Category: Reflective Blogs on Tourism Policy and Planning (page 1 of 1)

Photo by Aldric RIVAT on Unsplash

In the past few decades, tourism destinations were focusing on more, like more tourists, more visitors, more business but in recent times the mindset of targeting for more and linking it with success has failed many tourist destinations as often targeting for more results in degrading the quality of the product being offered. The video crowded out and the CBC podcast really helped to understand the key concepts and potential solutions to tackle the issue of over-tourism.

Nowadays over-tourism has become a major issue in many popular destinations which is caused by various factors such as cheap flights, a rise in the middle class, cruise lines, a rise in social media to promote destinations through travel blogging, etc. Over-tourism can have detrimental effects on the ecology of the region as well as the local community. Many destinations nowadays have lost their identity due to the over-crowding of tourists and it’s getting harder and harder for local people to survive there. Some of the examples of cities being ruined due to over-tourism could be Barcelona in Spain or Venice in Italy.

Photo by Norbu Gyachung on Unsplash

Nowadays knowing the Explorer Quotient or EQ type of traveler is very important for the DMOs so they can come up with better strategies to attract certain groups of people. Usually, the research is done by the DMOs or regional tourism organizations about the EQ types of visitors in the region which is then accessed by the small businesses who do not have resources to conduct research on their own.

The EQ survey assignment helped in understanding my EQ type which can help determine my traveler type characteristics, ideal places to visit, and my travel values. I’m a cultural history buff so I like visiting historic and culturally rich places. I look for quality over quantity and like to travel alone or with a few close friends because I don’t like following a schedule.