Color POV Tool

hospitality_authenticity

As you summit Mt. Fuji at sunrise you are thinking that this is the most rewarding experience of your life. That moment of pure exhilaration, though, is interrupted by the realization that after more than six hours of hiking through the night you still have to get back down the mountain... and your legs will not move.

It wasn't that long ago that the scenario above could only have come from travelers with a fair amount of disposable income and time. Today, however, travelers from a broad demographic range are opting for personalized, experience-driven vacations instead of traditional holidays spent in popular restaurants and museums (Mastrelli 2006). This trend is in part fueled by the fact that many travelers have more money to set aside for travel but not enough time (HTrends 2007), which demands that they choose destinations that offer a memorable experience. But it also reflects a global trend that reaches beyond those with disposable wealth. Those with limited financial means, as well, have a strong desire for meaningful or authentic experiences that provide emotional connections and interactions with people in the communities they visit.

This desire for the immersive and authentic experience is what leads people to trek across the world with little money and few possessions... just for the experience. A couple on their honeymoon seeking these authentic moments returned home after emptying their bank accounts and began writing about their experiences. The result, the Lonely Planet™, now has offices on three continents with over 500 stationary and 300 traveling staff, operates a travel website, offers programming on cable television, publishes a popular series of travel books, and manages a foundation that provides assistance and funding for health initiatives, literacy, conservation, and preservation in many of the emerging locations promoted by the group (Lonely Planet 2007).

Governments in non-traditional travel locations are also finding ways to capitalize on the emerging interest in authentic travel as a way to combat poverty and promote sustainable development. According to the WTO, between 1998 and 2000 tourism was number one in export revenue worldwide, far surpassing all other international trade categories (Benavides 2001). And the Overseas Development Institute suggests that tourism, while not a panacea for developing countries like Africa, can still provide much needed macro-economic benefits (ODI 2006).

As international tourism continues to gain momentum in non-traditional locations, designers, many of whom are intrepid travelers, are finding new niches for a grounded and contextual practice that promotes local color, texture, and forms as a way to establish meaningful cultural connections.

And as an active participant in the new world of authentic travel, your descent from Fuji ends with a magnificent soak in the Onsen with the locals. The water is scalding hot. The bath is open to the air and it is crowded. Your view of Fuji is framed perfectly by the openings in the worn and weathered wood walls that surround you.

And you begin to feel human again.

Mastrelli, T. "Beyond the Bed: Creating the Luxury Experience." Hospitality Design, 28:6 (August 2006), 84-86

"The Changing Profile of Tourists - World Travel Trends Report 2006/07." Hospitality Trends, 26 January 2007

Lonely Planet Company History + Foundation, 23 February 2007

Benavides, D. "The Viability and Sustainability of International Tourism in Developing Countries." Symposium on Tourism Services, World Trade Organization, Geneva, 23 February 2001

Mitchell, J. and Ashley C. "Can Tourism Help Reduce Poverty in Africa?" Overseas Development Institute, London, March 2006