Responding to the changing attitudes of travellers
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, discusses the changing face of travel and the importance of festivals like TravelRave with Travel Daily Asia
Travel Daily Asia: Which traveller demands, perspectives and consumption patterns have changed over the years with the advent of sophisticated technology? Are these trends the same for Asia and Europe?
Taleb Rifai: Technology has fundamentally changed the travel experience; allowing tourists to book holidays online, travel with paperless tickets and share their experiences through social media and other new communication channels. This technology revolution has been one of the major enablers of tourism development of the past decades.
What companies and destinations need to keep in mind is that this new technology affords more power to the consumer, with potential tourists enjoying immediate access to information on destinations and companies worldwide. Moreover, tourists increasingly rely on independent reviews when researching trips, requiring companies and destinations to continuously meet, and exceed, the growing expectations of their customers.
With new technologies, notably the Internet and smart technology, these trends are increasingly global. Consumers’ desire to engage and share through technology is now universal, as is the need for companies and destinations to adapt to this reality.
TDA: What are some of the traits of travellers today, particularly regarding issues such as cost, security and popularity of destinations?
TR: In times of economic uncertainty, travellers tend to travel closer to home and for shorter periods, spending less money as a result. Nevertheless, latest statistics on international tourism receipts (exports from tourism) show that tourism continues to be one of the world’s most profitable sectors, even in the current economic climate.
International tourism receipts reached over US $ 1 trillion in 2011, 28% of which was generated in Asia and the Pacific. The biggest spenders on tourism are currently Germany and the United States, although it is the BRIC countries that stand out for their rapid growth in tourism expenditure. In 2011, China’s expenditure on international tourism increased by $ 18 billion and the Russian Federation’s by $ 6 billion.
TDA: What are the opportunities for industry players and governments in Asia to work together to maximise the possibilities and opportunities in Asia?
TR: Regional cooperation is key to tourism development and opportunities to further this in the Asia Pacific region abound.
In actual fact, we are already seeing some excellent examples of regional tourism collaboration in Asia. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for example, has pinpointed tourism as a priority sector and adopted a long-term tourism strategy: the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015. The Greater Mekong Subregion has also rolled out a strategy to develop sustainable tourism at the sub-regional level to drive development and poverty reduction.
These strategies will go a long way towards the healthy development of tourism in Asia and have the full support of UNWTO. At the same time, UNWTO is working with a number of countries in the region toward the future integration of technical standards and criteria among Asian destinations, with an emphasis on the principles of sustainability.
TDA: What is the effectiveness of TravelRave as an enabler for tourism growth in Asia?
TR: Tourism is an extremely complex economic sector, made up of countless actors, which makes it a challenge for the sector to issue strong messages on topics of common concern.
Travel trade events such as TravelRave are therefore a vital opportunity to bring tourism professionals and business leaders together to find shared solutions to common challenges, speak with one voice and align strategies. This is vitally important to stimulate tourism growth in the region and to further the objectives of regional collaboration.
TDA: What components of TravelRave are you most intrigued by and if you could say one thing to someone who was considering coming to TravelRave what would it be?
TR: What most excites me about TravelRave is the opportunity to observe some of the latest tourism innovations coming out of Asia, from new technologies to best practices in policy or marketing. With some of the biggest names in Asian tourism under one roof, TravelRave is an exciting showcase of how the tourism sector in Asia is continuously and creatively adapting to changes in consumers and markets.
I would encourage all those planning on attending TravelRave to make the most of this opportunity to gain key insights into the Asian market and stay one step ahead of the latest advances in tourism.
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NEXT WEEK: How to respond to the changing attitudes of travellers.