Nostalgic Tourists: who they are, what they want and who are taking care of them?
Looking for the new trends of tourism, I found an article referencing Nostalgic Tourism, and I was intrigued to know what this would be.
Russel (2008) explains that there are two different kinds of nostalgic tourists: the first one he called the real nostalgic tourists who are the one that is interested in revisiting their past (Baker & Kennedy). The second is historical nostalgic is the tourist that is interested in visit places connected to the Mondial history, places described in a book or saw in a film.
The raise of nostalgic tourism is directly linked to the aging of the population, Singleton (2018) says baby boomers correspond a 20% of the actual population of the word even though they are responsible for 80% of the revenues of the travel industry.
The tourism agencies, in spite of these numbers, are not prepared to work for this public and still try to sell pre-determined itineraries that are in the opposite way of the trend.
Nostalgic tourism demands a personalized itinerary because it is necessary to listen to the customer, look for the best choices available that meet with their expectations.
This niche is related to experience the travel and not involved with consumerist tourism to which the agencies are accustomed.
This public doesn't want souvenir shops. They look for things like food experiences, guided tours of places described in books, ports from which immigrants departed and visit places where the locals go.
The tourist ends up making the construction of the itinerary by themselves and not exploring to the fullest the potential of the visited sites because the agencies are still not attentive to this market.
Summarizing if the tourism agents invest some research on this trend and focus their advertising on the baby boomers they will enhance the longevity of their business.
If you want some tips in how target baby boomers take a look in this video.
But the are some questions to be answered:
1) If you are a manager of one of these companies, you will prefer to sell pre-determined itineraries or specialize in your service to guarantee this amount of the market that is growing exponential?
2) How can Marketing help the Tourism Industry to reach the public that looks for Nostalgia Tourism?
3) Why hasn't the Tourism Industry realized the huge importance of this trend to the Tourism Economy?
Sources:
Russel (2008) explains that there are two different kinds of nostalgic tourists: the first one he called the real nostalgic tourists who are the one that is interested in revisiting their past (Baker & Kennedy). The second is historical nostalgic is the tourist that is interested in visit places connected to the Mondial history, places described in a book or saw in a film.
The raise of nostalgic tourism is directly linked to the aging of the population, Singleton (2018) says baby boomers correspond a 20% of the actual population of the word even though they are responsible for 80% of the revenues of the travel industry.
The tourism agencies, in spite of these numbers, are not prepared to work for this public and still try to sell pre-determined itineraries that are in the opposite way of the trend.
Nostalgic tourism demands a personalized itinerary because it is necessary to listen to the customer, look for the best choices available that meet with their expectations.
This niche is related to experience the travel and not involved with consumerist tourism to which the agencies are accustomed.
This public doesn't want souvenir shops. They look for things like food experiences, guided tours of places described in books, ports from which immigrants departed and visit places where the locals go.
The tourist ends up making the construction of the itinerary by themselves and not exploring to the fullest the potential of the visited sites because the agencies are still not attentive to this market.
Summarizing if the tourism agents invest some research on this trend and focus their advertising on the baby boomers they will enhance the longevity of their business.
If you want some tips in how target baby boomers take a look in this video.
But the are some questions to be answered:
1) If you are a manager of one of these companies, you will prefer to sell pre-determined itineraries or specialize in your service to guarantee this amount of the market that is growing exponential?
2) How can Marketing help the Tourism Industry to reach the public that looks for Nostalgia Tourism?
3) Why hasn't the Tourism Industry realized the huge importance of this trend to the Tourism Economy?
Sources:
Targeting Baby Boomers in Tourism
I think that this topic choice is very interesting. You blog was very good and i enjoyed reading it. I have myself experienced travelling to connect with the city or country i am travelling to. I enjoy the rich history of the places i have been able to see. There is something fascinating about being able to connect with the local people and hearing their stories as well as seeing how they live. The facts and history they provide is unbelievable. Tourism companies need to jump on this trend and offer more ways to experience the culture and history in a visitors stay there.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
DeleteThanks for your comment!!
I really enjoy the search for this topic and after that, I realize that this trend can be the future of the hospitality industry.
The future entrepreneurs have to think about how it’s possible to customize the services, be profitable and maintain the identity at the same time.
Customers are looking for personal experiences on tourism not, even more, the same experience focus on touristic points and souvenirs search.
I felt that this was the most interesting blog topic . i totally agree with the point of the blog as i have personally visited such places to either re live the past or to visit such historical places to know more about the history of the country. Also knowing the local an talking to them about there experiences is quite good. knowing about the culture is good as you get to know people from different walks of life. reliving the past is also a very good felling as you might be missing some one that might bring back the joy of being with them
ReplyDeleteHello Pavneek,
DeleteI really appreciate that you enjoy the blog.
Nothing is better than enjoy an amazing place focus on your own experience, going to places that meet your expectations. If the tourism agents and hotel brands understand that customize the experience can be more profitable than standard service our industry will not have problems with the automation of non-essential services.
I felt this was the most charming site subject . I completely agree with the end goal of the blog as I have before long visited such places to either re live the past or to visit such recorded spots to get some answers concerning the authentic setting of the country. In like manner knowing the area a talking with them about there experiences is extremely extraordinary. pondering the lifestyle is incredible as you become familiar with people from different various foundations. recollecting the past is also an astounding felling as you might be feeling the loss of someone that may convey back the pleasure of being with them
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your topic choice, nostalgic tourism is gaining popularity and will be the most appealing to the boomer generation. The boomer generation will make up a very large portion of travellers over the next 5 to 10 years as they will be moving into retirement and will want to spend their time travelling. However, traditional travel is becoming a bit dull and cumbersome as popular destinations and hot spot tourist destinations are riddled with lines and long wait times. I agree with the concept of allowing the tourist/traveller build their own itineraries based on their desires and the experiences they want to achieve. Last year I started to approach my travel plans just like that, by building my own itineraries based on what I want to see. Movies and trendy tv shows are very popular for example on Netflix there is Narcos. Some tourists may want to visit his home town in Colombia and see where someone like him came to power. Or, perhaps there is a classic dish/food that originates from one part of the world that tourists would like to go see and experience first hand, authentically.
ReplyDeleteI read the topic and realized that most of things afore mentioned in the blog, me and my friends do those exact same things without even realizing them.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, I found this most intriguing blog as it is on tourism so tourism means enjoyment and that is what is mostly wanted
ReplyDeleteI thing that this was the charming blog topic. I totally agree with the information that you are pointed out. The experience when we meet and talk with the local is great. pondering the lifestyle is incredible as you become familiar with people from different various foundations.
ReplyDelete