Tourism Experience – The barometer for successful tourism in the 21st Century
By Gour Kanjilal
Tourism is in essence a personal service and the quality of the tourism experience from the time that the desire to travel is stimulated until the visitor returns home, is highly dependent upon the interaction with the personals in the travel and tourism related sectors. The primary tourism product is an experience rather than a tangible product or service. Tourists travel to a destination to enjoy experiences for which they have preference.
Tourism is not a basic need or commodity and is therefore highly driven by the discretion, tastes and attitudes of the customers. Thus while a range of supportive services like hospitality, travel and entertainment add value to the tourist experience, the major motivations to stimulate travel to an area are the inherent attraction s& activities that it offers to various market segments and its potential to offer unique experience.
The tourism experience thus is not delivered to the consumers as finished product. The consumer purchases various components of the experience which are delivered at the destination as the experienced unfolds. Again this means that the comparative advantage of a tourism destination are mainly located in its factor condition i.e. its inherent attractiveness to particular market segment.
The success in this regard is highly dependent upon knowledge & understanding of the market place & its need. There is a need for specialized skills & knowledge to deliver an exceptional exceptional experience across the value chain especially when it comes to specific market segments & niches motivation & awareness of the our all workforce to provide visitors with the highest to provide visitors with the highest travel of hospitality. Friendliness & service is the best method to give exceptional experience. The visitors experience is often affected by the environmental & social quality of the destination. In India context, hygiene and airports gives a negative experience. Even Road singage, information network and communication services, smooth distribution services add to positive experience. Customers care & hospitality are fundamental to the visitors experience is mainly dependent upon the quality for service levels & especially when it comes to the hospitality components such as accommodation, catering & other personal services. The quality, speed and flexibility of services could prove determining factors in the visitor’s choice of a suitable destination & positive experience.
Similarly airlines routings to & from the destination in order to service specific target market segments add value to the overall visitors experience.
