The main objective of the work is to make reference in a tight synthesis to the current situation of tourism in the face of the global economic crisis and the trends that are occurring in tourism demand before increasingly well-informed clients who want to live their own experiences, but without forgetting the reality that surrounds them. It calls attention to service providers to take on the challenges that this situation imposes on them to intelligently make this situation an opportunity to find new ways, participatory and sustainable models.
Abstract:
This work has as main object to make reference in tight synthesis to the tourism current situation in front of the world economic crisis and the tendencies that are presenting in the touristic demand in front of the clients that are every day more informed, that want to live their own experiences but without forgetting the reality that surrounds them. The same one tries to get the attention of the lenders of services so that they assume the challenges that this situation imposes them and in an intelligent way make of this joint an opportunity to find new ways, sustainable and participative models.
In October 2008, in a Latin American city, an excellent service professional, a beautiful woman, asked me: do you think that as a consequence of the economic crisis, tourist movements are greatly affected?
At that time I still did not have an exact vision of the magnitude of what could happen two years later, however, I responded with ideas that are close to the following: “ in the world, an insignificant amount of people travel outside their country of residence. people, which in my opinion is barely close to 10%, but one thing is clear to me, is that traveling for these people has ceased to be a luxury to become a spiritual necessity in most cases, something they will always try to do, despite the problems. Now, how often they will travel, how they will do it, where they will go, how much they will spend, these are things that life will tell us because what is clear is that people will try to enjoy their moments of rest, but without risking the expenses that are essential in your daily life"
That professional foresaw with great concern what would happen later, however, life also proved me right, people continue to travel despite the difficult economic situation, some less, others closer and always with clear accounts. But how it has evolved in recent years and what should be the attitude of the managers, owners and workers of the sector, then we will reason with you dear friends who have been kind enough to spend a few minutes reading these paragraphs.
The economic situation that the world is going through has led to the economic well-being and lack of jobs affecting millions of people, which is why it has indisputably influenced the decrease in the number of tourists in countries and regions that have traditionally stood out. in this sense. But the data indicate that most people continue to travel and that in 2010 a recovery that may be slow begins to be appreciated, if we take into account that the uncertainty due to the lack of jobs, the fear of losing them and the lack of Policies that lead to a take-off and an approach to the indicators of social benefits that existed before, still exist.
Based on the data issued by the UNWTO in its periodic barometers, I graph the movements that have occurred in recent years to make some reflections that somehow reflect the current behavior or some of the trends that can be seen today in tourists adjusted to the reality they star in.
Source: World Tourism Barometer. Volume 9 No 1
The year 2010 showed a recovery in international tourism according to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. International tourist arrivals grew by nearly 7% to 935 million, following a 4% decline in 2009, the year that was hit hardest by the global economic crisis.
Source: World Tourism Barometer. Volume 9 No 1
In the report to the nineteenth meeting of the UNWTO General Assembly, it is forecast that international tourism will continue to grow steadily over the next two decades, at a moderate rate, increasing tourist arrivals in the world by 3.3% yearly on average. Arrivals will exceed 1 billion in 2012, building on arrivals in 2010. By 2030, arrivals are projected to reach 1.8 billion.
The report states that by 2015, emerging economies will receive more international visitors than developed economies and by 2030 their share of world arrivals will reach 58 percent. Thus, of the 1,800 million planned for 2030, about 1,050 will be directed to developing countries, while another 750 million will go to central countries. The reasons for travel in twenty years, it is estimated that around 50% will be for recreational travel, some 300 million people will do so for religious interest or linked to health treatments, while business trips will also be present.
80% of the trips will be made within the same region of origin, while the remaining 20% will be between regions. Of those trips, half today are made by plane, while in 2030 air tickets are expected to achieve a slight advantage over land means.
The aforementioned report also states that with respect to the source markets, Europe will continue to be the leader, with 832 million tourists, followed by Asia and the Pacific, with 581 million; the Americas, with 264 million; Africa, with 90 million, and the Middle East, with 81 million.
These forecasts are encouraging, however, the current reality deserves that we stop to make some assessments.
The economic crisis has led most consumers to want to do so while spending less, without losing interest in traveling, looking for better prices, offers and promotions for their vacations, which is why they are increasingly informed about what is happening in this great industry. Today's tourists are more knowledgeable about destinations, their products, what they can find in them, the quality of services and their inhabitants, their culture, etc., revolutionizing the tourist demand by being more demanding and therefore less tolerant of bungling, cheating and wasting their money.
Faced with this situation, service providers throughout the tourism industry should be aware of the challenge posed not only by the change in mentality of potential clients, but also by the fact that we are in a world where new tourist destinations and diverse products appear every day. that compete in quality and prices and technological advances that allow more and better information of the people who decide to travel on their vacations.
Let's see some of the trends that mark the current tourist demand:
• The current tourist will take shorter vacations, more than once a year and to places closer to his residence, demanding much higher levels of quality. Remember that being more informed and your own travel experiences make you more knowledgeable.
• What is known as “nano-breaks” is encouraged, trips for a day or two to hotels and places with good deals.
• They make their travel decisions later and later, as the increasing demands of the labor market and its instability do not allow planning vacations in advance.
• The new tourist needs immediate responses to their demand for information or the provision of services.
• Look for a good quality / price ratio.
• The demand for resorts with the “all inclusive” is growing.
• The elderly will be imposed as the majority sector.
• There is a shift from large cities to rural areas, seeking greater contact with nature and fleeing the stress caused by these concrete forests in many places. This is also given by the appearance of new destinations and rural and regional development policies that offer the market a whole diversity of alternative offers.
• The tourist now wants to organize the trip to suit him, an active tourism, live his own family experiences, sports, see museums, go to bars, discos or enjoy gastronomy, in short, be an active protagonist, something different.
• Demand environmentally responsible tourism, so large destinations that do not respect cargo capacities will run the risk of disappearing. Ecotourism will continue to be one of the fastest growing modalities.
• There is a greater interest in the spiritual contribution that travel produces in combination with other pleasures such as the enjoyment of the sun and the beach. Greater preference for products that mix culture and comfort.
• Appreciation for security, the guarantee of optimal services, attention to your complaints and prompt responses.
• The current tourist does not travel blindly, they do not travel along the path set by agencies or marketing channels because he is a better informed individual as a consequence of the development of new technologies. Now you can consult the experiences of other tourists, who through the internet and social networks tell their positive or negative experiences, influencing many times in decision-making.
In a survey carried out by the Eurobarometer in February 2010 on the sources of information used by Europeans to make decisions for their holidays, the results were summarized in the following graph:
• In this context, there is a prominent role in the development of domestic tourism in emerging markets, mainly China, Russia and Brazil, and issuer as the first two. China stands out in both senses, observing how in 2009, it raised tourism spending to 43.7 billion dollars, compared to 36.2 in 2008.
The tourist offer is also being characterized by the appearance of trends that mark the present and the future of this industry in the world, but that will be the subject of another work.
It is necessary to call the attention of tourism professionals so that they are open to change if they wish to remain in the competition within a sector as dynamic as that of services and that they see in this conjuncture an opportunity to find new ways, participatory and sustainable models demanded by today's consumer.
Returning to the concern of that Latin American professional, I must refer to the fact that the region is mainly developing domestic and intraregional tourism, however, governments and peoples have been becoming aware of what the development of this industry can represent for economic development, infrastructures, in promoting national industries, job creation, rural advancement, etc., in countries with extraordinary cultural diversity, enormous natural wealth, beautiful landscapes and worthy, hardworking citizens, with a great sense of belonging to their custom and traditions, as well as respect for others. Our region can and should play a more relevant role in the global tourism industry, as there are plenty of conditions.
Consultation sources:
• World Tourism Barometer. Volume 9 No 1
• Eurobarometer on the attitude of Europeans towards tourism in 2010
• http://cloudtourism.pbworks.com/w/page/16041337/1-2%20Caracterizaci%C3%B3n%20del%20turista%20actual Characterization of the current tourist.
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• http://www.ced.travel/es/noticias-de-los-destinos/132-international-tourism-2010-multi-speed-recovery.html International Tourism 2010: recovery at different speeds.
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• http://www.oei.es/pensariberoamerica/ric08a02.htm The tourism and culture dialogue
• http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3827:la-crisis-econ%C3%B3mica-y-el-turismo&Itemid=37 The economic crisis and tourism
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