Special Interest Tourism

Unit #13 Learning Outcome 3 Thr appeal and motivation of special interest tourism for customers

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Product Features
A feature is any part of your product or service that can be physically seen or touched. It is what the product or service is.

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Product Benefits
A benefit what a product or service DOES for you, or mean to you as the customer.

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Examples of feature and benefit statements

The hotel has a gym onsite which means that you dont need to leave the hotel for your workout sessions.

The city tour visits the Cathedral which will save you the cost and time of a separate visit later on
Every tour bus is air conditioned which means it will be very comfortable during the trip

The art gallery opens at 8am which means you will be there early and avoid the queues
Your flight includes lunch which means you dont have to buy an expensive lunch at the airport The motorcycles are all BMW late models providing you with the highest levels of comfort and safety The bedrooms have en free wi-fi saving about $50 in average internet use charges.
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Appealing Features of Special Interest Tourism

Popular destinations: across the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia Type of destination: remote, urban, rural Type of natural features: lakes, beaches, mountains, jungles, deserts, seas Destination amenities: casinos, nightclubs, shops, restaurants, level of infrastructure Weather features: hot, dry, cold, wet, snowy, windy Activities: skiing, climbing, hiking, sailing, caving, Social features: part of a group, romantic couples, singles, age defined, sharing of common interests Range of comfort: bush huts and tents through to luxury resorts Level of challenge: observing, restful, active, physically demanding, super athlete level
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Example of research report into SIT features and benefits

SIT Sector: Culinary tours Company Name: Classic Journeys Web Address: http://www.classicjourneys.com Tour Name: Taste of Tuscany Feature: Planned walks Benefit: so you'll miss none of the historic or scenic high points. Feature: visits to private and hotel kitchens Benefit so you can get tips on how to create the classics of the Tuscan menu. Feature: Visit cheese makers and bakers Benefit: so you can learn first hand how Italians cook at home

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The Motivations of Tourists

People go away because they no longer feel happy where they are where they work, where they live. They feel the monotony of the daily routine, the cold rationality of factories, offices, apartment blocks and transport, shrinking human contact, the repression of feelings, the loss of nature and naturalnessholidays thus become therapeutic fantasies projected on to distant lands.

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Tourist Motivations
A special interest tourism experience is always motivated primarily by that particular interest. All leisure motivation can be classified as either avoidance (escaping) or search (seeking). Iso-Ahola (1989) Modern society is a major factor in tourist motivation. whether to simply escape from the pressures and stress of modern life or to seek the authentic, satisfying and meaningful experiences elsewhere, people increasingly believe that the only way to survive in modern society is to regularly remove themselves from it, albeit on a temporary basis. Tourism therefore is both caused and sustained by modern society.
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Why do people travel?!

looking for something different looking for more in search of an authentic experience skill improvement escape and relaxation discovery of places, knowledge, of self status and image danger and thrills challenge health therapeutic benefits sustainability challenge novelty: going to a new place, to do a new thing being first the first in their circle to go somewhere, do something product pulls such as low pricing (value for money), seasonality (less crowded, cheaper) drawn in by the promotional campaigns and advertising modernism modern society causing stress and pressures on people to escape and refresh
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