A New Light on the Construction of Tourism Experience

Abstract

Abstract| Today, tourism needs to offer a memorable experience to gain a competitive advantage in the global market, and hope that tourists will purchase that experience. At the same time, a large portion of tourism providers still rely on tangible assets and limited locations to create such an experience, overlooking the potential of the qualitative and intangible resources of the destination and the actors involved in tourism, as well as the approaches and effective tools to actualize these potentials. This article, based on logical reasoning and through the analysis of the content of documents and relevant research, discusses the resources, approaches, and tools that enable the deepening of the tourist’s experience, to present a different form of tourism known as relational tourism. It focuses on three main subjects: qualitative and intangible resources as the key elements of a co-creative value creation approach; co-creation as the primary approach to value creation and competitive advantage; and tourism service providers as facilitators of dynamic communication between tourists and the destination, and enablers of creating a unique experience for tourists.

Keywords

• cultural tourism
• experience
• qualitative and operant resources
• co-creation
• tourism service providers