Some Characteristics of “New Tourism”

3.4 Some Characteristics of “New Tourism”

SThe outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic barred people from traveling due to lockdowns and other restrictions. Furthermore, as disposable incomes had been impacted by the pandemic, people were unable to afford to travel, and as a result, they were less likely to spend money on travel but rather to save money “for a rainy day.” For health and safety reasons, people were also hesitant to travel. On the other hand, there was no reason to travel because leisure and business activities, such as festivals, conferences, and sporting events, were unable to be organized due to the prohibition on mass gatherings.8

Travel trends have shifted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As the virus has spread in waves, COVID-19 restrictions have been adjusted to meet the current country-specific status of the epidemic including in the NPA regions. Changes in mobility, socialization and consumption patterns, leisure and work, and many other aspects of our social lives appeared to be somewhat different at the beginning of the pandemic than they appeared to be after two years of living “the new normal.” 8,9 T he “New Tourism” is more responsible, safe and authentic, more local and small-scale, more digital, and more flexible, as well as it moves towards a recreation economy that is based on meaningful outdoor experiences close to home.4,10,11,12 Nature, rural tourism, and road trips have emerged as popular travel options as a result of travel constraints and a desire for open-air experiences. Therefore, domestic tourism has increased in many markets as people have preferred to travel closer to home. As a result, staycations, or vacations close to home, have grown in popularity.13

Contactless and personalized services and experiences, as well as virtual tours, are more and more preferred among travelers. In addition, travelers value having a positive impact on local communities and are increasingly seeking authenticity, sustainability, and local food. There has been a significant increase in money spent and length of stay per trip in 2021.4,12

4 UNWTO 2022. UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. In address: https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-01/220118-Barometersmall.pdf?_PBIQdr4u_qM0w56.l0NpfGPzylGu6Md 8 Cabrol, Y. & MacAllister, S. 2020. The potential impact of Covid-19 on Irish Tourism. In address: https://www.ey.com/en_ie/covid-19/potential-impact-of-covid-19-on-irish-tourism & 220118-Barometersmall.pdf 9 Romagosa, F. 2020. The COVID-19 crisis: Opportunities for sustainable and proximity tourism. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1763447 10 Ritalahti J. 2020. Uusi matkailu perustuu vastuullisuuteen. In address: https: //esignals.fi/teemat/vastuullisuus-teemat/uusi-matkailu-perustuu-vastuullisuuteen/#a8ad5539 11 Holmberg, E. & Ritalahti J. 2020. From visitor to recreation economy – an option to make tourism more sustainable? In address: https://esignals.fi/en/category-en/sustainability/from-visitor-to-recreation-economy-a-option-to-make-tourism-more-sustainable/#a8ad5539 12 Ianioglo,A. & Rissanen, M. 2020. Global trends and tourism development in peripheral areas. Scandinavian journal of hospitality and tourism 2020, vol. 20, 5, 520–539. 13 Wawrzyniak-Falkowska, M. et al. 2020. Hypotheses about the future of travel in the post pandemic world. In address: https://wearekba.medium.com/the-future-of-travel-leisure-in-the-post-pandemic-world-28736d404be

SUSTAINABLE options may prevail as specific characteristics of nature, culture, and society in tourism destinations are more taken into account and local resources are responsibly exploited.

NATURE-BASED rather than urban as tourism is shifting toward a recreation economy based on meaningful outdoor experiences in the countryside.

SAFE services are self-evident as tourists expect new, efficient, and innovative safety measures to be built into any tourism service.

ACCESSIBLE as all genders, ages, and social classes are given more consideration when designing tourism services.

VARIED PRICES as prices for tourism services and products were reduced in the beginning of the pandemic, but prices will eventually return to normal or even rise.

AUTHENTIC and small-scale as individual tourism attracts tourists more than mass tourism and tourism industry may be unable to fully utilize traditional mass tourism infrastructure.

LOCAL is new chic as staycations in one’s own city are regarded as new vacations.

FLEXIBLE since concerns about financial stability and potential future lockdowns will drive up demand for flexible booking options.

BUSINESS TRAVEL acts as a catalyst for the tourism industry since the recovery of leisure tourism begins with short-haul travel and intercontinental tourism takes longer to recover

4. Spot-lit Literary Tourism Framework Models

Written by Aulikki Laitinen-Tolonen and Teija Tekoniemi-Selkälä

In order to expand the literary tourism products and markets, four regional Literary Tourism Framework Models were developed and delivered. These distinct framework models exhibit a high level of originality and innovation. These regional Literary Tourism Framework Models are presented in this Chapter 4