Tourism's Future - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 462

In many ways, tourism has been an important force underlying the creation of the experience
economy. As Otto and Ritchie demonstrated some time ago, travelers seek a quality ''

that links together the many service components of a complex travel experience. 22 The challenge facing
the tourism industry is to ensure not only high-quality links in the experience chain but also an enjoyable,
hassle-free passage from one link to another. Since each of the links is often managed by a different
owner/operator, it is dif cult tomaintain a continuously high experience across the links. Because of this,
destination management organizations (DMOs)

'' experience chain

— a role often assumed by convention and visitors

bureaus (CVBs) have become increasingly critical to the success of the destination visitation expe-

rience, as they seek to coordinate the many service/experience providers at a destination.
As Oxford Economics ( www.oxfordeconomics.com ) states somewhat differently, the tourists of
tomorrow will be thrill seekers who want experiences not just visa stamps. The travel market is
fragmenting. Activity-based travel (sailing, sur ng, safaris, and entertainment events) are sectors that
have shown strong growth

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and will continue to do so in the future.
More generally, there is a trend from destination-based travel to experience-based travel. It is no
longer enough to simply go to, say, France or Kenya

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consumers want to immerse themselves more
fully in local cultures and experiences to have a truly satisfying travel experience. This reemphasizes
the fact that airlines and agents will need to shift to thinking of air travel as more of a total experience
rather than as a functional A to B process. This is the route to substantial revenue opportunities by
tapping into such shifting desires.

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Demographic Shifts

Although very little in the social sciences is truly predictable, there is one notable exception: the
demographics of the world's current population. In this regard, the forces of change that will drive and
shape the face of the next generation are already evident. The populations of the developed Western
world are aging and will decline in relative size. At the same time, the populations of the developing
world continue to explode. While in the short term such changes may present opportunities for the
tourism industry, they also raise some fundamental long-term questions. These questions concern not
only the distribution of income and wealth on which travel depends, but also with respect to the
geographic distribution of the world is population. One of the most profound shifts that is coming is

that by 2020, Asia will represent one-third of global travel spending

'

up from 20 percent today. 23
The above-noted aging of the populations of tourist-originating countries will bring about a
number of signi cant changes in the choice of destinations and in the travel behavior of individuals.
Just a few selected examples of such changes are:

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& Leisurely, rather than highly programmed, vacations will increase.
& More grandparents will be traveling with children.
& Convenience will be paramount; airport delays due to increased security and overcrowded facilities
will result in a trend away from short flights.24 24
& Many individuals will tend to turn inward toward family and friends (cocooning) as they seek
protection in a hostile world.

Concern for health and medical travel facilities will be driven by both physiological and

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psychological needs of older travelers.

Travelers will seek ''home hotels'' where they can easily find most things they need, including
shoes, clothing, and other necessities

&

— so as to minimize the luggage they require.

Educational hotels will meet the growing desire of tourists both to learn and to acquire new skills. 25

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Since nearly half of all households in America are now headed by persons who are not married, this
will increasingly change the need for travel facilities, events, and activities that were designed and
developed to meet the needs of the traditional family vacation.

&