Growth and Change
Sustainable Tourism Trends Based on Experience Economy: Planning for the Next Generation
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Onur Mengi, Asli Oner
The rise of experience economy has altered our basic physical and psychological needs and expectations from the urban environment. The difference of experience economy from other economies can simply be explained by referring to the Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid where the experience economy is equivalent to the level of self-awareness and realization, which is the top of the layers above the physical needs in the hierarchy of needs. Tourism appears as one of the sectors in which the characteristics of the experience economy are strongly reflected. In this paper, we investigate how the characteristics and travel expectations of different generations has evolved within the context of experience economy. Regarding the prominent tourism trends, the concepts based on environmental, economic and social sustainability, built on not harming the ecological balance, and aiming to transform people and make them experience a different inner journey become significant. These new concepts as new trends deliver more experience-based and creative activities compared to mass tourism, and that refer to new practices by reducing their carbon footprint. The paper draws conclusions from the meta-review of the literature that underlines the fact that experience is becoming increasingly important for all groups, but is becoming more transformative, especially in generations Y and Z.
Co-designing Smart Tourism Experience for the Hotel Industry in the Post-Pandemic Era
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nabila Norizan, Norhazliza Halim
Emerging trends of smart tourism theories primarily focus on how information and communications technology and big data influence marketing, product and destination development. However, an overt technical approach to formal outcomes, including product, services and technology, diminishes the concern on social dimensions and practices of those involved. This paper explores theoretical reviews and elaborate a few selected case studies of co-designing as an approach to evoke smart tourism experience through the all-inclusive hotel staycation experience in the post-pandemic era. Through the integration of Service-Dominant Logic and Resource-Based View Theory Model, co-designing moves from designing for people to co-designing with people. The study highlights the co-designing between the hotel management and the guests staying in the hotel. This approach is discussed in terms of stimulating a creative and ‘designerly mindset’ in the search for latent possibilities by linking existing tourism practices in the hotel industry with technologies and big data and through new social relations between stakeholders. In smart tourism, key concepts for enhancing tourism experiences are described as ‘value-adding experiences’ and ‘value co-creation’ mediated by technology, smart devices and real-time data. A central argument and contribution is made in theorizing that the potential value of big data to evoke innovation is only as great as the successful interplay of sensemaking and co-designs underpinning thick data practices. Key discussions from the reviews include that smart tourism is collaborative and its successful creation requires creating and sustaining of new relations in designing new experience for the post-pandemic tourists.
Post-pandemic Transformation through Creative Tourism : Community Based Entrepreneurship in Rural Tourism through Digital Empowerment View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Norhazliza Halim, Nabila Norizan
Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is among the fastest-growing sector within the rural area, as an alternative income generation besides agriculture, fisheries, plantation etc. Community-Based Tourism is activities involving rural entrepreneurship and community, for the purpose of tourism products to be attracted tourists who visited the rural area. By utilizing the digital economy, rural tourism will be more visible to potential tourists and boost the local economy with product innovation and creative industry. The nine-step approach has been commonly recognized in any CBT where community building is the starting point to make any solid and sustainable CBT project. The first four (4) steps relate to starting and developing CBT initiatives, which are useful for sites that are embarking on CBT projects, and these are more relevant in developing entrepreneurial skill sets. The subsequent five (5) steps address the sustainability of CBT projects, which are more appropriate for mature CBT projects that gradually move up the value chain toward digital empowerment and stability in post-pandemic transformation. The six (6) Components in the Advancing Community-Based Entrepreneurship (CBE) framework have been designed to reflect the value added to developing successful and creative CBT, especially in the new challenge of the tourism era in order for tourism resilience. A few case studies around APEC countries have been selected in order to recognize the Critical Success Factors of these six (6) components of Advancing CBE in CBT. As a result, tourism-related SMEs must prepare for these changes and embed transformation strategies for the tourism digital economy.
