said “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.”
So, here I go. After these holidays I will finish my big summary. After these holidays I will build the perfect Touristologists! I’m sure of it!
I see the bright future of Touristology before my eyes!

I’m an expert in Tourism: Focus on local tourists and mark down the price!

As you know, I like to define myself as a consilient thinker. Two of the sciences that I love to combine are Touristology (the best science ever!!!) and Web-Engineering.  Some people believe that Internet, its technologies and business model can be a threat for Tourism and for Touristologists. It can be… BUT only if you are an average Touristologist if this kind of thing exists!!!

I agree with the author of this article when he said “The great tech revolution of the last 30 years is finally beginning to metastasize into every other human domain–in other words, software is eating the world, endangering almost every job there is…. Almost every job, in every field, probably including yours, will increasingly be threatened by obsolescence and/or automation.”

I agree with Thomas Friedman the author of “The world is flat” when in his book “The lexus and the olive tree” he claims “Winners in any field today can really cash in because they can sell into this massive global marketplace, while those who are just a little less talented, or not skilled at all, are limited to selling in just their local market and therefore tend to make a lot, lot less”

These threads, losing your job and cashing in less can happen to us. Unless… We are Touristologists!

If you know your segment, know how to customize tourism services, how to use or build up a chain of value then nobody can fire you. As a matter of fact, firing you is the worst thing that they can do, because it would mean the birth of a strong competitor.

If you work with specialized tourism in an international scope you can be the kind of winner Thomas Friedman was talking about!

Yes, Jordi BUT, what about if the segment disappears, if they change tastes, if they are no longer interested in our services? For average Touristologists this could be a problem. But for you, EXCEPCIONAL Touristologists this situation is your day to day battlefield!

When a door closes, a window opens!!! This is an eternal truth. But you have to be able to see the window and not everyone is able to do that. You need a trained mind, a network of contacts and a good attitude to discover and make the most of any given opportunity. Even if the window doesn’t exist or it resists being opened you have to invent one. You have to find a way!

We are Touristologists. We can go to any place in the world, detect a segment with specific necessities related to travel OR not related to travel BUT able to be satisfied through a trip. Then we can go to any place in the world, customize the offer, and use or build a chain of value to connect the demand and the supply.

We are Touristologists, the world is our office AND we are not expendable!!!!

What about experts in tourism that still believe that local tourism is the way to go? At the end of the day - They proudly explain - local tourism is the one we know the most. So, it will be easy to get their trust, to segment the market and take care of any specific needs!

What about experts in tourism that still believe that marking down the price is the best strategy ever? The other day, I was in a seminar about revenue management, I was explaining to people working in this field that almost all scientific studies show that in hotels (contrary to airlines) if you mark down the price you don’t get enough customers who compensate price reduction and allow you to increase the revenues.

One of the attendees of the seminar began to claim - this is not true! When I mark down the price I get plenty of new customers.

It’s possible -I calmly reply. I’m sure that you also get the same margin. You use something similar to segments accountancy, don’t you?

I’m also sure that the fact that you fill the hotel with low price orientated customers doesn’t have any exclusion effect whatsoever on your regular customers.

Well, I clearly see that marking down the price provides plenty of advantages and no inconveniences!

At the end of the session, another attendee to the meeting came to me and said “ I also believe that marking down the price is a bad solution. All my competitors are doing the same thing but this season I refuse to follow the herd and I get better results.” Why didn’t you share this with the class? Well I prefer to act and get results than to talk and do the same as everybody else.

You’re a Touristologist my friend- I reply! As Mark Twain said “Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid.”

Anyway, software is eating the world and maybe your job. Which do you believe is a job easy to eat, the one dealing with local tourism and based on marking down the price OR the one dealing with specialized tourism with an international scope?

I’m not afraid of software! I tell software what to do! I work in activities where specialization, creativity, intuition and human touch are key. What about you? Still believing in local tourism and marking down the price?

When you decide to focus on international tourism and adding value to specialized tourism… I will be here waiting for you, my fellow Touristologist!!!

Crisis? what crisis?

The other day I was listening to the radio while I was jogging. I strongly recommend working hard and then stopping to do some exercise. As Thales said, a long time ago “Mens sana in corpore sano”.
This kind of combination (the order is also important, first intellectual work then the physical one) is good to memorize what you are learning, for instance if you are preparing for one exam or in order to get a boost of creativity if you are thinking in a new entrepreneurial adventure, preparing a study case or as in this case, thinking about a post for your blog!
Anyway, I was listening to an interview of a famous Economist talking about possible solutions to the economical crisis.
We don’t have too many alternatives - the Economist was saying…
1) Devaluation of our currency. BUT, this is difficult if you don’t have your own currency. Apart from that, if you are importation dependent and your debts are in other currencies this will be a good way to increase your inflation - I thought to myself…
2) Salary devaluation. This is also a problem because in order to grow, you need to increase exportations (remember tourism is an exportation but instead of sending products abroad, we bring people!) or increase internal consumption. If you decrease salaries, usually, the last one will decrease.
3) Increase taxes.
What? - I stopped jogging and began a strong argument with someone that was not listening to me! So, we have different options one is impossible (or it will be a disaster) and the two others are the economical metaphor of killing ourselves!
Luckily, there are other ways, Schumpeter’s way! As you know, I am a Touristologist but my cultural background is Economy (I have a PhD in this science). I have always enjoyed going over the theories of Adam Smith, Keynes, Karl March and Friedman.... But the first time I listened to the theories of Schumpeter I said to myself “ I have found and intellectual friend” I talked about Schumpeter and his important ideas in this post. To summarize:
A) Crisis and bubbles are not something you can eliminate. It’s the way capitalism works!
B) In times of crisis you need entrepreneurial activities. Creative destruction. Destroy the old, the corrupt, the inefficient and build something new!
So, currency devaluation, salary devaluation, raising taxes… BUT the best solution, the fairest, the most interesting is Schumpeter’s solution.
We together have to create new international enterprises that make direct competition with big ones. It’s naive to trust big enterprises. They are NOT bad, it’s just that they are enterprises and it is written in their DNA to get maximum profit through monopoly.  They will try to use all their power /influence to get political actions and laws which favor their profits and interests.
Of course, we need big enterprises if we want to play a role in this world, BUT we can create it following bottom-up ideas versus top-down ones. We can create a network of small and medium size enterprises working together as chains of value able to compete and be as efficient as big enterprises.

This is the bottom-up approach, the one that will take us out of this crisis. Everybody is important here, the ones which create these enterprises, the ones which choose to buy their products and services, the ones which ask for real reforms to facilitate this kind of enterprises, good politicians listening to their people and implementing laws that really favor them …

And of course, this movement has to be INTERNATIONAL!

As Thomas Friedman said we are in Globalization 3.0

"Globalization 1.0  1492-1800 when Columbus opened trade between the old world and the new world. It was about countries and muscles.

Globalization 2.0 1800-2000 (interrupted by the Great Depression and World Wars I and II). It was about Multinational companies and industrial revolution (falling transportation and telecommunication cost).

Globalization 3.0 INDIVIDUALS globalizing THROUGH the flat-world platform."

YES! And these individuals must work together, creating, using and managing chain of values.

Are you ready to take your destiny into your own hands, Touristologists?

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it” - Alan Kay, 1971.

Touristology’s mantra: Specialized, International AND Groups!

Last time I gave a seminar for entrepreneurs willing to open tourism companies (basically, hotels and restaurants), I repeated my two favorite mantra-words to be successful as a Touristologist:

1) Specialized: You already know my bias for specialization, don’t you?

2) International: To me, it is hard to understand how it is possible that young people that grow up in a flat world still believe in local tourism as the most important one. “Jordi, what if I have enough customers with local tourism?” Proudly they claim “What if you DON’T” Touristologistly, I reply!  If the world is not your office, if you are unable to go to any place in the world detect segments and motivate them to go any place in the world, if you believe that getting the trust of the tourists and manage all things important to them before, during and after a trip is not your calling… then, you are not a Touristologist.

Luckily, for the future of our beloved sector (and for my mental health!!!) these kinds of arguments are less and less normal… Almost everybody agrees that international tourism is the way to go. So, I have my Touristologists internationally oriented AND with a clear vision that they must combine generic with specialized tourism (Do I have to mention, AGAIN, that it is better to begin with specialized?)

OK! The big ideas are unleashed! Let’s talk details (The devil is in the details. Remember?).

Wait a moment, Jordi! -I clearly heard a voice from my guts claiming to be Touristology’s voice - Have you already explain to your Touristologists the importance of GROUPS? No? You’d better do it!

“GROUPS” is another word carved into my mind. There is nothing wrong with individual tourism BUT, If you want to run a profitable business… it will be easier, powerful, endurable… if we work with groups!

I like the way that this idea is represented in this video from tripku a new start-up in our field:

Ready for another example? What about some Women Traveling Together.

Of course, you always can rely on the “classics”. Do you remember Hotels with Me that we talked about here? “For the first time, groups can collaboratively choose a hotel without having to sit in front of the same computer together”, they proudly claim!

Or Literary traveler cited here.

Managing groups gives you more bargaining power, economies of scale, more leadership and control over you chain of value… so, what are you waiting for?

Do you want to become a Touristologist? Meditate, see yourself becoming a Touristologist, act, think and feel as a Touristologist… And don’t forget the mantra-words… Specialized…. International….Groups!!!!!

Psssst … and chain of value working as a single organization? Shut up, Touristology’s voice! They already know that!

Make (Freedom) OR Buy (Simplicity)

 The other day I, Touristologistly, tweeted this post:

Jordi, exactly what do you mean with this sentence “Make (freedom) OR Buy (Simplicity)” Well, I try to summarize in a framework (you know how much I love frameworks!) one of the tough decisions you face in any project related to the Internet. You can make a solution from scratch and get exactly (or almost exactly) what you want OR you can use a standard solution to get something similar to the solution you had in your mind faster and cheaper. 

What are the cons of Make? Without any doubt, the cost and time of getting the solution done. Furthermore, you also have to add uncertainty. When the solution is already created you know, for sure, the cost and the time. If you have to develop it… well, it is not so clear. Only people that never code will say that they know exactly the time it takes to finish all the features! 

What are the cons of Buy? As any solution for a lot of people/companies you have limits in the customization you are able to ask for. For instance, here in this video, you can get an idea about the solution WordPress  is proposing for restaurants. It’s easy to implement what is already developed. Adding more functionalities, though it is possible, enters us into a new league!

So, this is the framework. You can Make or Buy a solution. This solution will have functionalities (the things that the program will help do: Reservations, getting recommendations, sharing opinions… you name it!) which you have to specify with a technological scheme. An associated cost and the time in order to do the following concepts:

A) Design and development of the solution: Here the key characteristic will be if we want a database or not. Having a database is essential for any complete solution, but to design the scheme of it (Yes! Even if you are using a schemeless database as MongoDB or CouchDB). Define the CRUD (Create, read, update and delete)... is one of the most gratifying and difficult things to do! 

B)Implementation: Once the solution is created you have to implement it and test the functionality in a real environment. 

C) Training: Somebody has to use this solution! So, you have to train the “homus organizativus” members of your chain of value . As a matter of fact, one of the main problems of software is the lack of use for bad training causes! 

D) Production: ISP / CLOUD: You have to decide if you want this solution in-house: Install the hardware at your office or with an ISP (Internet Service Provider) OR install it in the cloud using the IaaS, PaaS and SaaS features we talked about here. 

As I always said to my Touristologists, Clients and Associates… Functionalities, Cost and Time - you can choose two! A lot of functionalities and very fast? The cost will rise. I will have to outsource and work at night! Low cost and very fast? You will get few functionalities! 

Jordi, what is the meaning of the word integration that appears in the picture? Ah! You noticed it, right? It is a very important word! If you remember, an important characteristic of successful enterprises in web 3.0 is to achieve a chain of value working as a single organization and the integration of all departments, employees and software involved in any servuction process! So, once you get your solution you have to integrate it with other software servicing other departments inside your company and other software in your chain of value. And no, this is not automatic, Touristologists! It is very important BUT complicated… unless you are … A TOURISTOLOGIST!!!

Bye-Bye Gidsy!

The other day I, Touristologistly, tweeted this post

Jordi, exactly what do you mean with “DEU N’HI DORET” is this English? No, it is Catalan my beautiful mother tongue! It has a lot of translations but on this occasion it can be something similar to… what a surprise!!!I also attached a video about one ad of the buyer, Get Your Guide

I find this add interesting because it is an example of “how to increase the relationship with your customers” that we talked about here. At the end of the day, to introduce the members/workers of the company is a way to convey the idea that we are more a family than a company and, usually, you get more attached to people than companies!

I love the idea of Gidsy as I said here, it was an excellent example of, at least three really important concepts for any Touristologist: Servuction , Pro-Am and Super3.

Furthermore, Gidsy was more focused on providing experiences for specialized segments than products for anyone… and you know my bias for specialized tourism!

I checked out the new website and it seems very similar. I will keep an eye on it. It still seems like a very good example for my classes and seminars!

Anyway, this acquisition (more information here) is a wake-up call for all startups. If your business is very original BUT generic, sooner or later a bigger competitor or a member of the chain of value will try to buy you. It’s the next logical step. Generic tourism is based on economy of scales. So, the bigger fish eats the smaller one. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you have to be aware. I talked about this here remembering the cases of room 77 and worldmate and foreseeing something similar to WeHostels.

On the other hand, if you aim at specialized tourism with an international scope, the possibilities to start and endure is multiplied by 1000. Of course, you will have a small number of potential customers, BUT you have a greater potential of growth and chain of value control, as we explained here. In specialized Tourism the winner is the one which gets the trust of the customer by adding value NOT by lowering the price. This value can come from

1) Synergies between people that like the activity, pro-am and professionals. Touristologists represent this fact with the following matrix.

2) International routes. You will have customers from around the world and you must offer products with the same scope

3) The possibility of becoming a Super 3. Take the case in point of Wyndham for instance. They developed a customized service for Business Women (a good example of My Own 1,2,3). Then, they create a central reservation system for any hotel desiring to serve this segment. This is the power from getting the trust of the segment!

I repeat, you can choose generic or specialized. It’s up to you! Just remember, they are a different kind of business with both pros and cons that you have to be aware of …. Of course, only if you want to become… A TOURISTOLOGIST!!!

Responsive Web… Servuction (part 2)!

A post ago, I talked about Responsive web design and I, Touristologistly, declared that to be responsive with the design is OK BUT, we also have to do the same with the Servuction process. My Touristologists agree, they said “Right Jordi! Exactly what is Responsive Web Servuction? Can you provide one of your marvelous summaries (Well they didn’t said marvelous but I’m sure that they were thinking about a similar word!!!) In a nutshell, Responsive Web Servuction means to adapt our enterprises /tourist destinations to the web 3.0 we have to be able to provide the 3 C’s (Content, Commerce and Community) in the three ways that we talked about in web 2.0 business model.

A) Customized: We don’t want all the information or commerce. We want the information that matters to US right here, right now (Does Location Base Services ring a bell?). We don’t want to share experiences with everybody. We want to share with people who we trust. We want to learn from people with more experience, we want to get advice from people with similar taste/knowledge/background… or a complementary one. 

B) Syndicated: We are talking about the cloud, right? So, we don’t want to go to a specific website. We want to go to the cloud and get, send and manage everything related to the trip. You can check out the examples of Superfly here or WorldMate here 

C) And yes! We want to be a part of the process and embrace the pro-am movement. We want to show off that we are experts as well! We want to create, communicate and commercialize our own services (Does gidsy ring a bell?). We want to participate in the servuction process! (Luckily, we are Touristologists and the fact that the customers want/have to participate in the Servuction process is not a problem… At all!!!).

Yes! We want to provide the 3C’s and in these three ways… In all the phases of the trip (before, during and after). Of course, that means that it doesn’t matter what device the tourists is using at any moment! 

So remember, Touristologists! 

Mobile adaptation? YES! But also adaptation to ANY device with synchronization and integration as we described here!

Responsive Web Design? Of course! But at the service of Responsive Web Servuction! It isn’t about the house /hotel/tourist destination. It is all about the experience we are able to provide! So, it isn’t about the content that we present inside a container customized for any device. It is all about the Servuction that any physical support can help us to deliver at any stage/phase of the trip! Take this mobile app for instance…FlowTrip   

Of course, we prefer to use OUR own AI! Created using our own models and customized data for each specialized segment (ensuring better customization and more privacy) and verified by our own people!!!   

Without mobile devices internet connected, without Location Base Services, without the right Web 2.0 business model… this kind of service wouldn’t make sense. Yes, design is important but the key is the Servuction process! 

I’m lucky enough to work in Tourism. Lucky enough to teach and be a mentor for the future of our sector. Lucky enough to be mentored-back by experts in Tourism and Web-Engineering. I used to say “There have been a lot of mistakes in our sector because experts in technology don’t know about tourism and the other way around”. Nowadays, this is less and less true! Consilience’s ideas are part of the new Zeitgeist. 

A brilliant future is ahead of Touristology and Touristologists! Let’s enjoy the moment! Let’s be a part of it! Let’s try to lead it! If not you, who? If not now, when?