Did you notice that travel and tourist experiences changed?
Have you realized that technologies nowadays create experiences that connect travel with our everyday lives?
Technologies have changed our life a lot, especially tourism and therefore memorable travel experiences.
But is everything positive when it comes to comunication and information technologies as it seems?
The influence of information and communication technologies on the whole value creation system is immense!
Travel and tourist experiences have been transformed by information and communication technologies (ICTs). ICTs have become essential in creating experiences that connect travel with tourist experience.
Value co-creation has become a concept in services and tourism marketing research and practice. It is said to be the next practice of experience and value creation, and ICTs are key tools to enable tourist experience and create value.
With the increase of ICTs, experiences and value have exploded everywhere in the value creation system!
Are we living in an era of connectedness, smart phones & social media?
Smartphones, social media, mobile devices and many more have motivated individuals to connect and so co-create their experiences with other consumers. Tourists use social media and applications to share experiences and to connect with each other.
They can create more personal and meaningful experiences together, the so called ‘technology enhanced tourist experiences’.
This mobile lifestyle made technology a tool for connecting, sharing and co-creating, and so combining everyday life with travel. In the past, if you didn’t have a smart phone, you were stuck when you were travelling.
One can say that technology created an era of constant connectedness!
But is everything – related to technologies – praiseworthy?
Are tourist experiences really shaped with the effect of ICTs?
Do ICTs indeed create only value, experiences and memories?
Or, might technology indeed destroy value in connected tourist experiences?
What do we know about value co-destruction in connection with tourist experience? In any case not enough!
Recent studies have investigated about co-creation and experiences through information and communication technologies. It is only known, that not all resources are value-adding, but can be value-destroying and so lead to lower experiences and value.
The role of technology in the context of tourist experiences has not been investigated through the framework of value co-destruction to date.
Make a break with a ‘detox’ of technology?
So, if you thought that technology does automatically create value or experience, then you are wrong!
Technology can also potentially co-destruct value. Especially when tourists seek to escape, relax and break free from technology and desire to live in the moment. These breaks from technology, called ‘detox zones’, could limit value-destruction.
Can we create experiences and memories ‘offline’?
There is still much to explore due to ICTs and their mixed influences on tourism, travelling and experiences.
Disconnection is a desirable topic to investigate.
How could organisations think about offers beyond technology to co-create disconnected travel experiences?
Is there any way to let tourists switch off from technology and feel the moment ?
These are just a few of many important questions that the tourism industry should deal with in the future to create unforgettable moments ‘offline’ …
To read more about the topic of value co-creation, digital detox, have a look at this study.
This is how you can cite the study:
Neuhofer, B. (2016) Value Co-Creation and Co-Destruction in Connected Tourist Experiences. In Inversini, A. and Schegg, R. (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2016, Bilbao, Spain: Springer Verlag, pp. 779-792.
The link to the publisher: Springer
Here you can download and read the article: Research Gate / Academia
