General Overview

There are many models for the consumer experience. Typically, the process begins with awareness of a product, followed by the consumer’s consideration of whether to purchase or not. Next comes the actual decision, followed by receiving the product or service, of purchased. Last, is loyalty or advocacy. In other words, would the consumer purchase the product again, recommend to friends and/or relatives. The tourism product adds phases to the general consumer purchase experience. One key characteristic to keep in mind is where the product is consumed. Many tangible products (e.g., computer, furniture) are either delivered or picked up at a store. So, the product in some way goes with the consumer. Exceptions would include eating a meal at a local restaurant. However, in tourism, the consumer or tourist goes to the product (i.e., destination) and the experience while on the trip, vacation, etc. is the product.

Products and Services

Normal products tend to be tangible and offer varying features, benefits, etc. The tourism product is an intangible experience derived of various features, benefits, etc. Tourism products are:

• Intangible – experience
• Perishable – a destination cannot store the product to resell later
• Combination of physical product and services. For example, a hotel room has tangible aspects to it that contribute to tourists’ experiences
• Produced on demand rather than coming off a shelf or out of a factory like tangible products
• More than one provider – remember the destination mix elements (i.e., infrastructure, transportation, built facilities, attractions and events, and service quality/hospitality)
  • They are all interdependent
• Consumers go to the product rather than taking product home or having it delivered
• Elastic and seasonal – peak and non-peak seasons

Experiences

Tourists’ experiences can be broad and vary. They can range from being passive to being very involved. The elements of the experience include:

• Physical – aspects of the experience can include physical and more tangible products (e.g., wine or beer tasting room, meals tourists’ eat, accommodations)
• Staff – servers in a hotel, winery, brewery
• Consumer – interaction with the product, staff, and others during the experience
• Internal marketing – training and communication of staff to ensure consistent experiences for tourists
• Corporate culture – clearly define and ensure expectations of the staff
• Communication with tourists’ so they know what they should expect (before and during experience)

Product Toolbox

Consumers/tourists are going to expect some benefit from consuming a product, including tourism. There is a basic product and augmented products. Or adding, options to the basic product should tourists prefer. An example could be rather than just dining in a restaurant, being allowed to watch the chef cook the meal, perhaps even interacting with the chef to learn about her/his meal preparation.

Packaging is another important aspect of the product toolbox. A great example of this in tourism is CityPASS where tourists can purchase discounted tickets to attractions in cities that provide the opportunity. Packaging provides one easy way to purchase multiple tickets in this case rather than having to purchase tickets separately from each attraction and get a big discount by purchasing such a package.

Partnerships provide tourism organizations to collaborate in several ways. One could be two or more organizations, such as CVBs, to work together to market the destination(s). Organizations also need to partner in order to provide packages in many instances. Some of these might be short term. But strategic alliances provide more of a long-term partnership. These are common for airlines, so they do not have to fly to every destination. Some smaller destinations might have more regional airlines that partner with larger airlines to provide accessibility to more destinations.

Programming is generally done for special activities or events to increase visitor spending, particularly during non-peak seasons for a destination. Some other programming includes special events around large sporting events, such as the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four weekend.

People are important because as Morrison et al. (2018) state, “No amount or quality of facilities can make up for poor service” (p. 257). Tourism has many opportunities to interact with and receive service from employees. Obviously in dining establishments, but also it could be a guided tour of a museum or cultural center, as well as many other examples.

Product Development

If a destination is going to develop a new product(s), it is first important to determine if it is needed. A destination can ask two questions. First, is there demand for a new product? The steps to answer this question can include an assessment of current products and tourists’ use of them. A destination can also do market research, such as surveys of visitors and potential visitors. The second question is are there other potential markets to promote to in order to grow a destination’s tourism demand rather than develop a new product.

A destination looking to develop a new product also needs to see how any potential new products fit with existing products, as well as identify support for any new products, such as money and human resources. In addition, the land for any new product needs to be considered. If a destination decides to develop a new product there are important implications to consider, such as will it result in additional revenue for the attraction, destination. Developing a new product does not necessarily creating an entirely new attraction. Product development can be enhancing an existing product, such as adding a new ride at an amusement park.

Tourist Motivations and Benefits

Traveling can fulfill some basic human needs, which are viewed from a psychological perspective. Murray categorized basic human needs into two categories, primary and secondary (Morrison et al., 2018). Primary needs are more biological and include food, water, and oxygen. Secondary needs include psychological needs for achievement and independence. Travel can fulfill both primary and secondary needs. For example, a tourist(s) can go to a national park with fresher air than a city to hike and feel they accomplished something.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs can also be considered within a tourism context. Maslow suggested the more psychological needs, such as esteem (e.g., achievement, self-esteem) and self-actualization (e.g., self-fulfillment) are the more primary needs and survival (i.e., food, water, oxygen) are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Travel can certainly help one fulfill the esteem and self-actualization needs.

Travel Motivation Theories

There are a number of travel motivation theories. First and foremost, identifying the purpose of travel (i.e., business, leisure, visit friends and/or relatives). Certainly, for business the purpose is work. Leisure is more complex, but to begin it could be a vacation, a weekend getaway. From a basic psychological perspective, it could be identifying tourists’ interests and/or desires. Next motivation can be looked at by global or broad perspectives (e.g., escape daily life) and more situational/occasion (e.g., reconnect with family, loved ones, etc.). But this is not mutually exclusive as a tourist can combine global and situational/occasion and perhaps escape one’s daily life and take a special trip to work on a relationship.

Another basic motivation theory is push/pull. Push factors include internal motivations such as personal growth, escape work, people, and obligations for a while. Pull factors have to do with the destination and what draws people to the destination.

Travel Benefits

There are numerous travel benefits. Some might be more instantaneous/brief (e.g., scenery, food) and others longer-term (e.g., knowledge, spirituality, stress-relief). Some of the longer-term are related to health as well. Alton (2017, May 19) summarized Hostelworld Global Traveler Report that suggests travel, especially internationally, makes one healthier, relieves stress, makes one more creative, increases happiness and satisfaction, and reduces the risk of depression.

Other travel benefits are what Lehto (2012) refers to as “perceived destination restorative qualities”, which includes six factors:

• Compatible (e.g. The destination I visited was consistent with who I am)
• Extent/scope (e.g., There was a variety of things to do at the destination)
• Mentally away (e.g., At the destination, I could forget about my obligations)
• Discord (e.g., There was a great deal of distractions at the destination
• Physical away (e.g., Being at the destination, I felt as if I was in different surroundings than my normal living environment)
• Fascination (e.g., For me, visiting this place was a captivating experience)

What is a Tourism Experience?

Morrison et al. (2018) suggest a tourism experience is “…when an individual engages with, participates in, and makes sense of events and activities pertaining to a tourism destination” (p. 298). The following are the more specific experiences:

• Sensory (e.g., sight, sounds, smells)
• Emotional (e.g., feelings)
• Physical (e.g., activities)
• Mental (e.g., things travelers do but more mentally)
• Social (e.g., interact with others)

Aho (2001) developed what is called the process view of the tourism experience which begins before the actual trip through after the trip:

• Orientation – develop some sort of interest
• Attachment – interest strengthens
• Visiting – actual trip
• Evaluation – comparing trip with previous ones and possible alternatives and deciding about future trips
• Storing – this includes physical (e.g., photos) and social (e.g., people met)
• Reflection – recalling the experience
• Enrichment – this also includes physical (e.g., souvenirs) and more mental (e.g., new practices and habits developed during the trip)

The actual tourism experience can also be examined through “The Experience Economy” developed by Pine and Gilmore (1999):

• Entertainment – activities, such as going to a festival
• Esthetics – tourists’ interpretation of physical environment of the destination
• Educational – learning something new while traveling
• Escapist – escaping the demands of daily life

Mody, Suess, and Lehto (2017) added four other components that they call “Tourism Experiencscape”:

• Serendipity – experiences that are unexpected, a pleasant surprise, spur of the moment
• Localness – interacting with local people and culture
• Communitas – feeling like a part of the community
• Personalization – the community, organization, or other entity making tourists feel special, unique

Technology and the Tourism Experience

Technology has drastically changed most tourists’ experience. Morrison et al. (2018) offer the following ways technology has changed travel experiences:

• Resource (e.g., GPS, make reservations on portable electronic devices)
• Share experiences (e.g., recording the experience, sharing pictures on social media)
• Communication (e.g., with a smart phone tourists can communicate whenever they like through calls and texting)
• Virtual reality (e.g., virtual tours)

Tourism Experiences for People with Disabilities

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantees that anyone with a physical or intellectual disability enjoys the same opportunities as those without a disability (U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, n.d.-a). An example of this guarantee in hospitality and tourism is accessible entry and exit for swimming pools, including hotel pools (U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, n.d.-b).

More recently, more attention has been given to cognitive disabilities (e.g., autism, dyslexia) when people travel. For example, a number of museums in New York developed programs for people of all ages who are on the autism spectrum (Destination 2030: Global cities’ readiness for sustainable growth, n.d.). In 2018 Mesa, Arizona became the first Certified Autism Destination (Dienst, J. N., 2022, June 24). The initiative began following a family vacation of the President and CEO of Visit Mesa and his son who has autism. The certification is given by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) and requires the following: “Dedicated to serving autistic individuals”; “Majority of attractions and tourism-related organizations trained and certified in autism”; “Onsite audits performed for key partners”; and “Committed to ongoing support and training” (International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards, 2022, Certified Autism Destination (ibcces.org). IBCCES provides certification individually for hotels, resorts, zoos, museums, and other tourism related businesses and organizations. In Mesa, approximately 50 businesses and nearly 5,000 people are certified. Aside from the Certified Autism Destination designation, Mesa also provides accessible program for people non-visible disabilities, such as an app to provide visual interpretation.

References

Aho, S. K. (2001). Towards a general theory of touristic experiences: Modelling experience process in tourism. Tourism Review, 56(3&4), 33-37.

Alton, L. (2017, May 19). 5 scientifically proven health benefits of traveling abroad. Better by Today. https://www.nbcnews.com/better/wellness/5-scientifically-proven-health-benefits-traveling-abroad-n759631

International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. (2022). Become a Certified Autism Destination. Certified Autism Destination (ibcces.org)

Dienst, J. N. (2022, June 24). Mesa, Arizona – ‘The most accessible city in the U.S.’. Convene Magazine. https://www.pcma.org/mesa-arizona-most-accessible-american-city/?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=news-junkie&utm_term=organic

Destination 2030: Global cities’ readiness for sustainable growth. (n.d.). https://www.us.jll.com/content/dam/jll-com/documents/pdf/other/global/jll-destination-2030-wttc-report-2022.pdf

Mody, M. A., Suess, C., & Lehto, X. (2017). The accommodation experiencescape: A comparative assessment of hotels and Airbnb. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(9), 2377-2404. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2016-0501

Morrison, A. M., Lehto, X. Y., & Day, J. G. (2018). The tourism system (8th ed.). Kendall Hunt.

Pine II, J. P., & Gilmore, J. H. (1999). The experience economy: Work is theatre & every business a stage. Harvard Business School Press.

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. (n.d.-a). Introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act. https://www.ada.gov/topics/intro-to-ada/

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. (n.d.-b). ADA Requirements: Accessible Pools Means of Entry and Exit. https://www.ada.gov/resources/accessible-pools-requirements/