characteristics of tourism market

Tourism Marketing

Travel and tourism marketing is the systematic and coordinated execution of business policies by the both private or public and public sector tourism organizations operating at the local, regional, national, or international level to achieve the optimal satisfaction of the needs of identifiable tourist groups, and in doing so to achieve an appropriate return .

Travel agencies in the pre-deregulation, pre-liberalization, and pre-globalization era were often contended to take whatever business that come along this way and sold them on a straight commission basis without bothering about the extensive marketing. Moreover, their scope of the operation was small and was not much complex, sophisticated and competitive.

But today the travel companies are becoming larger, more sophisticated and more automated in management.  Similarly, the clients/tourists are also becoming more trained, experienced, erudite and demanding higher quality services and packages.

Therefore, in this volatile travel business environment, marketing knowledge and skill are more necessary ingredients than the product knowledge and enthusiasm, for a travel agency’s long-term survival and growth. Thus, this has led to the use of tourism marketing which is recent phenomena.

History of Tourism Marketing

The ‘ marketing concept ‘ is not very old. I came into the scene in the 2nd half of the 20th century. In the beginning, it was linked with the number of closely associated factors for achieving volume sales.

The development of the marketing concept, in fact, is the outcome of political, technological, social, economic and business pressures. However, the importance of marketing within travel and tourism industry has been the level of economic and business growth throughout the 20th century, which has led to the improvement in living standards, an enlargement of the population and an increase in discretionary income and time.

These changes have also led to the construction of infrastructure, accommodation, transport , and other recreational facilities. Within a very short period, travel and tourism have become one of the most important and leading industry in the world.

Modern tourism marketing has evolved as a business reaction to changes in the Socio-Economic environment, with the most successful tourism companies or tourism bodies have demonstrated a keen sense of providing the right of organizational structure and products offer for the visitors/tourists.

Interestingly, the tourism companies have recognized the significance of key factors such as needs, wants, and satisfaction in the planning and designing of the tourism product. In the tourism industry, every tourist wants to be treated as a special client and any organization catering to this attitude of the tourist will naturally be head of other competitions.

Definitions of Tourism Marketing

According to Kotler, ” Marketing is a social and managerial process by which consumers obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging product services and values with other .” He has emphasized more on wants, needs, satisfaction, demand, and marketers.

According to the British Chartered Institute of Marketing, ” It is the management process responsible for the identification, anticipating, assessing and satisfying the customer’s client’s requirements profitable .”

The modern marketing concept is not limited only to the identification and satisfaction of customers. It is a comprehensive process which encompasses research and analysis of society’s as well as consumer’s needs, asserts the company’s resources and marketplace and delivers the products/services to those whose experience provides a set of satisfactions which are preferable to those of the competitors.

Krippendorf defines tourism marketing,” as the systematic and coordinated execution of business policies by both private or public sector tourism organizations operated at the local, regional, national, or international level to achieve the optimal satisfaction of the needs of identifiable tourist groups, and in doing so to achieve an appropriate return .”

According to Paynter (1993), ” tour marketing is a systematic process consisting of marketing objective, strategies, schedules, marketing media, focused on the specific market segment and based on a substantial return on investment. ”

World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at Ottawa Seminar, has defined tourism marketing as,” a management philosophy which, in the light of tourist demand, makes it possible through research, forecasting and selection of tourism products/services from suppliers, on the line with organization’s purpose and tourist satisfaction .”

The following aspects can be identified from the above definitions:

• Tourism marketing is a thought-provoking process.
• Identification and selection of the target market.
• Positioning and product lifecycle is important.
• Future tourism marketing strategies.
• Innovative/proactive marketing.

Unique Features of Tourism Marketing

Tour package as a specialized product creates a number of significant considerations which need to be fully analyzed. The management of tour package cannot be divorced from the management of service and quality. Thus, the marketing of the tour package is different from other products because the tour package is a service product where instead of selling physical goods an intangible experience is sold.

An understanding of the complexity of the tourism product concept is an essential pre-requisite for effective tour package marketing in this context. The specific features of tourism marketing are:

• The demand for tour package is highly elastic and seasonal in nature.
• Tour package is a combination of various service ingredient.
• Designing, developing and marketing of tour package a number of intermediaries are involved. Bed experience at one level can spoil the entire image of the package as well as the tour operator .
• A tourist does not only by the tour package in advance because it is consumed and felt at the same time at a particular destination.

It is not possible to evaluate/demonstrate/sample the tour package in advance because it is consumed and felt at the same time at a particular destination.

Tour Package Marketing

A tour marketing plan is a structured guide for carrying out marketing operations. It provides a common structure and focuses on all the company’s management activities. The purposes of a marketing plan include:

• It provides a clear direction for marketing operations.
• It coordinates the resources of the organization in order to eliminate confusion and misunderstanding and achieving cooperation.
• Identifying different market segments.
• Setting targets/goals.
• Identifying the organization’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Corporate mission and goals.
• External and Internal Audit.
• Business situation analysis.
• Creating the objectives.
• Providing an effective marketing mix strategy.
• Monitoring the plan.

Thus, it has become imperative to discuss the tour marketing segment, tourist generating market, and tour marketing mix before developing a tour marketing plan.

Tour Market Segmentation

It involves a division of the prospective market into identifiable groups. The reasoning behind this is that a tour package can be sold more effectively if efforts are concentrated towards those groups which are most potential.

According to Middleton, “ Market segmentation is the process whereby producers organize their knowledge of customer groups and select for particular attention those whose needs and wants they are best able to meet their product .”

The main purpose of tour market segmentation in tourism marketing are:

• Segment the tourists generating markets.
• Identify the network of intermediaries.
• Identify the nature of demand for one’s product.
• Identify the prospective tourists.

An effective market strategy will determine exactly what the target market will be and to attempt to reach only those markets. The target market is that segment of a total potential market to which the tourist attraction would be most saleable.

Targets markets are defined geographically, demographically and so forth market segmentation must be employed in the marketing programmes to both the long-term strategies. Every tourism attraction can appeal to a multitude of market segments, and the market segment can overlap a great deal. The tour manager must look at market segments and determines which one offer the promising potential for his/her service.

Tour market segment further categories into the following types:

• Geographic Segment
• Demographic Segment
• Psychographic Segment
• Socio-Economic Segment
• Price Segment

Geographic Tourism Market Segmentation

This segment is based on the idea that customer needs differ according to geographic regions.

Demographic Segmentation

Under this segmentation, the tourism market is divided into various groups, keeping in view the demographic variables such as age, income, sex family size, occupation, education, religion etc.

Behavioral Segmentation

In this segmentation, prospective tourists are segmented on the basis of their knowledge, attitude, use or response to the tour product. Under this segmentation, the marketing strategies of a four-company include:

• User Status
• Loyalty Status
• Buyer Readiness Stages

Psychographic Segmentation

Under this, the tourists are divided into different group on the basis of their social status, lifestyles, and personality characteristics. For example, upper class, upper middle, lower classes, product preferences, adventure sports, etc.

Price Segmentation

Price ranges often come in handy in segmenting the tourist markets, such as

• Those who want to take a low priced vacation.
• Those who may take a moderately priced vacation.

Price ranges communicate to the tourists the quality expectation of a product along with the producer’s image. While determining the price of a tour package a tour planner must understand the paying capacity of the tourist.

Tour Marketing Mix

In the competitive tourism marketplace, a tour operator can be successful if it’s complete marketing mix offer matches what the tourist wants. It is planned and coordinated by marketers so that the input can be contributed in such a way that the company will be able to maximize demand and satisfaction of the tourists.

The concept of the tour marketing mix is equally relevant in the case of tourism products as it is in the case of other services and goods. Tour marketing manager must constantly search for the right marketing mix, the right combination of elements that will produce a profit. The marketing mix is composed of every factor that influences marketing efforts such as:

• BrandsPricing – In the Ratio of quality and value
• Product features
• Channels of distribution – both international and national
• Advertising
• Selling techniques
• Public relation

The fundamental starting point for the creation of a successful tour marketing mix to ensure that the target market is clearly defined. The target market is the focus of all marketing mix activities. Generally, the marketing mix constitutes four P’s . These four P’s are following as:

However, besides these four P’s in the tourism industry fifth P – People, Process, Physical evidence is also of most relevance.

Developing Tour Marketing Plan

The marketing of the package tour is materially different than the marketing of other tourism products. The reasoning behind this is that the type of tours offered by one tour company and another are different, and the marketing strategies also differ from company to company.

Each company has a wide range of tours and marketing strategies. No other travel and tourism industry component have such a wide range of specialization.

This fact should be recognized, that the effective and profitable marketing strategies are based on the tour marketing plan which is a complete ‘mechanism’ for the success of a tour company. The mechanism includes several components. These component and stages of making a tourism marketing plan are following as:

Developing a tour marketing plan

Marketing Budget

Plan Strategies

Prepare Plan Schedules

Decide Media Plan

Developing Advertising Plan

Developing Public Relation Plan

Preparing an Annual Sales Plan

Feedback and Evaluation Plan

• Tourism Market
• Hospitality & Tourism

Tourism Market Size, Share, and Growth, Analysis Research Report – Segmented By Type (International Tourism and Domestic/Local Tourism), Purpose (Adventure Tourism, Business Travel, Conference or Seminar Travel, Family and Friend Visits and Others), and Region - Industry Forecast of 2024 to 2029.

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• Description

Tourism Market Size (2024 - 2029):

The Global  Tourism Market  was worth US$ 11.03 trillion in 2023 and is anticipated to reach a valuation of US$ 14.77 trillion by 2029 and it is predicted to register a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period 2024-2029.

Market Overview:

Worldwide tourism has performed well over the five-year period, and economies in emerging markets continue to stimulate expansion.   In addition, countries in Asia and South America have seen a strong expansion in per capita income, which has allowed consumers in these regions to travel abroad in escalating numbers. However, due to the worldwide spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in 2020, industry revenue is predicted to decline by 8.9%. The worldwide pandemic is supposed to have a huge effect on all tourism-related industries, as many countries suspend international travel and limit the number of domestic flights.

Tourism is defined as the fact that international visitors who cross borders travel mainly for business, conferences, government affairs, and for leisure, vacations or to visit local people, friends, and family. The main industries that benefit from tourism spending include national and international air transport, accommodation services, food services, beverages, car rental, and travel agencies.

Market Trends:

Government agencies and organizations such as the World Tourism Organization, and UNWTO, promote tourism to attract diverse tourists from around the world. These initiatives are leading to the expansion of the world tourism market. Adventure tourism is a new concept in the tourism market that drives the entire industry. Also, medical tourism is also a new concept that is gaining ground around the world. The significant difference in prices for medical procedures between different countries is driving the trend in the medical tourism sector. Another determining factor for the global tourism market is the surge in international sporting and recreational events.

Market Drivers:

The increase in per capita income stimulates the expansion of the global tourism market, which translates into a continuous expansion of international tourism. For the past five years, the tourism market in emerging economies, particularly countries in South America and Asia, has been the driving force behind the worldwide industry. Compared to ten years ago, the world tourism market has undergone many changes. Emerging economies now represent more market share than developed economies. In recent years, the adventure tourism industry has grown exponentially worldwide. Also, travelers are interested in visiting unknown destinations for fun. Besides, a significant increase in government initiatives in the form of public and private partnerships to promote tourism is driving the expansion of the worldwide adventure travel market. The comfort factor associated with the application and implementation of the e-tourism market has been an important factor for this market. Access to the complete travel package as well as strategic access to know all the relevant information related to the place has helped customers opt for electronic means to make their travel plans.

Market Restraints:

The risk of unpredictable weather conditions limits the expansion of the global tourism market.

Market Opportunities:

The development of new trends like adventure tourism, medical tourism, etc., are likely to promote the expansion in call of the global tourism market. Adventure tourism includes some activities such as rock climbing, hiking, caving, rafting, and others. Tourism is one of the sectors with the highest exponential expansion, among which adventure tourism is one of the fastest growing. According to a study of the travel market, Europe and America are the two main regions of this market. Furthermore, the introduction of artificial intelligence plays a vital role in the operation and exploitation of adventure tourism. The growing trend of social media is also estimated to offer a promising opportunity for this market expansion.

TOURISM MARKET REPORT COVERAGE:

Market Segmentation:

Tourism Market -  By Type:

• International Tourism
• Domestic/Local Tourism

Tourism Market -  By Purpose:

• Adventure Tourism
• Business Travel
• Conference or Seminar Travel
• Family and Friend Visits

Tourism service companies offer various products and services to their clients. Thus, the industry products included in the worldwide tourism industry are accommodation for travelers, travel organizations and reservations, air transport, other local transport such as car rental, food and drink establishments, recreation and entertainment, gasoline, and other activities. In addition, industrial activities considered in the worldwide tourism market include accommodation services for travelers, provision of hospitality services to international tourists, airline operation, motor vehicle leasing, travel agencies, and travel organization services.

Market Regional Analysis:

The  Tourism Market Report includes the segmentation of Regions:

• North America 
• Europe 
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America 
• Middle East & Africa 

Countries like the United States, Germany, and France are popular destinations for world tourism. But in recent years, other lesser-known countries in Asia and Africa have emerged as destinations of interest to international travellers. Therefore, tourism service providers are reorienting their services to take advantage of the economic benefits of this trend. Thailand was the most popular destination for medical tourism in 2019. The expansion of the market was due to Thailand's status as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. The escalating number of private hospitals, improvements in health infrastructure in general, and cheaper treatment costs are responsible for the expansion of medical tourists arriving in Thailand. Thailand has more than 450 private hospitals and that number is likely to grow exponentially.

Medical tourism generates substantial income in developing economies, helping them to further develop their health activities. This has resulted in escalated participation and promotion of medical tourism by government authorities. For example, in Thailand, the government is targeting potential new markets such as China, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam to benefit from the growing wealth and growing call for professional healthcare services in these countries. In February 2018, the government announced the prerequisites for the issuance of smart visas for professionals or entrepreneurs interested in investing in new businesses, which will help international medical tourism providers expand their business in Thailand with incentives such as granting a visa period of 4 years.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Tourism Market:

The novel coronavirus, which is one of its types of humanitarian disasters, has affected people and businesses around the world, triggering a worldwide economic crisis. In this sense, the tourism sector is no exception.  COVID-19 has given almost a death blow to the tourism industry around the world. The strict lockdown conditions and shutdown of transport modes have resulted in declining revenue in this industry. However, with the relaxation of lockdown conditions, the business is supposed to resume in 2021.

Market Key Players:

The Tourism Market has a low level of concentration as there are large numbers of international and local players in the tourism market. The market for global tourism is highly fragmented.

• Aban Offshore Ltd.
• Accor Group
• Balkan Holidays Ltd.
• Fred Harvey Company
• G Adventures

Market Recent Developments:

Mumbai-based Gem Tours & Travel has declared a coronavirus vaccination tour package for High Network Individual consumers who wish to travel to the United States for the shooting.

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1. What is the Tourism Market growth rate during the projection period? --> 1. What is the Tourism Market growth rate during the projection period? +

The Global Tourism Market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 5% between 2024-2029.

2. What can be the total Tourism Market value? --> 2. What can be the total Tourism Market value? +

The Global Tourism Market size is expected to reach a revised size of US$ 14.77 trillion by 2029.

3. Name any three Tourism Market key players? --> 3. Name any three Tourism Market key players? +

Accor Group, Crown Ltd., and Balkan Holidays Ltd. are the three tourism market key players.

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The Emerging Trend of Niche Tourism: Impact Analysis

Journal of marketing research and case studies.

Corina Larisa BUNGHEZ

Bucharest university of economic studies, bucharest, romania, academic editor: alexandra cristina dinu, cite this article as: corina larisa bunghez (2021), “ the emerging trend of niche tourism: impact analysis", journal of marketing research and case studies, vol. 2021 (2021), article id 134710, doi : 10.5171/2021.134710, copyright © 2021. corina larisa bunghez. distributed under creative commons attribution 4.0 international cc-by 4.0.

This research paper addresses the current tourism global market shift towards a niche tourism approach and focuses on some of the most significant tourism forms in this growing sector, analyzing both the current development and future evolution of these tourism trends, also taking into account the current global pandemic situation. The enormous versatility and potential of the selected niches are assessed, and the impact that these activities will have on mainstream tourism is highlighted, both economically and socially, as this trend continues to expand and integrate itself in the tourism global marketplace. The niche sectors analyzed in this research paper will fundamentally transform the tourism industry in the near future and, inevitably, alter the consumer experience by bringing more services and experiences into the mainstream tourism sector.

Introduction

Mass tourism is an important part of our daily lives; niche tourism is also growing at a rapid pace. Started as an expensive and elitist concept, targeting sophisticated travelers, who were enthusiastically interested in pursuing a diverse range of activities, niche tourism is now readily accessible to most people, being one of the fastest growing sectors within the domain of tourism.

The term niche tourism has been borrowed mostly from the term niche marketing, which has adopted the concept from a newer discipline, ecology. Hutchinson is considered to be the first who used the term niche, referring to a region in a vast area that is characterized by environmental factors which disturb the welfare of species (Hutchinson, 1957). In this sense, niche tourism can be linked to the particular natural and anthropogenic resources of a region, to the characteristic lifestyle of the tourists that engage in this type of activity and to their social status and their financial resources, etc. The niche tourism market, which is characterized by its name, targets a small number of consumers when compared to mass tourism, but, at the same time, it is a constant tourism market. Niche tourism is more identified with what tourists are doing than their number in a particular destination, at a particular time.

Any discussion of niche tourism needs to be considered against the other extreme of mass tourism. The rise of mass tourism, fueled by the growth in the aviation sector in the 1950s and 1960s, also gave rise to the backpacker tourist who later became the highly specialized and sophisticated middle-class traveler of the developed world (Lew, 2008).

Over time, the transition from mass tourism to niche tourism has been a slow and cumbersome process that necessitated a large amount of material and human resources in order to develop the much needed new and specialized infrastructure. The development of this infrastructure in the past decades has allowed people to reach destinations all over the world in record time. Keeping with the accelerated technological advancement, tourism will continue to expand its digitalization process. There are more and more applications for niche services nowadays, that are extremely personalized. These special applications perfectly know their target consumers and offer them suggestions based on their budget, their family structure and their traveling and browsing habits. On the other hand, for destination managers and traveling planners, who want to use tourism as a mechanism for economic growth, focusing on niche tourism offers greater opportunities because this attracts consumers that are willing to spend more money.

In order to position niche tourism products, Novelli considers the notion of an increasingly experienced group of tourists demanding specialist holidays to meet their specific desires (Novelli, 2005). The presence of activities, tourist attractions, settlements, food services and other facilities make up the fundamental components of niche tourism regarding mixed destinations, being aware of consumer needs and wants. The focal point of the niche tourism market is the focus on the demands and the expectations of the customers. The relation between supply and demand is well taken into consideration because tourists are in a never-ending search for a more satisfying experience during their holidays (C.T., 2010). In a world in which monotony is becoming more pronounced due to globalization, niche tourism is defined by its diversity and by new ways in which it can differentiate itself from the competition. Niche tourism doesn’t have the negative implications that mass tourism has gotten along with its expansion, namely the negative impact on the environment and the degradation of socio-cultural relations.

If mass tourism is a standardized product aimed at a large segment of the market, niche tourism is situated at the opposite end of the tourism spectrum, being heterogeneous by nature and based on a larger demand for a more exclusive, unique and distinctive product.

The consumer is actively involved in the formation of a specific niche through its own consumerist practices. Because of this, in order to escape from the competition of mass tourism, the producer is no longer the sole identifier of adequate niche markets, because these niches are formed and developed by both producers and consumers, who act in a symbiotic mode in order to mutually benefit by it (Richards, 2011).

Over time, the different types of niche tourism have been presented in specialty literature in a random fashion. There are, however, some authors that have categorized them based on different criteria.

In order to better analyze the impact that certain types of niche tourism have over mass tourism, the classification made by Alex Papathanassis in his book, The Long Tail of Tourism, will be utilized (Paapathanassis, 2011). Tourism niches are built on persisting social trends such as:

• Sustainability (e.g. Eco-, Inclusive-, Agro-tourism)
• Experience-economy (e.g. Space-, Sport- & Extreme-, Military-, Film-, Dive-tourism)
• Self-development & individuality (e.g. Cultural-, Educational-tourism)
• Hedonism & voyeurism (e.g. Armchair-, Drug-, Sex-, Dark-tourism)
• Consumerism (e.g. Shopping-tourism)
• Conscious living (e.g. Health- & Medical, Religious-, Wellness-tourism)

Consumer experience in tourism is defined as a conglomerate of personal reactions and emotions associated with tourism activities (Sugathan & Ranjan, 2019). The creation of memorable experiences is necessary in order to attract new consumers and to keep the ones you already have loyal. All of the aforementioned tourism forms satisfy this requirement.

The impact of these forms of tourism is presented and analyzed in the following sections of the article, focusing on one form of tourism in each of the categories presented.

Ecotourism is considered to be a niche segment that targets a small category of tourists, when compared to mass tourism. Nevertheless, ecotourism is the sector with the biggest growth in all the niche tourism markets.

The consequence of broadly defining the borders of what constitutes to be ecotourism is the cause behind the difficulty of properly measuring and assessing the market share and the size of this segment. Even so, estimates tell us that ecotourism makes up for roughly 20% of the tourism global market.

The eco tourist is the individual who visits the less developed areas with an appreciative, participatory and selfless attitude. This type of tourist interacts in a noninvasive way with local flora and fauna and uses natural resources in a conscious, reserved manner, while contributing through voluntary work or funds that are directed to the preservation of the area and the economic welfare of the local community (Ziffer, 1989).

Ecotourism has two specific components: specialized operations and non-specialized operations. The non-specialized ones include all common elements characteristic to all forms of tourism: tourist guides, adequate clothing, tourism agencies, hotels and transportation. The specialized ones are those which refer to the specific activities of ecotourism: eco cabins and hotels in urban or more secluded areas (resorts), protected areas, eco thematic attractions, services in other inaccessible areas by interesting means and local tour operators (natives).

There are independent groups successfully promoted as ecotourism products: aboriginal/indigenous tourism (related to cultural tourism), ornithology, celestial ecotourism (aurora borealis, astronomical observations, astrophotography), hiking and nature observation, landscapes photographing, outdoor education and research, etc. (Weaver, 2008).        

Ecotourism attractions are primarily based on biodiversity and natural habitats that are, for the most part, unaffected by human activities. Thus, taking place in relatively isolated places, the current pandemic crisis will not impact this sector as severely as others. On the contrary, people will tend to visit more isolated places and ecotourism could benefit by this crisis. These zones require a specific conduct, in order to properly preserve and protect the tourism destinations so that they may keep their natural qualities and their sense of wilderness.

Ecotourism could indirectly compete with two tourist segments in terms of content and characteristics of the tourism product. These are cultural tourism and adventure tourism and they form, together with the ecotourism, what we call alternative tourism (Papathanassis, 2011).

It is estimated that the future development of ecotourism in terms of application will depend on several factors, such as: revenue growth; increasing the education level; increased leisure time; population growth; easier, cheaper, faster and safer access to ecotourism destinations; greater care for the natural environment and people’s feeling of alienation from it because of increasing urbanization and the development of technological elements.

Beyond all these elements, there is a necessity for properly trained people to educate the general tourists regarding the importance of nature conservation. Also, practicing ecotourism in these areas brings significant financial benefits that can be directed to further develop and maintain the natural parks and protected areas within the zone. Thus, ecotourism is a viable alternative for sustainable economic growth in these communities.

Space Tourism

Space tourism is an industry with extraordinary potential, but at present is limited by the conditions in which it can be done, because the prices are huge. Until the year 2019, the cost of a trip to the International Space Station aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft was 30 million dollars/flight. At present, the collaboration between NASA and SpaceX will inevitably lead to a commercial development. Axiom Space has already started the selling of tickets aboard the SpaceX capsule, at the price of 55 million dollars/ticket. The trip will last 10 days and will be directed to a privately funded orbital space station. Further technological advancement will massively lower the prices for space travel, starting with the amount of $200,000 that Virgin Galactic assigned in the beginning. Space travel will become more accessible to a greater number of people, especially in relation to the results of a market analysis, which has found that potential consumers are very price sensitive (Goehlich, 2005). A study shows that at least 10 million people from around the world would be willing to spend a year’s salary for space travel (Smith, 2001).

It is expected that the number of space travelers will grow somewhere to a million per year when the price of a ticket will be under $ 10,000. According to research, rich and adventurous young people seem to form the most suitable target market due to their care-free rebellious character and the low comfort level that they are willing to accept in order to be among the first passengers in space (Crouch, et al., 2008). A study made by Futron Corporation in 2002 made the prediction that by 2021, the suborbital flight market will reach 15.000 passengers/annually, bringing in revenue of about 700 million dollars (Futron, 2002). We are in 2021 and this approximation is totally unattainable in the current global context. But it can be safely assumed that the number is not unachievable and we may see this happen in a few years. Another study made in 2006, in which 783 high income Australian respondents participated, showed that those who were mostly interested in space travel were thrill-seeking young men (Devinney, et al., 2006).

The economic potential of the development of space tourism is extraordinary. This type of tourism will bring massive economic and social benefits in the future, because it can be estimated that it will undoubtedly surpass aviation on Earth.

The progress of the space tourism sector would generate, alongside the indirect technological and scientific advancements, an important direct economic component that will lead to the exponential growth of this sector.  Because space tourism has the potential of becoming its own branch in the tourism industry, the effects of this economic development will be significant, both for the companies and industries involved in the process, and for the evolution of our society as a whole. In this type of endeavor, the investor’s primary concern is the return of the investment and the generation of profit. In order to do so, every process involved will be thoroughly made as efficient as possible. Space activities will therefore become a massive economic generator and the launch costs will dramatically plummet, which will lead to an acceleration in the further development of this industry.

Space tourism will become an activity that will include a very large number of people (both operators, and beneficiaries) and will generate important commercial profits in the next few decades. It is imperative that we recognize and realize the fact that, in the near future, space tourism may become as common as other forms of tourism. However, since the reality of space tourism is still quite far away, it may be safely assumed that the current Covid pandemic will not influence this branch of niche tourism. Because of the sensational experiences offered to the consumer, space tourism will become a major sector of the entire tourism industry, transforming this niche branch of tourism into one of the most important tourism activities of humanity.

Cultural Tourism

Cultural tourism is the most dynamic contemporary form of tourism, being interested in the lifestyle and traditions of particular communities or regions, built or natural heritage, artistic performances and products, cultural hubs and landscapes.

The first appearance of cultural tourism as a research topic has its origins at the beginnings of the 20 th century, but only in 2002 did the International Council on Monuments and Sites publish a formal definition regarding this form of tourism: cultural and cognitive-cultural tourism is the form of tourism that is focused on the cultural environment and that includes historical and cultural landmarks within a destination, and the values, arts, crafts, traditions, habits and lifestyle of the local populace.

Cultural tourism is defined by the World Tourism Organization (WTO 2012 Report) as “journeys whose primary or secondary purpose is the visiting of sites and the participation in events that represent a cultural and historical component which is part of a communities’ cultural heritage”. There are serious cultural and heritage/historical tourists who are motivated by the inherent characteristics of cultural sites and, at the other end of the spectrum, there are people who accidentally visit such venues but are not truly interested in the sites’ inherent cultural and heritage assets (Morrison, 2013).

Cultural tourism includes, besides visiting historical sites, the opportunity to learn more about past human achievements. As a part of domestic tourism, these visits are a great source of admiration, national pride and learning about ancestors.

The complexity of cultural tourism is further generated by customer motivation diversity, induced by differences in education levels, tourism experience, quality of life and quality of the tourism products being offered (Davidson, 1993). Also, cultural tourism has been identified as one of the most rapidly growing areas of global tourism demand (Richards, 2005).

Cultural tourism is an important instrument for economic growth, generated by attracting visitors from outside the local host destinations. These visitors are partially or generally motivated by an interest in historical, artistic and scientific components, or by information regarding the lifestyle, the realities and the traditions of a particular community, region, group or institution. This kind of voyage focuses on the study of the cultural landscape, and this includes visual and theatrical arts, values, traditions, events and lifestyle. Cultural tourism is especially interesting for suppliers because, as a rule of thumb, people that focus strongly on cultural attractions spend more money than regular tourists. Also, they show a tendency toward staying longer at the destinations, which, in turn, brings even more revenue (Richards, 2007).

Because cultural tourism isprimarily focused on the visiting of cultural venues or museums and experiencing artistic products and performances, the current global pandemic has affected, to some extent, this important tourism sector. But people will always be interested in the lifestyles and traditions of different cultures, and as soon as the Covid pandemic loses momentum, we will definitely see a resurgence in cultural tourism demand.

Armchair Tourism

The one thing that history has taught us is that people are most innovative in difficult times. This also applies to the travel industry, where professionals and brands are doing their best to keep the interest in traveling at a high level, despite the current global Covid pandemic situation. This has resulted in the surprisingly successful overnight growth of armchair tourism. This adaptation happened because tourism is going through one of its darkest periods in a long time, and tourism specialists find themselves in the impossibility to change this situation. Indeed, this isn’t the greatest of times for classic travels, but, in the meantime, we can opt for virtual travel. If, until more recently, the trend of virtual tourism was relatively ignored, because people preferred real experiences, more and more people are now glad that the technology that enables this type of tourism has advanced so much that it can now facilitate easy and comfortable access for many willing tourists.

Because lately, due to the current global pandemic, tourism has been mostly relegated to rescheduling holiday plans or postponing them, the phenomena of armchair tourism is currently growing at a rapid pace, enabling us to travel all over the world, virtually. 

If tourism is not seen as a physical change of the hereabouts but rather as a change of ones’ psychological state of recreation, education, adventure, or other purposes associated with tourism, armchair-tourism can also be included (Mazanec, et al., 2002).

Armchair-tourism has three main parts: books, television and the internet. Until the emergence of the internet, books were the armchair-tourism media because they were the best information source for life there. Nevertheless, new media has slowly overtaken the time spent on reading. Armchair-tourism such as travel magazines or cultural documentations are more focused on consumers aged 40 and older. Nevertheless, the younger generation should not be neglected since new developments will enhance the experience of watching TV, increasingly attracting younger viewers (Papathanassis, 2011).

Many tourist boards are nowadays using more and more virtual content in order to attract customers and to encourage future visits. These can come in the form of digital events, which provide enriching cultural content and livestreaming video talks using live content from experts, partners and notable individuals. Tourist boards will also use dedicated web pages on which they will promote virtual experiences. Museums, safaris, or other interesting venues can therefore be experienced while enjoying the comfort of your own home.

There are destinations and travel brands which can keep the magic and inspiration of traveling alive even if it is virtually, from the armchair. Many travel brands and destinations are working on the premise that if the travel consumer can’t come to us, we will go to the travel consumer. There are digital platforms where a plethora of extraordinary destinations can be accessed and visited by virtual means. Over 2500 museums all over the world are providing virtual tours for those who are interested. During these tours, tourists can enjoy rooms, shows and events, in which they can participate virtually.

Also, the exponential evolution of technology has another benefit. Even if virtual reality is, at present, only capable of recreating, to a limited degree, the destination that is being visited, we now have another tool at our disposal: augmented reality. This changes the way in which a visitor can explore a destination in real time. Augmented reality is the technology that gives the visitor information that can be superimposed over the real time landscapes or streets, using a digital device. This technology is being used in order to animate history and to bring back life into exhibits found in the most important museums and venues of the world. Having all these means at our disposal, we can therefore travel anywhere, anytime and we are no longer dependent on the caprices of weather or the uncertainty found in difficult times, such as the one we are experiencing nowadays.

Shopping Tourism

As studies have shown, shopping is one of the most sought out activities no matter where tourists go (Timothy, 2003). This activity gained traction with the development of theme parks, of malls and designer shops. Visiting a theme park or going shopping in another country and even inside the borders of your own country has become, for many tourists, a purpose in itself. Bill Bryson, an American travel and humor book author said that in the past, people used to build civilizations, but now they build shopping malls. Another American author, Erma Bombeck, affirms that the chances of entering into a store to buy a loaf of bread and exiting with just a loaf of bread are three billion to one. These aspects emphasize the worldwide consensus that, in our society, humans are unable to function without constantly going shopping.

When trying to define this special tourism sector, only one facet can be defined clearly, namely that this kind of tourism includes the purchase of goods, the most typical being clothes, shoes, leather goods and luxury foodstuff (Friedrich, 2006).

The main advantage a tour operator could enjoy is the fact that shopping tourism has a positive economic impact on the destinations and limited negative environmental and socio-cultural effects. Meaning local life, natural environment and cultural sites are not going to be disturbed nor destroyed since many traditional malls, factory outlets, and markets do already exist. To be more precise, economically, this implies: more secure jobs, as the malls will have a continuous number of visitors; tax income will increase due to the value-added tax (VAT) of more sales; shopping tourism does not seem as seasonal as other tourism products; in addition, foreign tourists will increase the balance of payments (Papathanassis, 2011). Also, the environmental impact is almost non-existent, this not being the usual norm with tourism activities. This happens because, neither accidentally nor by design, wildlife killing or vegetation being destroyed by tourists do not occur. There is also a socio-cultural impact: a shopping mall is visited by locals as well as national or international tourists, and as such, it is seen as a positive attraction since access is not limited to neither of the two groups (Swarbrooke, 2002).

The Covid situation has temporarily shifted this type of tourism to a more domestic focused approach. People are now more inclined to go shopping in local tourism destinations. But shopping has become a life-dictating activity for many people, and even in the current difficult pandemic context, everybody goes shopping and we have become dependent on it.

Wellness Tourism

In our fast-paced society, we tend to often forget about ourselves. Because of this, health issues can arise due to stress, exhaustion and living a sedentary life. All these problems can be fixed by escaping into wellness centers. For more and more people, wellness is no longer a trend or a necessity, but has become a lifestyle.

The wellness industry has grown substantially in the last years, at a global level. The numbers are continually growing and the market value of the wellness industry has reached 580 billion Euros. Lots of hotels, airports and corporations have understood the importance of wellness, and thus provide some kind of wellness services to both guests and staff.

The wellness world is a global economy made out of multiple components: beauty and care, fitness, nutrition and alternative medicine. A popular perception regarding the importance of healthy diets, fitness and other health practices has been developed into whole new business sectors. As the healthy lifestyle movement gains more and more traction, auxiliary markets, ranging from food and beverage to hospitality, start offering more products that reflect the values of the health-conscious consumers. This is another example of the multiplier effect of tourism. Additionally, the Covid situation is the perfect incentive for healthier lifestyle choices. Thus, people are becoming more aware of the importance of overall health management and are more readily willing to pay for these kinds of services.

Wellness tourism is defined in the specialty literature as traveling associated with the practice of maintaining or improving personal states of being.

From 2015 until 2017, the wellness tourism market has grown annually by a margin of 6,5 %. Until 2022, GWI anticipates that this market value will reach 919 billion dollars – representing 18% of global tourism – with over a billion wellness-oriented travels all over the globe (GWI, 2018).

Today, wellness tourism is much more than just the destination or the activities – it is an extension of the traveler’s lifestyle and values. The wellness tourism sector is a large spectrum one, and offers are divided between many categories: fitness, healthy nutrition, therapeutic treatments (massages, beauty procedures). But every one of them is centered around enhancing the tourist state of being and state of mind.

Further opportunities are given to current trends, such as the alternative forms of medical therapies from Asia. However, these trends have to be recognized early enough and then must be implemented through serious, high-quality products. Beside the competitive criteria, such as price, or the kind and quality of services provided, the importance of the attractiveness of the surrounding area as a choice criterion should not be underestimated (Papathanassis, 2011).

Specialists estimate that, if the consumers’ appetite for wellness services maintains its rate of growth, the wellness global tourism industry will reach one trillion dollars in the shortest of time.

Conclusions

There is enormous potential with all of the emerging niche tourism products presented in this paper. All of them arguably represent what one may designate as a megatrend, either at present or in the near future. Additionally, each of the selected products has incredible versatility because they don’t target a particular “special” group of consumers, but instead, they appeal to a larger proportion of the population. In other words, the niches examined are not mutually exclusive in terms of their target market. The phenomena of tourism globalization by developing infrastructure and thus new destinations, and the technological advances in human transportation, with the usage of the mega-ship or the implementation of large-scale commercial space travel, will transform these megatrends into tourism behemoths, and will result in the creation of new specialized holiday niches that will generate huge profits and further expansion. The examples presented show a promising outlook for each of the niches examined, as the current global pandemic cannot but temporarily slow the inevitable growth of these tourism sectors.

There are three main aspects of the tourism industry that can be synthesized from this paper. Firstly, the tourism sector is in a constant, ever-growing direction, with more and more people willing to spend money in tourism activities. Secondly, the mainstream holiday package isn’t as stable as it used to be, and it can be said that the current crisis in the world is a major influencing factor. Thirdly, there are some tourism niches that have great appeal and show incredible potential for the near future.

However, there are three more tour operating aspects that have to be taken into consideration when making assertions: the capacity risk, the consumers’ perceived risk and the unknown reaction of the large tourism groups.

Higher profits can be generated when entering and developing niche markets. Because of this, there are many mainstream companies that have already entered into a number of niche markets. The technological advancement can thus be utilized by specialists in order to benefit, in a sustainable way, from each particular niche selected. Moreover, tourists are more pleased because the holiday experiences are tailored to their needs and wants, making the product more individualized and consumer-oriented. For the tourism industry as a whole, the growing of niche markets can be seen as a “holiday” from the usual negative practices regularly associated with mainstream tourism, such as environmental irresponsibility and questionable ethics. This means that when niche tourism fully matures and inevitably integrates itself into mass tourism, becoming mainstream, it will carry its benefits into the new tourism industry.

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Advances in Tourism, Technology and Smart Systems pp 427–436 Cite as

Tourists’ Characteristics, Travel Motivation and Satisfaction

• Osvaldo Silva 9 ,
• Teresa Medeiros 10 ,
• Ana Isabel Moniz 11 ,
• Licínio Tomás 9 ,
• Sheila Furtado 12 &
• Joaquim Ferreira 13  
• Conference paper
• First Online: 25 November 2019

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Part of the book series: Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies ((SIST,volume 171))

Our society is growing older and it is important to develop the senior tourism market. Consumers aged 55 and older are a fastest growing market segment and a major business opportunity. The purpose of this research is to develop and test a model to investigate the characteristics of the senior tourists that affect the factors of travel motivation and travel satisfaction. We intent to explore the existence of statistically significant differences in satisfaction between groups of senior tourists using the same categories. A path analysis is carried out in order to describe direct dependencies among a set of variables. In this study (n=537 senior tourists visiting the Azores islands) a model is proposed to identify the senior tourists’ characteristics which significantly affect each of the dependent variables (motivation factors and satisfaction) and which types of effects explain the association among variables. Travel satisfaction depends both on age group and perception of health status by the senior tourists. New opportunities can be found for both public and private sectors to develop and marketing new tourism products that can attract the right senior market segments.

• Senior Tourist
• Motivations and Satisfaction
• Path Analysis

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Silva, O., Medeiros, T., Moniz, A.I., Tomás, L., Furtado, S., Ferreira, J. (2020). Tourists’ Characteristics, Travel Motivation and Satisfaction. In: Rocha, Á., Abreu, A., de Carvalho, J., Liberato, D., González, E., Liberato, P. (eds) Advances in Tourism, Technology and Smart Systems. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, vol 171. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2024-2_38

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