The need for more personal interaction and encounter with the tourist destination, life, and people, has driven tourists to go a step further. People want to connect on a deeper emotional and personal level with somewhere they have been to, and as such, there has been a rise in experiential travel to curb these needs.
Experiential travel is a form of tourism aimed at availing travelers the opportunity to experience a people, city or country of more personal interaction with its history, people, and culture. It is vital for travel blogs and companies to understand that tourists now know that the experience gathered from a single journey can change the events of your life in a new, unique and authentic way. According to Jamie Wong, CEO of Vayable, Travel companies need to understand that mass tourism is no more extended enough. According to Olapic.com, traveler views an average of 27 different sites before booking a trip, and no they are not searching for beautiful flower parks they want to know the life and people they are about to meet.
Experiential Travel VS Mass Tourism
In Venice, mass tourism has taken a negative toll on the sustainability of the city and its environment. Huge cruise ship ferry into Grand Canal in large numbers conveying tourists who have little or no idea what tourism is all about. If the structure of tourism is re-constructed, Venice will go back to the beauty it once was. One way to travel companies and blogs improve the standard of tourism in Venice is inculcating experiential tourism to their checklists. Currently, there is a dangerous move by UNESCO to slap the city on its in-danger list. Most artists such as Philip Colbert’s pop-art-with- a-purpose have taken to sculptures and graffiti to protest the adverse effect of mass tourism on the ecosystem, Lorenzo Quinn installed a large art hand reaching out from the Grand Canal and crumbling the Palazzo Sagredo.
Although, the clamor for a cut down in the Venice mass tourism will to a great extent affect business for travel agencies and blogs. Venice is one of the leading destinations for mass tourism. However, look at it from the bright side. What is the need for providing tourism experiences if the tourists do not experience the life and culture of the people they are hoping to meet? Currently, the city cruise claims Venice keeps the entire Adriatic cruise industry afloat and provides 5,000 jobs. However, but these jobs cannot support the 40000 population striving to meet the needs of the full community of rowdy tourists. Travel blogs and agencies can spice up the Venetian tourism by engaging the tourists on an experiential ride through the city of Venice. There is need to rethink the destination with different offer format such as experiential tourism. This will not only save Venice from the impending environmental disasters but Venetians as well UNESCO.
Furthermore, in a bid to encourage experiential tourism, travel agencies and blogs should ensure they line up historical activities teaching tourists the history of the city of Venice. Employ the services of a cultural tourism planner or an expert in historical reenactment and role-player to aid plan these activities ahead of time. According to Amy Farley, the past editor at travel + leisure, there is a new shift from tourists talking about what they saw or did to who they met while in a destination. Farley went further to explain that travel agencies and hotel operators are gradually responding to “a real interest in a genuine way with other people and cultures.” The presentation of experiential tourism as a solution to increase niche demand such as culture and tourism, history tourism, museum tourism, etc.
How Artes is moving along
To get the full Venetian experience, Artes. Travel is a complete experiential tourism framework aimed at providing a channel for operators and agents to leverage on. Artes. Travel is one of the most forward-thinking travel brands when it comes to delivering these unique experiences. At Artes. Travel we focus on personalization, inspiration and engagement to establish profound involvement and relation with localsy. We aim at taking the action of offering tourists these unique experiences and stop at nothing in achieving them.