(A Unit of Sri. S. S. Jain Educational Society)(Affiliated to the University of Madras)
Meenambakkam, Chennai – 600 061.
(A Unit of Sri. S. S. Jain Educational Society)
(Affiliated to the University of Madras)
Meenambakkam, Chennai – 600 061.
One of the biggest challenges in the tourism sector is to be able to offer products tailored to customer needs. And the world is changing faster due to the impact of technology on our lives. Tourism consumers are changing their preferences to the same rhythm. Your agency must be aware of the most important trends among your target audience in order to keep up with the dynamic pace of tourism. Especially for the company to know how to apply the new trends in the marketing strategy.
The traveler is becoming more informed, more empowered, and able to organize their trip independently. Although there are still customers who rely on travel agencies to organize their entire holiday, the number of customers who prefer to contact the agencies once they have decided to choose one or more products is increasing. They are looking for different destinations, such as areas away from the big tourist areas, and for products that allow them to live unique experiences, connected to the authenticity of those different places. This traveller will study the tourism options which best suit their needs, their interests. Such is the change in their attitude in decision making that travellers will not mind paying more for the product if they are sure this product will bring them the value they ask for.
This means the traveller feels more responsible for its impact. They will be interested in finding tourism products that take into account values as important today as sustainability, respect for the environment, safety, and even equality. The demanding traveller wants to be respectful of the destination’s environment and the local population, and to be able to enjoy his or her journey without feeling worried about circumstances or threats that endanger his or her well-being or the others’. The sensation of adventure, fun and adrenaline, brings them not only personal entertainment, but also experiences to share and that might help them to strengthen their relationship. On the other hand, thanks to the ‘empowerment’ of the traveller, more tourism consumers are opting to travel alone. This allows greater freedom to choose destination, accommodation, dates, but above all freedom to choose the tourist product best suited to itself. So far, we can imagine the latest technologies have had a great impact on the tourism sector, especially in the phase prior to the purchase process. However, once it is time to pack up the luggage and leave home, there are diffrent types of attitudes that are standing out in the tourism sector. One trend is to go on holiday, but to stay connected to the world through smartphones. The phenomenon of being afraid to miss what happens on social networks now has the name of ‘Fear of Missing Out‘ (FOMO). These custumers – ‘Joy of Missing Out’ (JOMO) – disconnect from their smartphones to enjoy their free time, and above all their privacy. In such a technological world in which we live, more travellers are looking for JOMO experiences.
If we have detected any of these new interests among the target audience, it may be a good time to take another look the types of customers and rethink our marketing strategies to attract them considering these new consumer trends.