Nedo Pinezić: Experience tourism is a new "brand" for sustainable tourism

Complete (real) experience of the destination. Experience tourism is a new "brand" for sustainable tourism. An authentic experience of the destination to which one is traveling is being sought more and more often.

Sustainable development and sustainable tourism. As the agenda of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) emphasizes - sustainable tourism implies the harmonization of economic, sociological and ecological perspectives with the aim of promoting economic prosperity, environmental protection and socio-cultural identity and ensuring the quality of life of the local community.

Behind this definition lies simple wisdom: love your own - respect others, exchange knowledge and experience.

In other words, sustainable tourism rests on the local community, on local people, on the local culture of life. It is impossible to talk about sustainable tourism without the involvement of the local community.

This is precisely why all services in tourism are where tourists come into contact with hosts key to creating an authentic experience. 

To be yourself, to be unique

My daughter Pavla creates personalized clothes called "Little girl with a brush". According to the wishes of the owner of the clothes, she gives them "personality" by depicting the desired motifs. There are more and more such requests, not only in this case. People are looking for a way not to be part of the globally created mass. Individuality, personality, is slowly, almost shyly looking for its way of expression. This is all the more difficult because today's consciousness is shaped by digital media, i.e. various "influencers" who use ever more accessible mass communication channels. This is how news, fashion, business models, recipes... are "stamped" in huge numbers of repetitions. Copying is the fastest and easiest way to success. This is where artificial intelligence will most certainly be of great help if we give it unconditional trust.

Being yourself, being unique and recognized is a more complex process. This requires a research approach. First you have to explore yourself, find your strongest points, your talent, your expression. Each of us is a "super talent", a special person with special skills, a special way of expressing our inner world.

It is an excellent basis for experience tourism. To travel, meet people and discover, experience a destination - is the real goal of an experience trip. The word happiness itself comes from the term to meet, to meet with another person.

We remember trips by people

When we travel somewhere, sooner or later we need help, assistance. Simple help when choosing a souvenir, friendly restaurant recommendations, helpful and friendly restaurateurs... These are parts of the mosaic of beautiful travel memories. And not only that. Once we experience beautiful moments on a trip, we are happy to share them with our loved ones. We recommend accommodation, restaurant, transport, guide, shopkeeper, confectioner... who left a positive impression on us. This is how the "image" of the destination is built.

A cluster of good people

Experience cluster, or tourist cluster, is actually an informal association of good people, suppliers of goods and services on one tourist route. Experiential travel is planned and selected precisely according to the equalized quality of the offer of all links of such a cluster. When one supplier recommends another because he is sure of the quality of his offer and mutual trust - then we are also sure that we are together directed to the right place.

Until now, Croatian tourism has been recognized and recognized internationally precisely for this characteristic. The quality of Croatian tourism rests on the people from the local community who see their guests as their friends. And we always wish only the best for our friends, we talk, hang out, sing, eat, and help our friends.

Experience tourism is being built in a similar way in the neighboring countries of the Western Balkans. Hospitality is at an extremely high level. Knowledge is invested, mutual connections are created between bidders. New clusters of good hosts are becoming experience tourism products.

Experiential tourism has more and more devotees and is becoming a real refuge, a real salvation from consumerism, "superficial" tourist travel where in the center of attention the object and not the subject, (a material creation - a hotel, a villa, a yacht... and not meeting the hosts).

Of course, the facilities and service must be of high quality, orderly, pleasant, but in addition, the local lifestyle and interaction with the local community are added value that makes the experience complete.

Source and photo: Nedo Pinezić, www.nedopinezic.com