Can We Meet the Expectations of Today’s ‘New’ Travelers?

For many years Curaçao has struggled to find the true essence of our island that sets us apart from other destinations in the Caribbean. We have focused on a variety of different features that our island has to offer that set us apart as a unique tourist destination, such as: our architecture, our natural beauty, our colorful culture and history, and the fact that we are uniquely “different”. But focusing only on these aspects, and relying on them to attract tourists, is no longer sufficient, to give us a competitive advantage in the tourism industry. We also need to appeal to the more discerning travelers, willing to invest in an unforgettable journey rather than “just another vacation”.

TEXT BY KORRA PIETERSZ-JULIANA, DIRECTOR OASEAN VISION, CORPORATE WELLNESS AND WELLNESS TOURISM CONSULTANTS

So far our weather and beaches, (according to the strategies put forth by the Tourism Master Plan, (2015-2020, Rosen College of Hospitality Management), are what attracts most tourists to our island. But as we know, most Caribbean islands can boast of these same benefits and use these same marketing tools to grab the attention of sun-seeking travelers. So the question still remains: what else do we have to offer as a destination to attract a new type of discerning traveler that can elevate our tourism product and inject a further impetus into the industry?

What the new traveler is looking for:
Before we can begin to answer that question, we have to investigate what really appeals to today’s traveler. Nowadays, people travel as a form of retreat from the crazy hectic days of their routine life. They travel to discover the unexpected and to take pleasure in revitalizing and playful activities. “They travel to escape from work and responsibility, which allows the individual to let go, thus exposing a more “authentic” self,” (White, N., & White, P. (2004). Travel as transition: Identity and place. Annals of Tourism Research). Because of this longing, they are looking for something different to make them feel different. So the key is to appeal to their emotions, as the traveler is looking for something they want to “feel” when they embark on a journey. What they want to feel determines what activities they want to do. And what they want to do, determines what experience they will select. And this has an impact on what destinations they will choose.

Global Wellness Tourism Statistics
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness tourism as journeys ‘made by tourists who seek to improve or maintain their well-being during or as a result of their trip’.
• Wellness tourism is projected to grow by more than 9% per year through 2017, nearly 50% faster than overall global tourism.
• An estimated 17 million travelers identify themselves as being ‘health and wellbeing’ focused, with 40% of them travelling regularly.
• Wellness tourists spend 130% more than the average tourist.
• Over half the global business population has experienced an appreciable rise in workplace stress in recent years.
• Non–spa-related healthy travel represents 59% of the wellness tourism industry.
• 71% of travel agents in North America and Europe say consumers are more aware of wellness travel
• More than half of the projected growth in wellness tourism trips through 2017 will take place in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa Source: Global Wellness Tourism Economy Report (GWTER) and SRI International

The biggest factor in decision-making is emotions.
So we have ascertained that a traveler’s decision- making process is driven by emotions. Some want to feel relaxed and opt to spend their days lying on a beach, basking in the sun. Others want to experience a feeling of freedom from the daily grind and choose to spend most of their days in nature, like scuba diving. Some others have the need to feel adrenaline pumping in their veins to feel alive, and prefer to embark on adventurous journeys. Yet others have a great urge to feel connected with people, and seek holidays where they can submerge themselves in new cultures to get a taste of a foreign lifestyle. Many destinations have already shifted their focus from being exclusively product driven, to appealing to the traveler’s emotions. Countries like South Africa, India, Costa Rica and Thailand, all use emotions as a tool to draw travelers. The often-overlooked fact is that the tourist destinations that have traditionally offered the typical sun and beach or historic sites for their mass tourism marketing, are losing customers to destinations that offer more complete experiences. Every euro and every dollar that is not being spent on traditional destinations, but rather on new ‘emotional’ destinations is a confirmation of this new trend in travel.

In our case, as a Caribbean destination, the traditional tourism model of sun and beach is also too dependent on price to be competitive in the market. The only way to avoid this dependency is by adding more features to the traditional range of products and services, thereby expanding the vacation experience. We need to offer something that would make tourists no longer look at price as a factor when choosing us as a destination. Betting on wellness activities, short escapes, ecotourism, or any of the newer experiences that are being increasingly demanded by travelers, is the only way to give us that competitive edge. One single word dominates the new traveler’s mind – EMOTION. Emotion, related to passions and desires to experience something that makes the traveler feel good about him or herself. That is what is driving the leisure travel industry today.

Social media is playing a huge role in this. The wide variety of social media outlets will continue to enhance the value of the travelers’ experience even further. Each one strives to find new ways to make the sharing of these emotions, experiences, passions and interests easier and faster. Digital sharing is the new “word of mouth” and is becoming the biggest influencer of consumers’ decisions.

“Curadise” – A Healing Island.
Can Curaçao appeal to the emotional needs of todays’ travelers? The answer is YES! That is exactly the beauty of this new approach, as the way to accomplish this lies in simplicity and authenticity. The discerning traveler has already seen the most fascinating landmarks, has stayed in the most luxurious hotels, enjoyed the best spas around the world, and dined at the most sophisticated restaurants. But what more and more travelers are now searching for is connection; connection to people and connection to self. They are searching for places where they can fall back in love with life, where they can be their real self again and let go of all the stress and burden of their daily lives, where they can focus on things that make them feel good and revive the best in themselves again. That’s why wellness travel has gained such popularity. Its rate of growth is 74% higher than regular global travel, according to statistics released in 2014 at the Global Wellness Summit. Wellness, a US$3.72 trillion global industry with US$563 billion in wellness tourism, is certainly an avenue Curaçao should pursue more diligently. Our history as “Ilha da Curaçao”- Island of Healing, is not yet known by many.
The healing tales date back to the end of the 15th century when our island was discovered. It takes us back to the time of sailors’ expeditions to the West Indies who often became sick on their voyage. From the chronicles of that time we learn of these sick sailors who were left behind on our island, ostensibly to die. On their way back to Europe from their discovery voyage of the Americas, briefly stopping back on our island, they found most of the previously marooned sailors fully-recovered. That’s how the sailors introduced the term Ilha da Curação or “Island of Healing”, the hidden story of Curaçao.
As our islands’ name stands as a testament, it’s time we focus back on our strengths, in our nature and in our people, to help those who seek to find a connection. We have the potential to become a true wellness vacation paradise – ‘Curadise.’ We can be a destination focused on wellness in a natural way, where people believe in helping those who seek to heal emotionally, spiritually, and physically by using the power of nature and the wisdom of people.