Travel essay: why is it important that tourism managers and marketers understand the way travel shapes identity?

INTRODUCTION

In the recent literature of tourism, it is widely understood the roles and the responsibilities of managers as well as their contribution and through their understanding of the importance of travel in shaping identity. Most studies of pleasure travel have for a long time explored the attitude towards a place; the general preference developed for visiting the place frequently (Hibbert et al., 2013).

Scholars have since time immemorial identified that attitudes are the only variables used in consumer behavior and in many cases, managers use their understanding of hoe travel shapes identities to predict consumer behavior alignments and patterns (Hibbert et al., 2013). It is argued that tourists use the infused changes to shape their own identities. Understanding the influence of changes, new things and interpersonal relationship that develop between the tourists, the places and people they meet provides a blueprint in discovering the manner in which travel shapes their own identities (White & White, 2004). Therefore, recognition of the significance of travel in shaping identity by managers and markets can serve a great boost in the marketing of tourism destination as well as winning customer’s willingness to visit such places.

According to White & White (2004), travel locations that tourists prefer most are well created through awareness that managers and marketers create effectively from their understanding of travel tastes of their potential clients.

Effective and productive marketing and management in the field of tourism is perceived to be the cornerstone of the success realized in different spheres of product promotions and as well applies in the same manner in the tourism and hospitality sector. Most importantly, marketing and promotion is actually critical for managerial success in the tourism quarter although it is often overlooked (O’Reilly, 2005). As a matter of fact, conventional and effective marketing strategies in this area are driven by the managerial desire to monitor the intentions of tourists and other travelers rather than the employment of persuasion approaches (White & White, 2004). The approaches realistic in tourism marketing are not only associated with conveying the image of a place, but also linked with selling the experience of a place as well as through relating it to the identity of the destination and the lifestyles of the consumers.