Tourism Products

Professor Arlene Dorris introduces the topic of tourism products for the international tourism and culture course, outlining the key areas to be covered: definition, features (attraction, accessibility, accommodation, amenities), and characteristics.

A tourism product is defined as the sum of physical and psychological satisfaction a tourist experiences. This includes both tangible elements (like facilities and services) and intangible aspects (like happiness and satisfaction), which are not available at home but require travel to a destination for consumption.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines a tourism product as a combination of tangible and intangible elements, encompassing natural, cultural, and man-made resources, attractions, facilities, services, and activities that contribute to an overall visitor experience, including emotional aspects.

A tourism product is a composite package, bundling attractions, transport, accommodation, and entertainment to achieve customer satisfaction. This package is supplied by various individual providers like hotels, airlines, and travel agencies working together in an interdependent and interconnected system.

Attraction is the most crucial component, serving as the primary reason for choosing a particular destination. Attractions can be cultural (e.g., historical sites like the Colosseum), natural (e.g., flora and fauna, nature parks), or man-made and organized (e.g., resorts, festivals, trade fairs).

Attractions are geographical and their location and accessibility are vital. Considerations include physical space (for wilderness or solitude), scenery (natural landscapes or designed areas like E-world), climate conditions (sun, temperature, seasons), animal life, historical monuments, archaeological sites, and cultural features like indigenous communities and artistic expressions.

Accessibility refers to how easily tourists can reach an attraction. This includes various modes of transport (land, air, water, train, walking). Inaccessible areas hold no value as attractions, highlighting the importance of proximity to tourist-generating markets and efficient transportation means. Distance significantly influences a tourist's destination choice.

Accommodation plays an essential and basic role in tourism, providing places for overnight stays. Beyond traditional hotels, non-traditional options (e.g., spare rooms in villages, caves, converted palaces) and informal types like Airbnb are emerging. Accommodation can even be an attraction itself, especially when known for excellence and cuisine.

Amenities are facilities necessary to complete the tourist experience and enhance satisfaction. These can be natural (e.g., coconut trees for shade) or man-made (e.g., beach umbrellas, showers). Amenities are crucial for planning fully satisfying tourist experiences and are a key part of composite tourism products and travel packages.

The lecture concludes with a recap of the definition of tourism products, emphasizing tangible and intangible elements, and reiterates the importance of the four A's: attraction, accessibility, accommodation, and amenities, as core components of a composite travel package. The next lesson will cover the characteristics of tourism products.