FOTO COURTESY: FABIENNE AUGUSTIJN
DESTINATION CURAÇAO:
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
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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
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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.
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
