In the last couple of decades or so there has been a big shift in what tourists want from their travel. Gone are the days when highly organised groups from Japan or China or the US lobbed in Australia to tick off a list of famous landmarks on generic guided tours. I think Australians have always been adventurous travellers, but our preferences have changed too.
Today we’re all searching for active, deeper, and more meaningful experiences that allow us to ‘feel’ places, not us ‘see’ them. Beyond passive sightseeing, they want to participate, engage, and connect. This shift has seen agile and innovative tourism businesses respond to the market by creating experiential product offerings delivering immersive, hands-on experiences that create lasting memories and a personal connection with their destinations.
In a practical sense, this means they are now prioritising experiences over for example, material purchases. They’ll still buy souvenirs or artifacts, but they want to learn traditional crafts from local artisans, participate in conservation projects, and dine with the locals.
From what I can see there are a few seismic changes in broader consumer behaviour that are driving the demand for ‘experiential tourism’
Firstly, in a world that seems to be dominated by fakes, imitation, outright lies and disinformation, there is a desire for authenticity. Travellers want genuine interactions and connections beyond ‘tourist traps’, impersonal transactions and commercialised attractions.
It is also driven by the very nature of social media’s insatiable demand for unique, shareable experiences. And it’s primarily through the influence of Instagram and TikTok.
There’s also a clear and emerging trend towards personal growth and learning. A small but growing segment of travellers are seeking travel experiences that enhance their skills, perspectives, or well-being.
Consumers are increasingly conscious of the sustainability of the environment and cultures with travellers looking for eco-friendly and community-supporting experiences.
All this is couples with the impact of COVID-19 and the resultant post-pandemic shift where people are more highly valuing deeper, and more meaningful experiences over rushed itineraries.
For SME tourism operators, these changes challenge you to think creatively about how to differentiate your business and attract experience-driven travellers. It’s really a golden opportunity to re-invigorate your business.
Here’s some thoughts on how to capitalise on this opportunity
Think laterally about how you can turn a stock standard tourism product, into an immersive, hands-on experiences. For example, instead of offering a holiday house, a room or a standard tour, consider creating interactive, story-driven experiences that let visitors actively participate, like adding (for additional fee) in-house cooking classes, yoga or meditation by partnering with a local Provider. If you’re a scenic tour operator, add a farm to table meal where they pick their own ingredients or a personalised local street food option.
Partnering with locals in this way will help to invigorate the local industry.
Add to your accommodation the option of a storytelling session with a local indigenous elder to explain the local history as handed down through indigenous culture. In Tasmania, one of TXA’s small operators runs guided hikes with indigenous and colonial folklore storytelling, bringing dreamtime mythology and colonial stories to life on the trail.
If you have read my other blogs, you’ll know I am a big fan of both value adding and cross selling. I guarantee, travellers will ‘pay more for more’ when what they are offered is both authentic and valuable.
Embrace social media and encourage creation of user-generated content. Motivate visitors to share experiences via Instagram and TikTok, to increase your online visibility. For example, if you offer wine tours, collaborate with a local ‘boutique’ winery to offer an immersive “Winemaker for a Day” experience, where the guest can help blend their own wine and maybe even print for them a personal label for a bottle, or bottles, they create. A perfect photo opportunity for them (and you) to share across multiple social media channels. This also underlines the potential and power of personalising your offerings.
Which brings me to a crunch point. It’s no use going to the extra effort if you don’t let your potential guests know about it.
Therefore, review your marketing plan to ensure you are effectively getting your messages to your audiences. To attract experience-seekers, your marketing must showcase engagement, authenticity, and impact by using compelling storytelling in your content.
Use video, blogs, and testimonials to highlight guest experiences. Show your guests doing, not just seeing. For example, instead of an ‘OK’ description of your holiday rental, with generic photos, include a story about local artisans with images that convey a cultural experience. Maybe share a video of a guest learning to identify local bush tucker, picking grapes or weaving unique textiles from a local artisan.
I am not personally a huge proponent of influencers and travel bloggers. But have a look around your local tourism community to see if there are ‘micro-influencers’ who align with your product and see whether they are interested in partnering. For example, I noticed a wellness spa on the Mornington Peninsula hosted a travel vlogger last year who produced a “24 Hours of Mindfulness” feature that generated good organic exposure.
Most importantly though, leverage review websites and other ‘social proof’ by encouraging and incentivising guests to leave reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, the OTAs you use, and ask the guests for permission to post them on your own website. Because positive testimonials are the best source for building trust and credibility.
Your objective should be to differentiate from your competitors, both as a destination and as a tourism Provider. Stand out by offering more than just accommodation or an activity.
Experiential tourism is not a future trend. It’s here and it’s the future. Small tourism operators who embrace unique, immersive, and meaningful experiences will thrive in this landscape.
By focusing on hands-on activities, sustainability, personalisation, and strong marketing, your business will attract more ‘modern’ travellers looking beyond a destination—they want a transformative journey with unique memories.
