The era of themed travel
The new generations of travellers are no longer just looking for a destination, but an experience to enjoy. This expectation is fully in line with the era we are living in, known as the experience economy, which is the logical continuation of the service economy.
‘People no longer want to spend a week on a sun lounger. Nowadays, a holiday has to offer a variety of experiences,’ observes Vanguelis Payanotis, as trends embodying this need multiply, from set-jetting to book-tripping (literary tourism) and gig-tripping (music tourism).
According to Skyscanner, 34% of travellers have already planned a trip inspired by a book, while films and TV series continue to influence 53% of them, according to Expedia. And just over a third (36%) of French travellers would even be willing to take part in a role-playing retreat inspired by their favourite fantasy game, book or film, according to Booking.com.
Fiction is not the only source of inspiration for these themed trips, however. Cultural and sporting events, concerts and other festivals also create a veritable tidal wave of tourists in the host destinations. This phenomenon was recently observed in the Ile-de-France region with one of two concerts given by global superstar Beyoncé in Europe.
‘”his phenomenon used to exist in the small world of festivals and contemporary art. Today, it has spread to thousands of other artistic, sporting and cultural dimensions. It has become mainstream.” – Vanguelis Panayotis, CEO, MKG Group
This is a trend that more and more players in the tourism industry are beginning to capitalise on, such as VisitBritain, which is fully embracing film tourism in its latest communication campaign, ‘The Real Star of the Show’. This highly original promotional campaign earned the organisation a place among the six finalists in the ‘Best Destination Marketing…
