Special Interest tours. Good practices from Bulgaria OR Mass - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

“How to benefit from the traveler’s special interests - Nature and Development of Special Interest tours. Good practices from Bulgaria”

Mass tourism

OR

Niche tourism

Tourism Activities Mass Tourism Niche Tourism

Conventional Tourism involving Special interest culture and/or large number of tourists activity based tourism involving a small number of tourists Micro - niches

Cultural Environmental Rural Urban Others

Heritage Nature & Wildlife Farm & Agro Business & Photographic Religious Active tours –hiking Wine & Conference Railways Educational Geographical tours Gastronomy Exhibitions Volunteers Archaeological Bird watching Arts & Crafts Festivals & Youth Themed based Camping Garden tours Events, Opera Senior

The question a tourist would ask in the decision-making process are:

• General Interest Tourism GIT—where would I like to

go?

• Mixed Interest Tourism MIT—where do I want to go

and what activities can I pursue there?

• Special Interest Tourism SIT—what interest/activity do

I want to pursue, and where can I do it?

How to benefit from the clients special interests – Tandem Travel’s good practices

• Why the “specific interest” could be a driving factor to travel?
• How to find out which special interests we can satisfy with the resources
• f our destination?
• How to reach and attract this niche markets of a small number of highly

dedicated visitors?

How to benefit from the clients special interests – Tandem Travel’s good practices

Development of targeted tourism products – 3 steps:

• Find out what kind of specific interests exists – create profiles of niche tourists.
• Find out what you can offer them using the resources of your destination
• Research the destination competitive advantage and create the product - how niche

tourism products can contribute to destination development.

How to benefit from the clients special interests – Tandem Travel’s good practices

We focused at following niche markets:

• Senior tourism
• Steam Railway Tours
• Opera and Music Tours
• Photographic tourism
• Themed Tours

Steam Railway Tours

2 types of tours according to the clients motivations – sub - segements:

• Nostalgic Railway Tour of Bulgaria
• Steam Railway Tour for

photographers

Target groups:

• Clients interested in Railway tours around the

world – more general motivation

• Clubs of steam locomotives and vintage train

lovers – main markets are UK and Germany.

Steam Railway Tours Destination’s Resources

Well developed Railway network Well preserved Historic trains – “Crown Express” and “The Rhodope Railway” An enthusiastic team of steam locomotive drivers

Destination’s problems

The Historic trains are property of the State Railway Company – a not flexible organization structure Lack of collaboration and coordination between Institutions Lack of motivation of the operation team

Opera and Music Tours

2 types of tours according to the clients motivations:

• Opera Tour – explore the backstage secrets
• Opera Tour – Richard Wagner societies

Target groups:

• Clients interested in Opera and Music around

the world – more general motivation

• Richard Wagner societies worldwide – they

travelling to see the performances of the tetralogy “The Ring of the Nibelung”

Opera and Music Tours Destination’s Resources

Beautiful Opera house Well known Bulgarian opera singers An enthusiastic and flexible team

• f the Opera

Destination’s problems

The National opera has difficulties to plan the program early enough Lack of collaboration and coordination between Institutions

Photographic Tours

Our product: Thematic Photo workshops – a tour with a professional photographer HERZ.BLUT - Buch deine Reise - Reise zu deinem Buch Fotografie • Kurzgeschichte • Abenteuer • Reise

Target groups:

• There are various types of photographic

holidays; for example, the photographic safari and guided photo-shoots of landscapes, flora, attractions

• Some tours are unique in that they combine

photographic opportunities at selected destinations with technical tuition and photographic workshops covering subjects as diverse as photographic analysis and historical and anthropological issues.

Photographic Tours Destination’s Resources

Beautiful landscapes and attractive national architecture technical tuition and support of professional photographers

Destination’s problems

difficulties in obtaining permission for shooting small numbers of participants at any one

• time. This has the effect
• f pushing up the cost

Thank you for your attention!

• Dr. Daniela Stoeva