Discover, Enjoy and Experience – The New Frontiers of Experiential Tourism

What are the new frontiers of experiential tourism? When it comes to travel planning, local tours & activities are key factors nowadays. Travelling no longer means stacking up kilometers, hanging about tourist attractions, scheduling a full day’s worth of activities, or ticking off a list of highlights.

Travelling means “experiencing”. But what does this word suggest? Experiential tourism translates the perception of a trip from “what is being offered” into “how the end user is feeling”.

The job of an incoming agency for group travel in Italy has always been to make arrangements with suppliers as well as to receive and look after tourists at their holiday destination where they spend a few days before going back home. Well, it is not that simple anymore.

Experiential tourism entails much more – find that out with us!

A new way of travelling

Italy is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world thanks to its innumerable and diverse tourist resources. With 55 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Italy is the leading country worldwide – Italy is rich in cultural treasures, historical finds, and culinary delicacies. On top of that, we cannot fail to mention Italy’s most various landscapes and enjoyable climate.

Over the years, the tourism market has significantly changed: these natural features are no longer enough, however peculiar they may be.

A new way of travelling has emerged: experiential tourism or experience-based tourism.

The idea behind experiential tourism is transforming tourist experiences into life experiences: travelers spend their holidays on a film set or participate in a cooking class, as well as contribute to a grape harvest or become involved in a medieval tale.

Experiential tourism aims at creating peculiar experiences, inspirations and narratives. The travelers, together with the local actors, get the chance to play a leading role in shaping their unique tourist experience.

Each single travel experience is nothing but a starting point for other adventures because it goes way beyond immediate satisfaction. Experiences give off their vital strength when they are fully enjoyed. However, what is priceless about travel experiences is that they never cease to live in our memories, in our words.

Experience planning: the core of your trip

According to the report Phocuswright Tours & Activities Come of Age: The Global Travel Activities Marketplace 2014-2020, in-destination experiences represent the third largest market segment for the travel industry.

Traditional tourism sectors, such as accommodation facilities and transportation, develop hand in hand with this innovative segment. As a result, travelers will choose a holiday destination not only for its accommodation or accessibility, but also for the activities available on site. Events, fairs, tastings, thematic itineraries, outdoor activities are part of the offer of experiential tourism.

Travelers are no longer content with the conventional trip: for most of today’s tourists, it is all about the experiences, not the destination. Travelers want to establish an emotional relationship with a place, immerse themselves in its culture, learn the history of the locals. Travel becomes synonymous with self-discovery.

The scenario of experiential tourism has been widely shaped in Covid times. The trend knows but one direction: steeply upward.

Small group travels, niche experiences and outdoor vacations are the perfect choice for travelers who want to relax, stay safe and live an authentic experience in contact with nature and people. When it comes to the so-called “slow travel”, tourists can also preserve the environment and support local realities.

Italy offers a wide range of possibilities in terms of experience-based tourism.

Experience Italy with all your senses: Blu Garda Tours travel offer

Blu Garda Tours makes every effort to offer not just a product but a complete experience. Behind the inspiring experience offer is a careful planning that includes little-known service providers and a thorough quality control.

That is how we organize enriching travel experiences: thanks to cooking classes, tastings, unparalleled tours and hikes to faraway places, travelers can feel satisfied. Traveling for us means expanding horizons, immersing oneself in a different environment and experiencing unique cultural features.

Matchless culinary experiences in every region, the history of olive harvest, the winemaking tradition with the most remarkable producers, small pasta factories, craft workshops: just a few examples of the niche realities at the core of our offer.

Tourists can make the most of all kinds of sensations – breathtaking views and colours, local scents and authentic flavours.

Experience Italy through all your senses with Blu Garda Tours!

In this article you have found out that feelings, human contact and empathy are far more attractive than any monument.

Cannot wait to embark on a new adventure? Click here to find out more about Blu Garda Tours experiences!