fit in tourism

What is FIT And GIT in The Tourism

by Hammad Ur Rehman | Oct 8, 2021 | Travel Guide | 7 comments

In the tourism industry, some travel terms can be a little bit confusing for tourists. For instance, FIT and GIT in tourism are such travel terms that people are mostly confused about. It is important to understand what FIT and GIT in tourism mean to avoid any future problems during your travel.

FIT (free independent traveler) definition:

FIT in tourism is an acronym for Free Independent Travelers. They are people who travel independently without being a part of any tour group. This type of tourism offers travelers an opportunity to travel on their own. As a free independent traveler, you travel without a tour operator and choose your accommodation, transportation, and other parts of your trip. You might take an organized package tour, but it is just you – not a group.

Examples of FIT Tour – Some examples of free independent travel are trekking, backpacking, bicycling, camping tourism, motorcycle touring, yacht traveling, etc.

GIT (Group Inclusive Tour) definition:

In GIT, you join other tourists for a Group Inclusive Tour and don’t have to worry about your accommodation, transportation, and other parts of your trip. A group of a minimum of 10 people travels together. These people can be related or non-related and usually book on the same travel arrangements. The group size is not defined by the number of travelers but by the size of accommodation reserved.

An important condition is that some people are responsible for the whole group, so it is possible to determine who will be the guide and travel organizer.

Examples of GIT Tour – Some examples of GIT are family tours, group tours to a monastery or a sightseeing place, etc.

FIT and GIT in the Tourism – Detailed Guide

Fit and git in the tour packages.

When you book a tour package, you should know what FIT and GIT mean. FIT is not defined in the package, which means that you will be traveling on your own. You are responsible for arranging all your travel arrangements – you will have to make reservations yourself. If you choose FIT, it also means that there are no refunds for any missed flights or accommodation bookings.

GIT is called a group inclusive tour, which means that you will travel with other tourists. When it comes to GIT, many different companies offer completely different conditions. The tour can be booked by 20 people or 50 people – the company decides how big the group should be. There is usually one organizing person in charge of the group size. This person has to ensure that all members are properly booked.

FIT or GIT?

Actually, it depends on your travel style. If you are not the type of person who is happy to travel with other tourists, FIT is perfect. However, if you don’t mind traveling with other people and you want everything to be arranged for you, GIT is the best choice.

Difference Between a FIT and GIT Package Tour

FIT and GIT package tours are different from many points of view, but the main difference comes from the number of people on a group tour.

Here are some main differences:

FIT Package:

This is suitable for a small number of people like couples or friends.
You have to be a free independent traveler who has the experience of traveling alone in different countries.
This is more secure and reliable for international travelers because all attention will be paid by the operator.
You will be provided with better accommodation and food facilities since there are fewer people in the group. This means you won’t have to share your room, dinner table or bathroom with other guests.
You also get one carrier instead of sharing it among many members of the group.
It also costs more than the GIT package.

GIT Package:

This is suitable for a large number of people like family or students / young people who are looking for adventure at a lower cost.
You will have to share your room with other guests, dinner table, tour carrier etc. Plus, you also do not have much freedom as you are not a free independent traveler.
You can get more facilities at a cheap rate than FIT Package tours.
You will have to share your tour carrier with other people in the group.
The rate depends on the size of the group.
It is more suitable for families, and students who want to have fun with other members of the group.

Is There Any Other Type Of Tour Package In Tourism?

Yes, besides FIT and GIT, there is also IIT(Independent inclusive tour), which is also quite popular in tourism industry.

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FIT Travel: All About Independence

TripSavvy / Wenjia Tang

Originally, the acronym "FIT" stood for "foreign independent tour," but now it is most commonly used to describe a fully independent traveler or tourist. You might also see the term "FIT" used to mean "free independent traveler ," "frequent independent traveler," or "foreign independent traveler." All of these definitions share a keyword and concept: independent. These travelers almost always design their own itineraries and arrange their own travel plans—FITs do not travel with group tours or according to any schedule imposed by others.

FITs Shun Group Travel

Tourists who fit the definition of FITs usually travel solo ; in couples; or in small, intimate groups of friends or family. They range anywhere in age from millennials to retirees , but generally, they have above-average incomes that allow for independent travel, which can be more expensive than traveling with an organized group. But what all FITs share, by definition, is a desire to avoid mass tourism in favor of an individualized, independent approach. They tend to want to explore their chosen destinations on their own and at their own pace with an emphasis on enjoying the local food, architecture, history, and culture.

FITs Plan Their Own Trips

The huge rise in availability of all aspects of travel planning online, including even websites devoted to helping you learn how to plan travel , has made it easier for independent travelers to plan their own specialized itineraries and book their own transportation and accommodations. This diminishes their need for traditional travel agents, and this also makes packaged trips have less appeal. As a result, FITs are a quickly growing segment of the tourist market. First-hand travel information about destinations , transportation arrangements such as train and plane tickets , and hotel reservations worldwide are available at the click of a mouse for independent travelers.

FITs Sometimes Use Travel Agents

Although the "I" in FITs means independent, it sometimes could be advantageous to consult with travel professionals who are experienced in providing services to those who want to plan their own trips, especially for more exotic destinations. Doing so does not necessarily mean that independent tourists have to relinquish their, well, independence. As a result of the rise in popularity of independent and solo travel, travel professionals are adjusting their services accordingly. There are now agencies that specialize in customized trips for individuals and small groups who want to choose their destinations and plan their own itineraries.

The traveling is still independent, but the planning benefits from the professional expertise and inside knowledge of a travel agent . And of course, it takes much less time than searching for all the information you need on your own.

An agent who specializes in FIT travel can help you plan custom sightseeing with a private tour guide, arrange a private cooking class or a wine-tasting tour , and even hook you up with knowledgeable local representatives. The agent will help you plan a personalized travel experience based on the input you provide. If you wish, an agent can often arrange to have someone meet you at your destination and take you to your hotel. Travel professionals are especially helpful in finding non-traditional or out-of-the-way accommodations that do not advertise on the internet, such as villas, farmhouses , inns, and family-run bed-and-breakfasts.

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What do FIT, IIT, and GIT terms mean in the travel industry?

In the tourism industry, there are certain terms that can be confusing for travellers. FIT, IIT, and GIT are three such terms that often cause confusion. Understanding the meaning of these terms is essential for a smooth travel experience. In this article, we will explore what FIT, IIT, and GIT mean in the tourism industry and how they differ from each other.

A women hiking through the mountains with a backpack and note pad

FIT: Free Independent Traveler

Definition of fit.

FIT stands for Free Independent Traveler. It refers to individuals who prefer to travel independently without being part of a tour group. As a FIT traveller, you have the freedom to plan and customize your trip according to your preferences. You can choose your own accommodations, transportation, and activities without relying on a tour operator.

Examples of FIT Tours

FIT tours encompass various forms of independent travel. Some popular examples include solo backpacking trips, self-guided tours, and customized itineraries. FIT travellers often seek unique experiences, off-the-beaten-path destinations, and the freedom to explore at their own pace.

Advantages of FIT Travel

FIT travel offers several advantages:

Flexibility : You have the freedom to design your itinerary and make changes as per your preferences.

Personalization : You can tailor your trip to your interests, choosing activities and destinations that align with your preferences.

Authenticity : FIT travel allows for a more immersive cultural experience, as you have the opportunity to interact with locals and explore local communities.

Independence : You are not bound by the schedules and constraints of a group tour, giving you the freedom to explore at your own leisure.

GIT: Group Inclusive Tour

Definition of git.

GIT stands for Group Inclusive Tour. In a GIT, travellers join a pre-arranged tour package where they travel with other tourists as part of a group. The tour package includes accommodations, transportation, and guided activities.

Examples of GIT Tours

GIT tours cater to travellers who prefer the convenience of travelling in a group. Examples of GIT tours include family vacations, organized group sightseeing tours, and adventure tours where participants share common experiences and activities.

Advantages of GIT Travel

GIT travel offers several advantages:

Convenience : All travel arrangements, including accommodations, transportation, and activities, are pre-organized, saving you the time and effort of planning.

Socialization : Traveling in a group provides opportunities to meet and interact with fellow travellers, fostering new friendships and shared experiences.

Guided Experience : GIT tours often include the services of a knowledgeable guide who provides insights and commentary about the destinations visited.

Cost Savings : Group tours can offer discounted rates and shared expenses, making them more cost-effective compared to individual arrangements.

IIT: Independent Inclusive Tour

Definition of iit.

In addition to FIT and GIT, there is another type of tour known as the Independent Inclusive Tour (IIT). IIT allows travellers to enjoy the benefits of group travel while still having the freedom to customize their itinerary.

Examples of IIT Tours

IIT tours are designed for travellers who desire some level of independence while still enjoying the convenience of group travel. Examples of IIT tours include small group tours with flexible itineraries, private guided tours with customizable activities, and themed tours catering to specific interests.

Advantages of IIT Travel

IIT travel offers a unique combination of group and independent travel:

Flexibility : IIT tours provide a balance between structured group activities and free time to explore independently.

Customization : Travelers can personalize their itinerary by choosing from a range of activities and destinations offered within the tour.

Social Interaction : IIT tours allow for socialization with like-minded travellers during group activities, providing opportunities for shared experiences.

Personal Attention : With smaller group sizes, IIT tours often provide a more personalized and intimate experience compared to larger group tours.

No, FIT tours are suitable for both solo travellers and small groups who prefer to travel independently.

Most GIT tours have scheduled activities, but some may offer free time for independent exploration. It’s best to check the tour itinerary before booking.

IIT tours can vary in price depending on the level of customization and services included. Some IIT tours may be more expensive, while others may offer cost-effective options.

GIT tours generally have fixed itineraries and limited customization options. If you seek more flexibility, an IIT tour may be a better choice.

There are typically no age restrictions for these tours. However, some specialized tours may have specific age requirements or activity limitations.

GIT tours are often preferred by families as they provide convenience, pre-arranged accommodations, and suitable activities for different age groups.

In conclusion, FIT, IIT, and GIT are terms used in the tourism industry to describe different types of travel experiences. FIT allows for independent and personalized travel, while GIT offers the convenience of group travel with pre-arranged arrangements. IIT combines elements of both, providing flexibility and customization within a group setting. Choosing the right type of tour depends on individual preferences, travel style, and desired level of independence. Consider your preferences, budget, and desired travel experience when selecting between FIT, IIT, and GIT tours.

What do FIT, IIT, and GIT mean in the tourism industry?

By Kendrick Fairhurst

31 Jul 2023

What do FIT, IIT, and GIT mean in the tourism industry?

Meet the "IT" Gang: FIT, IIT, and GIT Explained

When you're deep in the swirling world of travel and tourism, you'll often run across acronyms and abbreviations faster than tourists running to duty free. Today, we're going to demystify a few of these enigmatic terms: FIT, IIT, and GIT. There's no need for you to whip out a decoder ring or consult your secret handbook; sit back, relax, and let your tour guide Kendrick steer you through!

The Solo Traveler's Guide: Free Independent Traveler or FIT

Let's start with FIT, which stands for Free Independent Traveler or sometimes Free Independent Tourist. Essentially, this acronym refers to individual or small group travelers who plan and book their trips independently, rather than being a part of large organized tour groups. Think of these guys like solo adventurers, backpackers, or just a group of friends who'd prefer travelling at their own rhythm and pace.

Truth be told, being an FIT requires a taste for adventure, a sense of comfort with uncertainty, and a knack for organizing, but it lets travelers have a sense of control and flexibility on their journey—something that can't always be said for big group tours. If there's an upside, it's the ability to change your plans on a whim, and that breath-taking sunset you can enjoy by yourself without having to squeeze in a photo op with a group of fifty others. Did I just give away my personal preference? Oh, well!

The Group Fancy: Group Inclusive Tour or GIT

On the other side of the fence, we have GIT or Group Inclusive Tour. This refers to pre-scheduled, organized travel for large groups, usually with an experienced tour guide leading the way. Contrary to the FIT trend, GIT consists largely of folks who prefer not to have the responsibility of planning every single detail. They'd rather sit back, relax, and let the itinerary unfold.

While it might not be everyone's cup of tea, there are definite advantages to GIT travel. For one, it's often more economical as costs are usually spread out among the entire group. Additionally, many GIT packages provide an all-inclusive price for flights, accommodations, meals, and even sightseeing. And let's not forget about the social aspect—a chance to make new friends! Just imagine finishing a day of touring vineyards and chomping cheese with 50 new BFF’s. Sounds cool, right?

A Mix of Both Worlds: Independent Inclusive Tour or IIT

Moving on to IIT, sensibly termed as Independent Inclusive Tour. This was designed for folks who thought to themselves, "Can we have the best of both worlds?" —and thus, IIT came into existence. These tours are usually personalized with travel plans, accommodations, and some amenities pre-arranged by a tour operator, while still leaving room for travelers to explore on their own.

A vacation under the IIT tag allows you to enjoy some of the benefits of an organized tour, such as pre-planned transportation and accommodation, with the freedom of an FIT to select your own sightseeing options. This makes IIT tourism just like that perfect, juicy cheeseburger—it’s got the savory beef patty (pre-planned necessities) hugged tightly by fresh, crisp lettuce and a dollop of zingy mayo (your personal choices). Excuse my digression, I'm just a tad peckish right now!

Evolutions in FIT, GIT and IIT Operations

With the increasing popularity of different modes of travel, what FIT, GIT and IIT offer, has seen quite an evolution over the years. Travel companies are now stretching their limits, integrating technology, and pumping innovation into their packages to offer an unforgettable travel experience. Now, a solo adventurer can book a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia right on their smartphone while chomping on a kebab, or a large group of friends can customize their Thai Culinary Tour right down to the spice level—interactive, flexible, and flavorful!

Choosing Your Style: FIT, GIT or IIT?

So now, you may be thinking, "Great Kendrick, but how do I choose the right travel option for me?" Well, it starts with knowing yourself and your preferences better. Are you the ‘I want to plan my own trip’ fellow, or would you love it if someone else did the heavy lifting while you just enjoyed the ride? Or maybe you’re somewhere in the middle, wanting the security of an organized plan, but with room for spontaneity and freedom!

In conclusion, whether you’re an FIT, IIT, or GIT traveler, there’s a unique journey waiting for you. The magic lies in knowing that there's a perfect travel experience specifically tailored to your expectations and preferences. So, pack up your bags, grab your sunnies, and prepare yourself for an extraordinary holiday—there's a big, wide world out there waiting to be explored! Happy travels!

The Underbelly – How These Travel Trends Impact the Industry

Now, this wouldn’t be a complete analysis if I didn’t touch on how these traveling trends impact the tourism industry. However, that’s a narrative for another day – a cliffhanger for you to watch out for in my next write-up in the whirlwind world of travel and tourism.

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Kendrick Fairhurst

Hello, I'm Kendrick Fairhurst, a seasoned expert in hotel and lodging, as well as the travel industry. I have dedicated years of my life to exploring and understanding the intricacies of these fields. My passion for traveling has led me to all corners of the globe, and I thoroughly enjoy sharing my expertise and experiences with others. I am an avid writer, with a particular focus on informative and engaging content about tourism. My ultimate goal is to inspire others to explore the world and discover the magic of travel.

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Have you ever heard the term Fully Independent Traveler (FIT)?

What is a fully independent traveler?

What are other acceptable uses of this term , what are the features of fully independent travellers, is the fit segment interesting for tour operators and travel agencies, how can tour operators and travel agencies target fits.

Most people see emerging technologies as the number one factor that keeps transforming the tourism industry . While this is true, another important piece of the industry’s transformation puzzle is the travelers themselves . The needs of travelers are constantly shifting, and brand-new traveler segments emerge on a regular basis.

One of these segments is fully independent travelers .

Tour operators and travel agencies see many opportunities in this segment of travelers . Should you focus on it as well or continue – business as usual? There is only one way to answer that question. You need more information on this type of traveler. Let’s see what a fully independent traveler is, what makes them unique, and work our way towards whether this is an exciting option for you and how to target independent travelers.

Fully independent travelers (or FIT) is a term that stems from independent foreign tours. The independent foreign tour is no longer used, and you will often find these tourists addressed as FITs. The F in this acronym stands for ‘fully.’

But what is a fully independent traveler then? While the concept of a traveler encompasses all kinds of travelers, it’s most often used to describe people who enjoy mass tourism and holiday packages . They don’t mind using the products that somebody else created for them, including complete travel and stay arrangements.

FITs are entirely different from your standard travelers . They don’t find mass tourism and holiday package offers particularly attractive. In fact, they are not interested in them at all. They have a more individualistic approach to travel.

The definition of FIT goes like this:

“FIT is a person who travels completely independently and free of a tour operator and travel agency assistance.”

In other words, a FIT manages and arranges the itinerary according to their needs and preferences. It includes everything ranging from transportation arrangements and hotel stay to excursions and sightseeing.

Today, FIT is a common term in the tourism industry. However, there are still many people that use it interchangeably with other terms. Different terms should not confuse you as they all refer to the same thing – a fully independent traveler. The best way to avoid confusion is to get familiar with all other terms commonly used in the industry.

Here is a complete list of other acceptations of this term:

Free Independent Traveler;
Free Independent Tourist;
Fully Independent Traveler;
Foreign Independent Traveler;
Foreign Independent Tourist;
Frequent Independent Traveler;
Flexible Independent Travel;
Frequent Individual Traveler.

Now that you know what FIT is and all the synonyms you can potentially encounter online and when networking, let’s see what makes FITs unique. Or, in other words, the behavior, needs, expectations, and wants of FITs.

We’ve already established that FITs work out their itineraries independently and arrange travel plans to reflect their unique needs. They also don’t travel on group tours. But is there anything more that these travelers share in common? Below you can find all the features of FITs.

Traveling solo, in couples, or in small intimate groups

When we talk about FITs, we refer to a group of travelers who are not interested in being part of big groups surrounded by people they don’t know. Many of them prefer to go on a trip by themselves . However, some of them don’t exclusively travel solo.

FITs are also known to travel in couples . They can also plan trips as a small group . These groups are intimate, meaning they usually include friends and family members.

It’s a diverse demographic group

Usually, travelers with specific travel behavior, needs, and wants, are found in the same demographic segment based on age. This is not the case with FITs. It’s quite a diverse demographic group. Most often, the youngest members are millennials, but they are soon to be joined by Generation Z (those born in the mid and late 90s). 30% of Gen Z prefer to travel alone , and 20% of the same generation plan to go on a solo backpacking trip.

On the other side, you can also find retirees as one of the most active FITs. They are more experienced in travel and know what they want to get out of a trip. It enables them to custom-tailor their experiences and travel entirely independently.

They have above-average income

Another vital factor to consider is the income of travelers. Group travel packages and transportation are popular because they come with attractive price tags and are often found on first-minute and last-minute discounts.

Independent travel is more expensive than standard travel. That’s why you will find most FITs to have above-average incomes. It enables them to afford more costly forms of travel, including accommodation and transportation. Most of the FITs have an income in the $150,000 range .

Planning their own unique itineraries

The travel products tour operators and travel agencies offer are often pre-built. Many travelers find this quite convenient as they need not worry about anything except packing their bags. With FITs, the situation is quite the opposite. They want to have complete control over the travel experience .

That’s why FITs plan their own unique itineraries . With so much information readily available online, FIT tourists can research destinations independently and plan their itineraries as if they are travel specialists.

Booking their own transportation and accommodation

The standard tourist does like to explore various accommodation and transportation opportunities. However, their options are limited by the travel agency’s offer. Also, when choosing a travel agent, they often have to book transportation and accommodation through an agency.

FITs book transportation and accommodation on their own. There are many transportation companies and hotels that offer direct booking. It makes it easier for FITs to find what they need. They can book a flight at a specific time and make their independent travel dreams come true.

Exploring destinations on their own

Finally, traditional travel packages often include excursions and sightseeing tours at the destination. Tourists can pursue their own adventures outside these pre-arranged tours but often have very little time to do so.

Independent tourists don’t like to adapt to a schedule somebody else created for them. Instead, they want to explore destinations at their own pace. They are interested in various things, including culture, food, history, and architecture. And since they are independent, they can cherry-pick what the destination has to offer and make their trip one of a kind.

The FIT segment is quite interesting for tour operators and travel agencies as there is excellent potential to generate new revenue streams from FITs. The FIT markets throughout the world keep growing. The pre-pandemic figures indicate that it was growing 7.5% on average per year in western Europe . As the restrictions are being lifted, it’s expected that the market will continue to grow at least at the same pace.

Asian destinations, especially Chinese and Thailand localities, are quite popular among FITs. Many backpackers, the sub-segment of FITs, visited Bangkok, and 63% of them were from Europe alone . Hong Kong’s revenue from FIT products keeps on increasing. Over four years, it went up by more than 100%, from HK$2 billion to HK$5.6 billion .

According to the Solo Traveler Reader Survey , 70% of solo travelers preferred to stay completely independent while traveling. 40% spend $1,000 on average per week, excluding airfare, while 30% spend $2,500 on average per week.

Another way to assess the potential value of catering to the needs of FITs is to take a look at the solo travel search trends on major search engines. Over two years, from 2020 to 2022, the number of searches for solo travel on Google quadrupled .

Post-pandemic travel trends are pretty interesting. Google trends indicate that solo travel is trending with a massive increase of over 700% . Booking also reports some interesting numbers. According to their report , the number of solo travelers increased by 100% after the pandemic.

It appears that Australia is the number one option among FITs. According to the latest research , this continent is the most popular destination for international solo tourists.

If you find these numbers compelling, you probably want to tap into the FIT market. But is there a way to do it? Tour operators and travel agencies have plenty of options for attracting more FITs and increasing their revenue.

Tour operators have to shift their approach when it comes to creating travel packages. Instead of creating complete packages, they need to focus more on single niche experiences before selling them to consumers and travel agents. Here are some tips tour operators can follow when including culture, food, history, nature, and architecture-related products in their offer:

Focus on smaller products – instead of creating A-Z experiences, focus on creating single products to attract FITs;
Choose quality before quantity – when creating products, be mindful of the value the travel experience delivers instead of simply following the “the more, the better” rule;
Include optional local tour guides – make tour guides optional, as FITs often prefer to explore destinations alone without a guide . Keeping it as an option will enable you to attract also FITs that want to learn something from a local guide;
Include products for solo, couple, and small group travel – FITs love to travel either solo or in small groups; keep this in mind when creating products;
Diversify offer – don’t base your products on just one type of experience; diversify your offer by creating culture, architecture, nature, history, and food-oriented products.

When it comes to travel agencies, the most important thing they can do to target FITs is to drop their pre-planned travel itineraries. But before you can implement this strategy, you need to align with tour operators that offer agencies to hand-pick products.

Since travel agencies are the storefront travelers often explore before booking a trip, you would also need to revisit your website . Most importantly, you must create and deliver a new interface enabling FITs to interact with the products in your listings.

For instance, you can create an itinerary builder and connect it with your product database. It will enable FITs to use it whenever they need to create a specialized itinerary that reflects their unique needs.

Furthermore, you should make your offers more attractive by optimizing costs. Offering affordable booking opportunities to FITs while still being able to remain profitable can be challenging. That’s where platforms such as Hotelmize can help you out. It will help you take advantage of booking price volatility and enable you to offer products at competitive prices.

Finally, you should optimize your marketing strategies to consider the needs, wants, and preferences of FITs . For instance, you can revise your SEO strategy to target FIT-related keywords in your blog posts and product descriptions.

PPC marketing is also an option because it allows you to target specific keywords and appear in relevant search results. You can extend your marketing efforts to social media platforms as well. Don’t forget that many FITs are tech-savvy and like to spend time on social media.

Some platforms, such as Facebook, already have targeting filters in the “People Traveling to This Location” category to help you reach FITs, including:

Fresh arrivals from the airport;
Travelers who are interested in a specific characteristic of a city;
Newly engaged and newlywed couples;
Birthday celebrators;
Parents who are traveling with kids in a location.

FITs are travelers who value independence above everything else. They include people of all ages with above-average income who prefer to create their own itineraries, book transport, and accommodation on their own, and explore destinations solo or in small groups.

Given that the FIT market looks healthy and keeps growing, tour operators and travel agencies are becoming more interested in it with every passing year. If you want to tap into this market, the strategies we’ve outlined will help you target FITs.

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Cristóbal Reali, VP of Global Sales at Mize, with over 20 years of experience, has led high-performance teams in major companies in the tourism industry, as well as in the public sector. He has successfully undertaken ventures, including a DMO and technology transformation consulting. In his role at Mize, he stands out not only for his analytical and strategic ability but also for effective leadership. He speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. He holds a degree in Economics from UBA, complementing his professional training at Harvard Business School Online.

Mize is the leading hotel booking optimization solution in the world. With over 170 partners using our fintech products, Mize creates new extra profit for the hotel booking industry using its fully automated proprietary technology and has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue across its suite of products for its partners. Mize was founded in 2016 with its headquarters in Tel Aviv and offices worldwide.

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FITs: A Booming Market and an Opportunity for Agents

This is the first of two interviews with Avanti Destination’s Harry Daalgard on FITs Fully independent travel. Foreign independent tour. Whichever definition you ascribe to the acronym FIT, one thing is certain. FITs are an increasingly popular form of travel as more clients forego off-the-shelf packaged tours in favor of bespoke itineraries. Selling FITs is an opportunity for travel agents to showcase their expertise—and prove their value to clients, according to Harry Dalgaard, founder and president of Avanti Destinations. The company specializes in independent travel to Europe and Central and South America. Travel Market Report spoke with Dalgaard about trends in FIT and FIT travel to Europe. Many tour operators tell us that FIT business is booming. Do you agree? Dalgaard: I’ve been in the market for 34 years. The growth we’ve seen in our area of specialization is extraordinary. At Avanti, our business to Europe has more than doubled in the last four years. At the moment there’s a perception that you’re getting a lot of bang for the buck there. We’re seeing the lowest exchange rates in many years. Many people are jumping at the opportunity to go there because the Euro may not stay that low for long. Other than a weak Euro at the moment, what trends do you think are driving the growth of FITs? Dalgaard: I think the market is maturing and expanding. There’s been a tremendous amount of growth from the Midwest. Traditionally, that’s been more of an escorted or group market. But now the folks who’ve already experienced group travel want to go back. This time, they want to sample those destinations on their own. How do the demographics break down for FITs as opposed to packaged tours? Dalgaard: Since we’re a straight B2B, we don’t typically have a lot of client data. But we do have age statistics. They tell us that half of our clientele is under 50. We’re also seeing a growing acceptance of travel professionals by millennials. They’re like boomers in that they like their independence. They also like to use agents. They’re web savvy and they don’t mind research. But when it’s more than simply a three-night stay in Cancun, they want an advocate on their side. Agents are advocates. They can reach millennials with authentic, unique itineraries. What’s the strongest argument for FIT travel as opposed to a packaged tour? Dalgaard: Customized travel is a lot more personal. And it’s so rewarding to have encounters that aren’t pre-planned. Sometimes the greatest experiences happen that way. We also encourage people to get off the beaten path. In Europe, we want to give them the flexibility to explore beyond the major capital cities. We make it possible for them to go to small villages in Germany, attend a wine fest or experience a traditional festival in Spain. For example, there’s the Las Fallas Festival in Valencia each March where you’ll see bonfires on every corner. It’s really special if you come across something like that. It’s not mass tourism or grandstands. But it’s definitely authentic. What are the biggest advantages for travel agents in booking FITs? Daalgard: There’s value in showing your expertise to the client. You’re providing them with a customized vacation. Agents also earn a good commission on lots of things that clients can pre-book. There are so many things such as day sightseeing tours that concierge ends up booking. In Paris, for example, you know they’re going to take a day tour to Versailles, to the Normandy beaches, to the Loire chateaux. Why not get your commission on those things? What other destinations in Europe are doing well for FIT business? Dalgaard: Portugal and Andalusia, Spain are very strong for us. Iceland is probably the highest growth product in terms of percentage. The stopover opportunities with Icelandair make it very attractive. It’s also seen as an adventure destination and it’s very appealing to millennials. You have a lot of people going up to see the Aurora Borealis, or to dive under frozen lakes. Other tour operators tell us that the growing river cruise market is helping their business. Do you agree? Dalgaard: Definitely. We’re seeing a tremendous benefit. These aren’t mass market cruises. The ships carry 150 passengers. Most of them are interested in being away for about 10 to 14 days. The average cruise is one week. So the passengers are looking for some time to add on to the front or the back. We’re seeing people get off in Passau, make their way to Prague or Vienna and fly out from there. It’s not just central Europe; people are looking for stays in places like Bordeaux and Lyon. For agents, it’s a great opportunity to sell some additional pre- or post-cruise stays to their river cruise clients. What about ocean cruises? Dalgaard: They’re also bringing in extra FIT business. Baltic Sea cruises are leading to tremendous growth in Copenhagen and Stockholm, two big ports. Both are lovely cities, and the chance to plan some extra time there is something agents should jump at. Norway is going crazy with the whole “Frozen” phenomenon. It’s hard to imagine that a cartoon aimed at kids is generating interest, but it is. Everyone wants to go there. It’s lovely, you can’t blame them. Next time: The FIT market in Latin and South America

Is FIT tourism for you?

Understand what FIT tourism is and why you should try this route.

When people travel, there are many ways to see and experience a world of possible destinations. One common term common within the tourism industry is FIT .

Originally, the acronym "FIT" stood for foreign independent tour . Now it is most commonly used to describe a fully independent traveller . It could also be used to mean free independent traveller, frequent independent traveller, or foreign independent traveller .

All of these terms, however, share a keyword and concept: independent . These travellers almost always design their itineraries and arrange their travel plans. In FIT, the traveller is self-guided and independent of the guidance, scheduling, or membership of an outside business for such travels.

Who are the FITs?

1. fits plan their trips ..

The huge rise in availability of all aspects of travel planning online, including websites devoted to helping plan travel, has made it easier for independent travellers to work their specialized itineraries and book their transportation and accommodations. First-hand travel information about destinations, transportation arrangements, and hotel reservations worldwide are available at one click/tap for independent travellers. This diminishes their need for traditional travel agents, making packaged trips less appealing.

As a result, FITs are a quickly growing segment of the tourist market. Europeans tend to travel extensively as FITs, although to what extent varies by destination. Destinations that are safe and where infrastructure is better, tend to be popular among FITs. Nonetheless, in absolute numbers, Asia is the most popular among FITs from Europe, followed by South America and Africa. According to a study profiling 263 backpackers in Bangkok’s Khao San Road area , most of them (63%) were from Europe.

2. FITs keep away from group travel.

But what all FITs share is a desire to avoid mass tourism in favour of an individualized, independent approach. They tend to want to explore their chosen destinations on their own and at their own pace with an emphasis on enjoying the local food, architecture, history, and culture.

3. FITs sometimes use travel agents .

Meanwhile, as a result of the rise in popularity of independent and solo travel, travel professionals are adjusting their services accordingly. There are now agencies that specialize in customised trips for individuals and small groups who want to choose their destinations and plan their itineraries.

The travelling is still independent, but the planning benefits from professional expertise and inside knowledge. And of course, it takes much less time than searching for all the information you need on your own.

An agent who specializes in FIT travel can help you plan custom sightseeing with a private tour guide, arrange a private cooking class or a wine-tasting tour, and even hook you up with knowledgeable local representatives. The agent will help you plan a personalised travel experience based on the input you provide. If you wish, an agent can often arrange to have someone meet you at your destination and take you to your hotel. Travel professionals are especially helpful in finding non-traditional or out-of-the-way accommodations that do not advertise on the internet, such as villas, farmhouses, inns, and family-run bed-and-breakfasts.

FIT provides travellers with the benefit of customisation. It allows for a pace of travel that matches your travel preferences. If you're knowledgeable about the destination you want to visit (even if you've never travelled there), you may well be able to plan and execute the whole trip yourself. If you want the flexibility to change your plans each day or have a lot of time in which to travel (weeks or months), FIT may be the way to go.

FIT is a chance to go with less direction, scheduling, and group limitations. In everyday life, we all experience the measures of guidance and strict scheduling regularly. A trip away is a chance to get away from this adherence to schedule and group intention. The break from this that FIT provides is why it is so popular today.

However, choosing FIT requires you to have an active role in the planning and experience of your trip. It can be harder to budget a FIT since it will not include meals, in-destination transportation, or sightseeing costs. Creating a custom itinerary usually means more time planning on the travel agent’s part. However, many agents enjoy planning FIT because they can work closely with clients to craft a tailor-made trip specifically for them. In some cases, travel agents can add excursions, sightseeing tours, and in-destination transportation if their clients request it.

FIT is the way by which our forefathers travelled many years ago – independently. Today, we can do the same, but with a world of informational resources and planning tools that were unavailable to those of the past.

This is the world of FIT, or free independent travel.

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Free Independent Travellers (FITs)
Market Potential
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The European market potential for free independent traveller tourism

Free independent travellers (FITs) are travellers who plan their own trips and prefer to travel alone or in small groups. They are the opposite of mass tourists, who travel in large groups and buy predefined travel packages. Eastern European markets are more engaged in mass tourism, while FIT tourism is becoming the norm in Western European and Scandinavian countries. For FITs, unique experiences are most important. If you can offer these, the FIT market is your primary target.

Contents of this page

Product description
What makes Europe an interesting market for FIT tourism?
Which European countries offer most opportunities for FIT tourism?
What trends offer opportunities in the European FIT tourism market?

1. Product description

The acronym FIT may refer to free independent traveller, fully independent traveller, foreign independent traveller or frequent independent traveller. In all of these definitions, independence is the keyword . In our study, when we use ‘FIT’, we refer to travellers who plan their own trips and prefer to travel alone or in small groups.

FIT tourism is better defined as a way of travelling. Instead of comprehensive travel packages for groups, FIT tourism travelling is more personal and individual. Travellers design their own trips, choose their own destinations and visits, based on the information already they have. FIT tourism is the opposite of mass tourism; FITs prefer to create their own trips instead of following crowds.

FITs travel alone, as a couple or accompanied by a small number of people. The goal of FITs is to follow their own path, explore the things they want to see and with that create their own unique travelling experience. By planning their own trip, they can travel at their own pace, not bound to a group.

When talking with a European tour operator, it is very important to understand what they mean when talking about FIT tourism. The concept of FIT tourism is loose; it can range from travellers booking without a tour operator, to personalised trips conducted by a tour operator based on the wishes of the traveller, to trips based on components which are predefined by a tour operator, or dynamic packaging . Some European tour operators even see fully predefined trips for individuals or small groups as FIT tourism, although for the purpose of this study, we do not.

Free independent travellers are mostly well experienced and very individualistic travellers, which is why they try to keep some degree of freedom by not booking everything on a trip in advance. They already have enough experience to allow them to decide on sight what to visit and how to travel. They seek less group experience than other tourists, but most still want to see the big highlights. The difference is that they do not want to visit these in an ordinary way with a big group, but rather in special and unique ways.

The internet gives travellers better access to research on travelling information. They also get travel inspiration from photos, videos, stories and online reviews. Because there is so much to find online, it is much easier for tourists to make decisions about what to visit then it was before the internet. The internet has become the most important place for fully independent travellers to get their travel information, which means you must be well represented online for FITs to find you.

Figure 1: FIT traveller characteristics

Source: tripsavvy

Make sure you have pictures as well as travel stories and links to blogs on your website.
Ask customers to review your business online. FITs see online ratings and reviews as good indicators of quality.
Try to be present on multiple social media channels to interact with current and future customers.
Read our other tips on how to become a successful tourism company online .

Some free independent travellers choose to travel with the help of a travel agency. These agencies offer building blocks for tourists to complement once they are already on travel, but they also offer completely customised trips.

Backpacking is a classic form of FIT tourism. Backpackers normally book some sort of transport to arrive at an initial point of departure and from there they travel farther without a specific plan or time schedule, but only carrying a backpack as luggage. They decide where to go next, how to go and how long to stay on the fly during their trip. Flexibility is very important to backpackers and that is why they will not book much of their trips far into the future.

A small minority of independent travellers has very specific interests. The interests can vary widely, from caves, to special birds, specific communities, tribal governance systems, organisation of labour in small villages, and traditional values in communities. Although few in number, these travellers tend to spend a lot of money in your country. They are served best if you think along with them about the opportunities your country offers within their specific field of interest.

Focus on backpackers if there is still little tourism in your area. Backpackers are the explorers and pioneers among tourists.
When you guide fully independent travellers, avoid the other tourists and take more unknown routes.
Show the big highlights quickly to FITs, then focus on smaller and unique aspects of the destination.

2. What makes Europe an interesting market for FIT tourism?

Europeans tend to travel extensively as FITs, although to what extent varies by destination. Attracting European FIT travellers offers an interesting opportunity, because attracting FIT tourists usually offers better margins compared to selling via European tour operators. However, many European FIT tourists are very price conscious. Before corona, the FIT market was growing by between 5% and 10% per year in Western Europe, and with 0–5% per year in Eastern and Southern European countries.

European FIT tourists are very active compared to tourists from Asia and the United States. Many travellers like to enjoy your country cycling and hiking. Compared to American tourists, Europeans also travel slower. They will stay in a certain area for a longer period of time, while Americans make more use of domestic flights to see all the highlights in your country.

Compared to tourists from the United States, European travellers are very demanding. They need a lot of detailed information and are more price conscious. However, they are less interested in luxury, expensive food and accommodation, and more interested in remote locations and nature. Offering a holiday to a remote location in a tent can be very appealing to European independent travellers.

Destinations which are safe and where infrastructure is better, tend to be popular among FITs. Nonetheless, in absolute numbers, Asia is the most popular among FITs from Europe, followed by South America and Africa. According to a study profiling 263 backpackers in Bangkok’s Khao San Road area , most of them (63%) were from Europe.

But for African countries, too, Europe offers a valuable source market for FIT tourism, as Europe is relatively close to Africa and therefore flight tickets are cheaper. Another consequence is that it is easier to sell shorter trips to European travellers.

Many FITs looking for online deals travel on low-cost airlines, whose budget prices make it more accessible for travellers to fly. The declining costs of long-haul flights facilitated by budget airlines has helped to boost a 29% increase in long-haul trips booked by Europeans in 2017 compared to 2016. In the same period, the biggest increases in the number of tickets booked were to the Dominican Republic (147%), New Delhi (106%) and Praia, Cabo Verde (76%). In 2018 compared to 2017, the number of cheap flights booked to some destinations were even higher: Marsa Alam, Egypt (156%), Sal, Cabo Verde (148%) and Rosario, Argentina (130%).

It is very uncertain how the FIT market will develop after corona. Some experts expect the European FIT market will increase, while others expect it to decrease. An important reason for an expected increase is that the financial crisis in many European countries forces tourists to search for the best deals and one way of doing this is by cutting the costs of European tour operators by planning their own trip. One of the tour operators we spoke to expected that within ten years the market for FIT tour operators in Western Europe will have completely vanished, because all customers will book directly via local entrepreneurs.

The main reason for the return of package deals is because it offers European tourists security. Under some circumstances, European tour operators are obliged to bring their customers home . In case of increased travel restrictions due to COVID-19 it also offers European tourists the right to cancel their trip and get the costs of their trip refunded, whereas there is no such protection for travellers who book their travel arrangements independently. Note that this may also affect you if you work with European tour operators.

Identify and invite a European tour operator to visit your area or attraction free of charge. Make sure you are dealing with a serious operator who will not just take advantage of simply taking a free holiday at your expense.
Provide tour operators with sufficient information, like clear brochures including detailed photos, to facilitate them sell your activities. European travellers demand lots of information. For example, if you organise a bike ride, just saying that it happens in the morning is not enough; you should also provide the distance travelled, the change in altitude, the duration, the number of breaks, etc.
Make sure the information on your website and in other materials is appealing to the European target group, like the information on Go Adventure and Adventure & Fun Albania .
Read our tips on how to deal with the European Package directive if you are offering services to European tour operators.
Do not publish accurate prices on your website if you sell to tourists directly and via European tour operators. European tour operators are not eager to buy from you if their customers see that your prices are lower than their prices.

3. Which European countries offer most opportunities for FIT tourism?

Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark offer most opportunities on the independent travel market.

Independent travel is most common among Western European and Scandinavian travellers, especially long-haul trips. On account of their large populations and willingness to travel independently, Germany, the United Kingdom and France are the main FIT markets in Europe. Although Sweden and Denmark are relatively small source markets, they offer high opportunities due to their willingness to travel independently and their high travel budget. Italy and Spain offer large tourism markets, but their willingness to travel independently is far less.

Germany is the largest European FIT market

According to tourism experts, Germany is the largest independent traveller market. It offers the most trips to developing countries and there is a high willingness to travel independently. Before corona, the market share for FIT tourism remained stable for many years. In 2018, 36% of German tourists booked their accommodations directly, compared to 34% in 2010. In 2019, this rate dropped to 35%.

Germany is by far the largest economy in the EU and the fourth-largest in the world with a gross domestic product (GDP) of €3.5 trillion, or €43 thousand per capita. According to Reiseanalyse, the percentage of German travellers booking package tours in 2019 was 45%, rising 3% since 2010. In the same period, online bookings increased significantly from 26% to 44%. The percentage of travellers booking their transportation independently was 15%. 56% of German travellers use an online travel agency to book a trip , which is more than the British (47%) and the French (44%).

Germans have an ever-growing concern about the sustainability of holidays, as 73% feel at least a little guilty about climate consequences when they travel by air. Furthermore, 61% of German tourists feel positive towards sustainable trips, but only 6% are acting on it. This means there is still a large gap between the attitude and actual behaviour of these tourists.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a huge drop in outgoing travel in 2020, it also made German travellers even more eager to travel the world, as 62% of the travellers have a heightened desire to see more of the world. 60% won’t take travel for granted in the future, which is comparable to the global average of 61%. The German vaccination rate is comparable to most other Western European countries, with 42% of the adult population being fully vaccinated by July 2021.

Hygiene safety measures are important for German travellers, but less important compared to other European countries. Only 51% of the German travellers, compared to 70% globally, will book an accommodation if it is clear about health and hygiene policies. 47% of travellers accept health checks on arrival, which is much lower than the global average of 67%.

Table 1: German travellers’ long-haul destinations in 2019 compared to 2017

Source: Reiseanalyse

When targeting German travellers, you need to offer sufficient information to attract German FITs. They tend to seek a lot of information before deciding to go visit a place. Like most Europeans, Germans are quite straightforward in their communication style, but they are also well known for their organisation and punctuality. In general, they don’t like changes and you need very good arguments if you intend to deviate your offering from the arrangement. As Germans tend to travel a lot, most German travellers are very experienced.

The United Kingdom offers the second-largest European market for free independent travellers

Looking at holidays spent abroad, 50% of British travellers booked their travel and accommodation themselves , using different travel companies. As many as 15% of British travellers choose to travel solo as FITs. Turkey (1.6 million trips), Thailand and India (each with 1 million trips) are the most visited developing country destinations by British tourists, according to UNWTO data.

When booking a trip, British travellers have a lower preference for all-inclusive holidays compared to German and French tourists. However, the demand for all-inclusive and package holidays saw a comeback in 2019 , mainly caused by travel to Egypt and Turkey.

Compared to other European source countries, British travellers are more demanding and assertive if their requirements are not met. In general, they will ask for a lot of information on possible activities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made British travellers even more eager to travel the world, as 47% of travellers have a heightened desire to see more of the world.

Hygiene safety measures are important for British travellers, compared to German and Dutch travellers. 68% of the British travellers, compared to 70% globally, will book an accommodation if it is clear about health and hygiene policies. 63% of travellers accept health checks on arrival, which is comparable to the global average of 67%. The United Kingdom currently has the highest vaccination rate in Europe, with 50% of the adult population being fully vaccinated by July 2021.

With a population of 66 million and a gross domestic product of €2.3 trillion, the United Kingdom is the fifth-largest economy in the world and the second in Europe. The UK’s GDP per capita is €38 thousand per year, meaning the British have least disposable income among the top FIT markets in Europe.

From our top-6 countries, according to experts, the French have the lowest preference for independent travel. However, France is a very important source market, especially for French-speaking destinations such as Morocco. Also, French travellers enjoy more, and longer holiday trips in comparison to German and British tourists. They also have a higher preference for holidays with their families and relaxation.

When booking online, online travel agents (OTAs) (44%), search engines (38%) and travel reviews sites are the most important sources when booking a trip. Their preference for OTAs is slightly lower than the preference of German and British travellers, however.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a huge drop in outgoing travel in 2020, it also made French travellers even more eager to travel the world. 45% of travellers have a heightened desire to see more of the world. 65% of travellers won’t take travel for granted in the future, which is about equal to the global average of 61%. 38% of the adult population was fully vaccinated by July 2021, which is less than most other Western European countries. Many French are sceptical about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Hygiene safety measures are relatively important for French travellers, compared to German and Dutch travellers. 64% of the French travellers, compared to 70% globally, will book an accommodation if it is clear about health and hygiene policies. 66% of travellers accept health spot checks on arrival, which is comparable to the global average of 67%.

After the UK, France has the third-biggest GDP of Europe and the seventh-largest of the world, with about €2.3 trillion in 2019. Their population count is just over 65 million. Just like other European source countries, France saw a serious decline in their GDP in 2020. The average holiday budget has decreased from €2,201 in 2019 to €1,522 in 2020. This is comparable to the holiday budget of the Germans.

The Netherlands

The Netherlands has a huge potential for independent travel, as according to research by GFK, only 3% always book via a tour operator. They are also very disloyal, as only 10% always book their trip via the same supplier. Therefore, Dutch travellers are relatively easy to convince to become your customer, but hard to maintain as a client. An important driver for this behaviour is that Dutch independent travellers are very price conscious. They compare many offerings before they choose the best deal.

The fear of violence, price, political stability and the chance of (COVID-19) infections are the most important drivers when choosing a destination. Over 75% of tourists mainly book their trips online. Dutch travellers don’t value luxurious accommodations but want to make the most out of their trips by being physically active.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made Dutch travellers even more eager to travel the world, as 26% of travellers have a heightened desire to see more of the world. 45% won’t take travel for granted in the future, which is below the global average of 61%. 44% of the adult population was fully vaccinated by July 2021, which is a bit higher than most Western European countries, but lower than the United Kingdom.

Hygiene safety measures are important for Dutch travellers, but less important compared to other European countries. Only 52% of the Dutch travellers, compared to 70% globally, will book an accommodation if it is clear about health and hygiene policies. 50% of travellers accept health checks on arrival, which is much lower than the global average of 67%.

Sweden offers a wealthy but small market, with a population of 10.3 million and a GDP per capita of €41 thousand. Swedish travellers consider travelling sustainably to be very important. They prefer to book their travel before their flight and especially prefer adventure travel . 98% of the Swedish prefer to book their trips online. When on holiday, 61% prefers a digital detox, especially those between 35 and 55.

Although most Swedish travellers book online, word of mouth is the main source influencing destination choices. 72% of Swedish travellers argue that talking to others influences their destination choice, compared to a European average of 40%.

Denmark has a high percentage of free independent travellers

Denmark offers a small market: less than 6 million people. However, Denmark’s GDP per capita is approximately €54 thousand, which means the Danish have budget for travel expenditures. The Danes spend on average €2,000 on a summer holiday , which they normally book in January or February. Many Danes prefer adventurous travel ; according to UNWTO’s 2017 statistics, more Danes visit developing country destinations proportionally than the European average: 15.8% versus 12.4%.

For the Danes, the most important reasons to return to the same destination for a holiday are the natural features and the cultural and historical attractions. Many Danes, especially the fully independent travellers, speak more than one foreign language, such as English and German.

Focus on Denmark or Sweden if you aim to maximise a limited marketing budget. These countries have relatively small populations, but incomes are high and their travellers are highly focused on FIT tourism.
Offer great quality and sustainable holidays when attracting Swedish travellers, as it is very likely that good experiences by Swedish travellers will lead to more tourists.
Study your target markets. Update your knowledge by analysing statistics, for example, about the German holiday market and the British holiday market .

4. What trends offer opportunities in the European FIT tourism market?

Local and unique experiences are growing in demand.

The free independent traveller is looking for a unique experience, more so than a regular tourist. This includes, for example, contact with local communities and experiencing daily life. FITs want to experience ordinary life in the places they visit, including doing and seeing things that locals do and see. Fully independent travellers want to meet and talk with locals to get a real feeling of how life is in their country.

Figure 2: Enjoying a cooking class and learning to prepare local food can be a unique experience

Source: Shutterstock

Note that most FITs also want to see the main touristic highlights and visit the same destinations as package tourists. Even for young travellers, famous sights and attractions are still the number-one priority when travelling, followed by adventure experiences, special local food and spontaneous experiences with locals. FITs aim to experience ordinary life and unique experiences on top of the main attractions. This is especially the case where life in the places they visit differs from their lives at home.

Develop activities with local agents, since it does not take much to create interesting activities. This can be as simple as a bike tour through surrounding villages, visiting local businesses or agriculture, and getting travellers into contact with locals. An example is Chambok Community , a village in Cambodia where visitors join in activities with locals, such as helping to collect food or going on a tractor ride. Read our study on community-based tourism to learn more on how to offer local experiences.
Offer workshops, which are easy to set up and accessible for tourists, for example, a cooking workshop where you learn to make local food specialities. Other examples include dyeing umbrellas in Thailand, dyeing textiles in Guatemala, or making music in Brazil on the rhythm of samba, milonga, chamame, and chacarera. More examples of these forms of creative tourism can be found in our study on the opportunities for cultural tourism .
Use local forms of transport, like riding an oxcart or a tuk-tuk .
Start something close to a tourist attraction or on a route between attractions. European FITs want to travel efficiently.

Keep in mind that most European tourists prefer comfort, demand clean beds and choose to stay in places that are in line with an idealised image of a country, not necessarily what the experience of locals actually is. Check the Asian Homestay Standard , which offer standards on hosting, accommodation, activities, management, location, hygiene and cleanliness, safety and security, marketing, and sustainability principles. However, keep in mind that this standard is not a regulation. Read it as a source of inspiration and talk to your clients to learn what they really want.

Adjust your homestay to European standards but keep the rest intact. Existing facilities can be uncomfortable for Europeans. For any visits longer than an hour, you need at least seats and a toilet. For overnight stays, you will need a clean bed and a shower. If you can’t assure a clean bed, avoid overnight stays.
Ask your European clients for precise instructions about the comfort needs of your guests.
Offer enough diversity and options in the food you serve. Although most FITs want to experience the local cuisine, Europeans likely won’t understand three rice meals a day, for example. Ideally, if you can, offer local cuisine with a lot of variety. For inspiration, read about the food offered by a Dutch tour operator on the Inca trail in Peru or read our study on food and wine tourism .
Understand your clients and listen to them. Many visitors will appreciate locals wearing traditional clothing or performing a ritual dance, for example. Others may be disappointed, finding it contrived and no reflective of actual daily life.

Increasing price consciousness

Many independent travellers are very price conscious, and some experts expect this number to grow. Due to increased use of the internet, and better search engine algorithms, the market is becoming increasingly transparent. This gives independent travellers the opportunity to compare your offerings with many competitors and choose the deal with the best value for money. Many travellers are willing to book with a local tour operator or destination management company directly, to cut the margins of a European tour operator.

Increasing demand for sustainability

Although the demand for sustainable travel is a general trend, FITs have an even higher demand for sustainable travel, because in general they are younger and more educated.

According to Booking.com , the top-5 most important eco-friendly practices when considering an accommodation to stay in are solar energy (67%), sustainable water system (43%), low-flow showers and toilets (36%), organic restaurants and food options (31%) and recycling baskets in the room (29%). Eco lodges are very popular among travellers because it is an expression of having an eco-friendly and sustainable business. An example in Myanmar is A Little Eco Lodge .

Most tourists associate sustainability with environmental sustainability. However, interest in how the community is affected by their travel is increasing as well.

Start small and find something eco-friendly that your area is good at to show to tourists, like reducing plastic waste. Start for example by examining your receipts to find out which items contribute the most to plastic waste and then choose a top 3 to eliminate or reduce. Another way of doing this is to identify which plastic items are being used out of habit rather than necessity, and remove these completely.
Keep comparing your prices to other similar businesses. Many free independent travellers will choose sustainable trips, but they will refrain from booking when the differences in price are too big.
Target older FITs if your accommodation offers high comfort. Older FITs are more experienced travellers who demand more comfort, have more budget and are less tied to seasons.
Explain to independent travellers how their trip benefits the local community. Examples of doing so are explaining about jobs that are provided and products that are being sold, offering the community the ability to sustain their families.
Make sure your website accepts a valid European online pay method ; it helps build trust and rapport with customers, when all they know about your business is your website. Read also the CBI study on how to implement online payments .

Experiences shared online

FITs often get inspiration online from blogs, vlogs and other sources. Complete travel reports and reviews in those sources give tourists a good view of how other people have experienced their journeys and destinations. They make it easier for the tourist to decide what to visit based on other people’s reviews.

Many tourists share their own experiences online, for example, on Airbnb , Backstreet Academy , Local Alike and Resirest .

Invite bloggers to write about your area. If possible, let them come and stay free of charge.
Read the CBI study on how to start a travel blog to learn about using it to attract tourists.
Improve the impression that tourists get from your website: display online reviews, memberships in organisations like a regional tourism board, and certifications such as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council certification .
Respond quickly to emails. Flexibility is important for tourists and they want quick responses on questions and bookings, preferably by the next day at the latest.
Offer alternatives if you can’t meet the requests of FITs, who are often very flexible.

Health and safety measures become more important

The COVID-19 pandemic can be expected to have a major impact on travellers’ attitudes towards hygiene. Safety and hygiene standards have become paramount and may even become non-negotiable, because travellers simply require these to be at an appropriate standard.

Travellers will be more reluctant to travel to tourism hot spots and may need more persuasion to perceive a destination or your business as safe. Precautions and explaining how the initial COVID-19 outbreak was handled will help to convince travellers that they will be safe at a specific destination, location or service business.

It is expected that hygiene will impact the way people travel to and within a destination. This applies to, for example, hygiene standards, whether face masks are compulsory, and seat spacing. Price may become less important than hygiene and travelling in groups with strangers is probably becoming less attractive.

Women are more cautious regarding health and safety standards than men. Countries in southern Europe and the United Kingdom find it more acceptable to have health spot checks on arrival compared to Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries.

A consequence of the higher emphasis on health and hygiene is a higher demand for small-scale accommodations. The expectations are that prices of small-scale accommodation will rise when visitors return.

This study was carried out on behalf of CBI by Molgo and ETFI .

Please review our market information disclaimer .

Entering the European market for the FIT segment

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Aside from the traditional game drives and boat rides as key activities in Uganda, it is increasingly evident that the destination is drifting toward a more active, adventurous one. Tour/safari packages come with a blend of tracking, trekking, cycling, rafting, ziplining, tubing and cultural encounter activities, among others. These demand a fair level of physical fitness on the part of the traveller. It is therefore important for international sellers and travellers to inquire about the physical demands in the safari packages to ensure they have the ability to fully enjoy the offer! This said, much slower and less physically demanding safaris can be offered. Ntale Benedict, director of Ape Treks

I love the creativity of preparing unique itineraries for independent travellers and being able not only to meet their individual needs but also offer some tailor-made, authentic experiences that match their interests. This gives smaller companies like ours an opportunity to design activities which support conservation and community development and ensure that their visitors gain a deeper insight into the places they visit and have a positive impact on them. Lesley Harris, managing director of Venture Uganda Travel

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What is the demand for outbound tourism on the European market?
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The role of perceived fit in the destination choice

Department of Marketing

Research output : Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review

As tourism has significant economic and employment impacts, many countries promote new tourist destinations. However, few researchers have examined the mechanisms that influence tourists’ decisions to visit these newly offered destinations, particularly those not yet in tourists’ evoked set. Drawing upon the push–pull framework and perceived fit theory, this research fills this gap by means of two experimental studies. Study 1 findings show that high perceived fit between travel motivations and destination image positively influences the intention to choose the new destination, and this effect is mediated by the perceived attractiveness of the destination. The findings from Study 2 indicate that the support of the destination community plays a moderating role in this mediating effect. In particular, the perceived attractiveness of the new destination is stronger and leads to the choosing intention only when the local community shows substantial support for the tourism development. Theoretically, perceived fit theory is applied in this research to better understand how the interplay between push and pull factors can explain tourist destination choice. Managerially, the findings can be used by destination marketers to implement effective support strategies when promoting newly launched tourist destinations.

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10.3727/108354220X16051389307147

'FIT' is a new dimension of tourism that should not be overlooked

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What is F.I.T

Why hit the tourist market F.I.T?

Main reasons why tourists choose to travel in f.i.t format, interested in renting a bus contact..

F.I.T stands for Free Individual Traveler, meaning a traveler traveling alone. This is in contrast to G.I.T (Group Individual Travelers), which is a group of tourists. Including various tour groups, which another meaning of F.I.T means independent tourism (Foreign Individual Tourism), suitable for tourists who like high privacy. It is a type of tourism in that tourists manage to plan every trip by themselves every step of the way.

which has advantages in terms of high privacy can control the travel time as needed You can choose the quality of products and services according to your needs. and suitable for their own limited budget However, there are disadvantages in cases where tourists are not familiar with the routes or attractions that may cause problems in terms of wasting time and excessive costs.

F.I.T tourism is a new issue that many parties may not know yet. spotting tourism trends both domestically and internationally Influenced by reviews or photos of places of the influencers or more bloggers And most importantly, it doesn't always have to be a big city.

But it can be street food, secondary cities, rural places, and natural places. Historical sites, temples, ancient sites as reviews But there is caution is that if different places Did not make a positive impression on tourists. It may cause negative trends on social media as well.

About 30% of these types of tourists travel normally. By booking a package to travel by yourself online, the other 70% are tour groups that sell packages at standard prices. And it is likely that F.I.T tourists will expand more. from the original that had been directed to buy products and services When a policy is organized It will help this group of tourists spend on a wider range of businesses.

In addition, tourists who like to travel in F.I.T style also have the European side. which tends to increase tourism in the Asia-Pacific region According to forecasts from the Asia-Pacific Tourism Promotion Association, it is expected that within the next four years, the number of tourism turnover within the same region will grow by 7-10%, with Thailand benefiting from being a hub for tourism. In addition, F.I.T tourists are also attractive in Thailand.

However, every hotel has to prepare for this new type of tourism. In addition to trying to upgrade the hotel itself. will have to come up with a strategy for their own hotel to grow sustainably because if there is still the same management would not develop and no stability

How to choose bus type that suits your usage

Traveling in F.I.T format costs tourists less than traveling with a travel agency. Tourists are already familiar with that attraction. But if tourists are not familiar with the route or the place. It may waste both time and money more than necessary. This type of tourism is suitable for tourists who have studied that attraction before. or a tourist who revisited that attraction again which tourists are familiar with that place well The main reasons why tourists choose to travel in F.I.T format are as follows:

Have high privacy and can be flexible on time as needed However, if traveling in a group with a travel agency Tourists must strictly adhere to the time specified in the itinerary. The opportunity to visit places of interest in detail is therefore rare.
Need quality tourism than the number of tourist attractions that have been visited, that is if traveling as a group Tourists tend to visit many attractions. But tourists do not have time to study the place in detail as they want. or lack of opportunities to learn the culture or get to know the local people fully Tourists is therefore only able to experience the sights on the surface. while traveling tourists have the opportunity to experience the sights they visit in depth. on demand because there is more time and can plan trips by themselves.

For anyone who has a desire to travel In the future, there may be a tendency to adjust both the government sector and tourists. In the part of the government sector, a health digital passport may be issued for health checks before travel under the concept of FTT or Fit to Traveling, in which tourists themselves must maintain their health. to prepare before the trip In addition to tourism Tourists have to do more homework. both in regards to the location and the journey that requires more safety considerations.

And for anyone who wants to rent a bus to travel to destinations in Thailand But still doesn't know where to use the service. DASH MV is a bus rental service. who dare to guarantee quality There are full facilities, good value, the bus has complete standards in every aspect, including safety. service standards including various conveniences It is also an air-conditioned bus and tour bus rental company that cares about everything. Details from contacting inquiries to picking up customers to their destinations.

You can contact us to rent a tourist bus at Address: 39 Moo 14, Bangna-Trad Road, Bang Kaeo, Bang Phli, Samut Prakan 10540 Phone number 092-185-6699 Line: @DASHMV

การเดินทางในประเทศไทยนั้นกินพลังงานชีวิต เรียกว่าเป็นอีกอุปสรรคหนึ่งในชีวิตประจำวันก็ว่าได้ เนื่องจากการเดินทางในประเทศของเราด้วยรถสาธารณะนั้นยังมีตัวเลือกให้บริการอย่างไม่เพียงพอ โดยเฉพาะถ้าหากเป็นพื้นที่นอกตัวเมือง การหารถสาธารณะเพื่อเดินทางให้ถึงจุดหมายยิ่งยากขึ้นเป็นเท่าตัว ด้วยเหตุนี้ “รถรับส่งพนักงาน” จึงเป็นอีกหนึ่งสวัสดิการหรือบริการที่แต่ละองค์กรควรให้ความสนใจ เพื่อที่จะได้เข้ามาอุดรอยรั่วดังกล่าวและทำให้พนักงานรู้สึกได้รับการอำนวยความสะดวก ทำให้มีกำลังใจในการเดินทางมาทำงานในแต่ละวันเนื่องจากไม่ต้องเสียแรงยืนรอหรือเบียดเสียดกับผู้อื่นเพื่อใช้รถสาธารณะ ดังนั้นในวันนี้เราจะพาทุกคนมาดูกันว่าทำไมแต่ละองค์กรจึงควรมีรถรับส่งพนักงาน รวมถึงขั้นตอน สิ่งที่ควรรู้ก่อนทำสวัสดิการรถรับส่งพนักงานแบบมืออาชีพด้วยว่าเป็นอย่างไร

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The future of tourism: Bridging the labor gap, enhancing customer experience

As travel resumes and builds momentum, it’s becoming clear that tourism is resilient—there is an enduring desire to travel. Against all odds, international tourism rebounded in 2022: visitor numbers to Europe and the Middle East climbed to around 80 percent of 2019 levels, and the Americas recovered about 65 percent of prepandemic visitors 1 “Tourism set to return to pre-pandemic levels in some regions in 2023,” United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), January 17, 2023. —a number made more significant because it was reached without travelers from China, which had the world’s largest outbound travel market before the pandemic. 2 “ Outlook for China tourism 2023: Light at the end of the tunnel ,” McKinsey, May 9, 2023.

Recovery and growth are likely to continue. According to estimates from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for 2023, international tourist arrivals could reach 80 to 95 percent of prepandemic levels depending on the extent of the economic slowdown, travel recovery in Asia–Pacific, and geopolitical tensions, among other factors. 3 “Tourism set to return to pre-pandemic levels in some regions in 2023,” United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), January 17, 2023. Similarly, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) forecasts that by the end of 2023, nearly half of the 185 countries in which the organization conducts research will have either recovered to prepandemic levels or be within 95 percent of full recovery. 4 “Global travel and tourism catapults into 2023 says WTTC,” World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), April 26, 2023.

Longer-term forecasts also point to optimism for the decade ahead. Travel and tourism GDP is predicted to grow, on average, at 5.8 percent a year between 2022 and 2032, outpacing the growth of the overall economy at an expected 2.7 percent a year. 5 Travel & Tourism economic impact 2022 , WTTC, August 2022.

So, is it all systems go for travel and tourism? Not really. The industry continues to face a prolonged and widespread labor shortage. After losing 62 million travel and tourism jobs in 2020, labor supply and demand remain out of balance. 6 “WTTC research reveals Travel & Tourism’s slow recovery is hitting jobs and growth worldwide,” World Travel & Tourism Council, October 6, 2021. Today, in the European Union, 11 percent of tourism jobs are likely to go unfilled; in the United States, that figure is 7 percent. 7 Travel & Tourism economic impact 2022 : Staff shortages, WTTC, August 2022.

There has been an exodus of tourism staff, particularly from customer-facing roles, to other sectors, and there is no sign that the industry will be able to bring all these people back. 8 Travel & Tourism economic impact 2022 : Staff shortages, WTTC, August 2022. Hotels, restaurants, cruises, airports, and airlines face staff shortages that can translate into operational, reputational, and financial difficulties. If unaddressed, these shortages may constrain the industry’s growth trajectory.

The current labor shortage may have its roots in factors related to the nature of work in the industry. Chronic workplace challenges, coupled with the effects of COVID-19, have culminated in an industry struggling to rebuild its workforce. Generally, tourism-related jobs are largely informal, partly due to high seasonality and weak regulation. And conditions such as excessively long working hours, low wages, a high turnover rate, and a lack of social protection tend to be most pronounced in an informal economy. Additionally, shift work, night work, and temporary or part-time employment are common in tourism.

The industry may need to revisit some fundamentals to build a far more sustainable future: either make the industry more attractive to talent (and put conditions in place to retain staff for longer periods) or improve products, services, and processes so that they complement existing staffing needs or solve existing pain points.

One solution could be to build a workforce with the mix of digital and interpersonal skills needed to keep up with travelers’ fast-changing requirements. The industry could make the most of available technology to provide customers with a digitally enhanced experience, resolve staff shortages, and improve working conditions.

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Complementing concierges with chatbots.

The pace of technological change has redefined customer expectations. Technology-driven services are often at customers’ fingertips, with no queues or waiting times. By contrast, the airport and airline disruption widely reported in the press over the summer of 2022 points to customers not receiving this same level of digital innovation when traveling.

Imagine the following travel experience: it’s 2035 and you start your long-awaited honeymoon to a tropical island. A virtual tour operator and a destination travel specialist booked your trip for you; you connected via videoconference to make your plans. Your itinerary was chosen with the support of generative AI , which analyzed your preferences, recommended personalized travel packages, and made real-time adjustments based on your feedback.

Before leaving home, you check in online and QR code your luggage. You travel to the airport by self-driving cab. After dropping off your luggage at the self-service counter, you pass through security and the biometric check. You access the premier lounge with the QR code on the airline’s loyalty card and help yourself to a glass of wine and a sandwich. After your flight, a prebooked, self-driving cab takes you to the resort. No need to check in—that was completed online ahead of time (including picking your room and making sure that the hotel’s virtual concierge arranged for red roses and a bottle of champagne to be delivered).

While your luggage is brought to the room by a baggage robot, your personal digital concierge presents the honeymoon itinerary with all the requested bookings. For the romantic dinner on the first night, you order your food via the restaurant app on the table and settle the bill likewise. So far, you’ve had very little human interaction. But at dinner, the sommelier chats with you in person about the wine. The next day, your sightseeing is made easier by the hotel app and digital guide—and you don’t get lost! With the aid of holographic technology, the virtual tour guide brings historical figures to life and takes your sightseeing experience to a whole new level. Then, as arranged, a local citizen meets you and takes you to their home to enjoy a local family dinner. The trip is seamless, there are no holdups or snags.

This scenario features less human interaction than a traditional trip—but it flows smoothly due to the underlying technology. The human interactions that do take place are authentic, meaningful, and add a special touch to the experience. This may be a far-fetched example, but the essence of the scenario is clear: use technology to ease typical travel pain points such as queues, misunderstandings, or misinformation, and elevate the quality of human interaction.

Travel with less human interaction may be considered a disruptive idea, as many travelers rely on and enjoy the human connection, the “service with a smile.” This will always be the case, but perhaps the time is right to think about bringing a digital experience into the mix. The industry may not need to depend exclusively on human beings to serve its customers. Perhaps the future of travel is physical, but digitally enhanced (and with a smile!).

Digital solutions are on the rise and can help bridge the labor gap

Digital innovation is improving customer experience across multiple industries. Car-sharing apps have overcome service-counter waiting times and endless paperwork that travelers traditionally had to cope with when renting a car. The same applies to time-consuming hotel check-in, check-out, and payment processes that can annoy weary customers. These pain points can be removed. For instance, in China, the Huazhu Hotels Group installed self-check-in kiosks that enable guests to check in or out in under 30 seconds. 9 “Huazhu Group targets lifestyle market opportunities,” ChinaTravelNews, May 27, 2021.

Technology meets hospitality

In 2019, Alibaba opened its FlyZoo Hotel in Huangzhou, described as a “290-room ultra-modern boutique, where technology meets hospitality.” 1 “Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has a hotel run almost entirely by robots that can serve food and fetch toiletries—take a look inside,” Business Insider, October 21, 2019; “FlyZoo Hotel: The hotel of the future or just more technology hype?,” Hotel Technology News, March 2019. The hotel was the first of its kind that instead of relying on traditional check-in and key card processes, allowed guests to manage reservations and make payments entirely from a mobile app, to check-in using self-service kiosks, and enter their rooms using facial-recognition technology.

The hotel is run almost entirely by robots that serve food and fetch toiletries and other sundries as needed. Each guest room has a voice-activated smart assistant to help guests with a variety of tasks, from adjusting the temperature, lights, curtains, and the TV to playing music and answering simple questions about the hotel and surroundings.

The hotel was developed by the company’s online travel platform, Fliggy, in tandem with Alibaba’s AI Labs and Alibaba Cloud technology with the goal of “leveraging cutting-edge tech to help transform the hospitality industry, one that keeps the sector current with the digital era we’re living in,” according to the company.

Adoption of some digitally enhanced services was accelerated during the pandemic in the quest for safer, contactless solutions. During the Winter Olympics in Beijing, a restaurant designed to keep physical contact to a minimum used a track system on the ceiling to deliver meals directly from the kitchen to the table. 10 “This Beijing Winter Games restaurant uses ceiling-based tracks,” Trendhunter, January 26, 2022. Customers around the world have become familiar with restaurants using apps to display menus, take orders, and accept payment, as well as hotels using robots to deliver luggage and room service (see sidebar “Technology meets hospitality”). Similarly, theme parks, cinemas, stadiums, and concert halls are deploying digital solutions such as facial recognition to optimize entrance control. Shanghai Disneyland, for example, offers annual pass holders the option to choose facial recognition to facilitate park entry. 11 “Facial recognition park entry,” Shanghai Disney Resort website.

Automation and digitization can also free up staff from attending to repetitive functions that could be handled more efficiently via an app and instead reserve the human touch for roles where staff can add the most value. For instance, technology can help customer-facing staff to provide a more personalized service. By accessing data analytics, frontline staff can have guests’ details and preferences at their fingertips. A trainee can become an experienced concierge in a short time, with the help of technology.

Apps and in-room tech: Unused market potential

According to Skift Research calculations, total revenue generated by guest apps and in-room technology in 2019 was approximately $293 million, including proprietary apps by hotel brands as well as third-party vendors. 1 “Hotel tech benchmark: Guest-facing technology 2022,” Skift Research, November 2022. The relatively low market penetration rate of this kind of tech points to around $2.4 billion in untapped revenue potential (exhibit).

Even though guest-facing technology is available—the kind that can facilitate contactless interactions and offer travelers convenience and personalized service—the industry is only beginning to explore its potential. A report by Skift Research shows that the hotel industry, in particular, has not tapped into tech’s potential. Only 11 percent of hotels and 25 percent of hotel rooms worldwide are supported by a hotel app or use in-room technology, and only 3 percent of hotels offer keyless entry. 12 “Hotel tech benchmark: Guest-facing technology 2022,” Skift Research, November 2022. Of the five types of technology examined (guest apps and in-room tech; virtual concierge; guest messaging and chatbots; digital check-in and kiosks; and keyless entry), all have relatively low market-penetration rates (see sidebar “Apps and in-room tech: Unused market potential”).

While apps, digitization, and new technology may be the answer to offering better customer experience, there is also the possibility that tourism may face competition from technological advances, particularly virtual experiences. Museums, attractions, and historical sites can be made interactive and, in some cases, more lifelike, through AR/VR technology that can enhance the physical travel experience by reconstructing historical places or events.

Up until now, tourism, arguably, was one of a few sectors that could not easily be replaced by tech. It was not possible to replicate the physical experience of traveling to another place. With the emerging metaverse , this might change. Travelers could potentially enjoy an event or experience from their sofa without any logistical snags, and without the commitment to traveling to another country for any length of time. For example, Google offers virtual tours of the Pyramids of Meroë in Sudan via an immersive online experience available in a range of languages. 13 Mariam Khaled Dabboussi, “Step into the Meroë pyramids with Google,” Google, May 17, 2022. And a crypto banking group, The BCB Group, has created a metaverse city that includes representations of some of the most visited destinations in the world, such as the Great Wall of China and the Statue of Liberty. According to BCB, the total cost of flights, transfers, and entry for all these landmarks would come to $7,600—while a virtual trip would cost just over $2. 14 “What impact can the Metaverse have on the travel industry?,” Middle East Economy, July 29, 2022.

The metaverse holds potential for business travel, too—the meeting, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) sector in particular. Participants could take part in activities in the same immersive space while connecting from anywhere, dramatically reducing travel, venue, catering, and other costs. 15 “ Tourism in the metaverse: Can travel go virtual? ,” McKinsey, May 4, 2023.

The allure and convenience of such digital experiences make offering seamless, customer-centric travel and tourism in the real world all the more pressing.

Hotel service bell on a table white glass and simulation hotel background. Concept hotel, travel, room - stock photo

Three innovations to solve hotel staffing shortages

Is the future contactless.

Given the advances in technology, and the many digital innovations and applications that already exist, there is potential for businesses across the travel and tourism spectrum to cope with labor shortages while improving customer experience. Process automation and digitization can also add to process efficiency. Taken together, a combination of outsourcing, remote work, and digital solutions can help to retain existing staff and reduce dependency on roles that employers are struggling to fill (exhibit).

Depending on the customer service approach and direct contact need, we estimate that the travel and tourism industry would be able to cope with a structural labor shortage of around 10 to 15 percent in the long run by operating more flexibly and increasing digital and automated efficiency—while offering the remaining staff an improved total work package.

Outsourcing and remote work could also help resolve the labor shortage

While COVID-19 pushed organizations in a wide variety of sectors to embrace remote work, there are many hospitality roles that rely on direct physical services that cannot be performed remotely, such as laundry, cleaning, maintenance, and facility management. If faced with staff shortages, these roles could be outsourced to third-party professional service providers, and existing staff could be reskilled to take up new positions.

In McKinsey’s experience, the total service cost of this type of work in a typical hotel can make up 10 percent of total operating costs. Most often, these roles are not guest facing. A professional and digital-based solution might become an integrated part of a third-party service for hotels looking to outsource this type of work.

One of the lessons learned in the aftermath of COVID-19 is that many tourism employees moved to similar positions in other sectors because they were disillusioned by working conditions in the industry . Specialist multisector companies have been able to shuffle their staff away from tourism to other sectors that offer steady employment or more regular working hours compared with the long hours and seasonal nature of work in tourism.

The remaining travel and tourism staff may be looking for more flexibility or the option to work from home. This can be an effective solution for retaining employees. For example, a travel agent with specific destination expertise could work from home or be consulted on an needs basis.

In instances where remote work or outsourcing is not viable, there are other solutions that the hospitality industry can explore to improve operational effectiveness as well as employee satisfaction. A more agile staffing model can better match available labor with peaks and troughs in daily, or even hourly, demand. This could involve combining similar roles or cross-training staff so that they can switch roles. Redesigned roles could potentially improve employee satisfaction by empowering staff to explore new career paths within the hotel’s operations. Combined roles build skills across disciplines—for example, supporting a housekeeper to train and become proficient in other maintenance areas, or a front-desk associate to build managerial skills.

Where management or ownership is shared across properties, roles could be staffed to cover a network of sites, rather than individual hotels. By applying a combination of these approaches, hotels could reduce the number of staff hours needed to keep operations running at the same standard. 16 “ Three innovations to solve hotel staffing shortages ,” McKinsey, April 3, 2023.

Taken together, operational adjustments combined with greater use of technology could provide the tourism industry with a way of overcoming staffing challenges and giving customers the seamless digitally enhanced experiences they expect in other aspects of daily life.

In an industry facing a labor shortage, there are opportunities for tech innovations that can help travel and tourism businesses do more with less, while ensuring that remaining staff are engaged and motivated to stay in the industry. For travelers, this could mean fewer friendly faces, but more meaningful experiences and interactions.

Urs Binggeli is a senior expert in McKinsey’s Zurich office, Zi Chen is a capabilities and insights specialist in the Shanghai office, Steffen Köpke is a capabilities and insights expert in the Düsseldorf office, and Jackey Yu is a partner in the Hong Kong office.

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Surge in Adventure Tourism: Four Big Trends in 2024

Jesse Chase-Lubitz , Skift

April 17th, 2024 at 12:00 PM EDT

New data shows that experiences are the leading factor when choosing a destination.

Jesse Chase-Lubitz

The latest consumer spending data from GetYourGuide reveals a surge in demand for unique travel experiences and activities that align with personal passions.

The report analyzes booking data from millions of travelers and highlights a significant shift in travel priorities. Here are the key takeaways:

Experiences Rule

Travelers are prioritizing experiences over traditional sightseeing. Nearly all travelers (90%) plan to spend the same or more on activities in 2024, and experiences are now the leading factor when choosing a destination (reported by 98% of travelers).

Passion Drives Destinations

The hottest travel destinations are no longer just about iconic landmarks. Cities like Fajardo, Puerto Rico (up 419% in bookings by American travelers) and Hoi An, Vietnam (up 284% globally) are experiencing a boom, likely due to their unique cultural offerings and adventure opportunities.

Globally Inspired

Travelers are venturing beyond the usual suspects. This year’s top trending tours include the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, kayaking through El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico, and even a hot air balloon ride over Interlaken, Switzerland.

The Rise of the Explorer

GetYourGuide identifies a new breed of traveler – the “Explorer” – who spends more on experiences, takes longer trips, and travels more frequently. These high-value vacationers are fueling the experience economy.

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Tags: getyourguide , tourism , Travel Experiences , Travel Trends

Photo credit: GetYourGuide Walking Tour in London. Source: GetYourGuide

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Thousands protest tourism in Tenerife saying Canary Islands are ‘exhausted’

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A woman uses a megaphone during a demonstration for a change in the tourism model in the Canary Islands, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. REUTERS/Borja Suarez

Tens of thousands of people hit the streets in Tenerife today to protest against tourism on the island, with UK tourists among the targets of anger.

Messages in English left on walls and benches in and around Palm Mar in the southern of the island included ‘My misery your paradise’ and ‘Average salary in Canary Islands is 1,200 euros’.

In an apparent UK backlash, a response left in English on a wall next to a ‘Tourists go home’ message said: ‘F**k off, we pay your wages.’

Chanting and whistling, protesters waved placards emblazoned with slogans reading ‘The Canary Islands are not up for sale!’ and ‘Respect my home’.

The Spanish islands off the coast of North Africa are an ever-popular destination among Brits hoping to escape the cold on the mainland.

One demonstrator said: ‘It’s not a message against the tourist, but against a tourism model that doesn’t benefit this land and needs to be changed.’

Protests also took place in the other islands in the archipelago, including Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, with support demos scheduled for the Spanish mainland in cities like Malaga and Madrid as well as London and Berlin.

The Canary Islands protests were organised under the slogan ‘Canarias Tiene Un Limite’ which in English translates as ‘The Canary Islands have a limit.”

The backdrop to the demos is an ongoing hunger strike six men and women began on April 11 outside a church in the northern Tenerife town of La Laguna.

Speaking ahead of the start of today’s demonstrations, a spokesman for protest platform Canarias Se Agota, which the hunger strikers are affiliated to, said: ‘Today, April 20, marks the 10th day of the hunger strike.

‘Today we cannot forget these people who are putting their lives at risk for our Earth.

‘Their determination inspires, their bravery moves us, their sacrifice reminds us that this struggle is everyone’s and for everyone.

‘We are writing a new chapter in the history of our islands, a chapter marked by the unwavering perseverance of those who bravely defend our home.

‘Today the Canary Islands will scream and fight, and tomorrow it will continue to do so.’

Protest groups including Canarias Se Agota, which in English translates literally as ‘The Canary Islands are Exhausted’, want the authorities to paralyse two tourist projects including one which involves the construction of a five-star hotel by one of Tenerife’s last virgin beaches.

They are also seeking a commitment from regional politicians to change the tourist model and protect islands like Tenerife from the worst excesses of mass tourism, including sea pollution, traffic gridlock and lack of cheap affordable housing linked to the pushing-up of property prices because of Airbnb-style holiday lets.

Other demands include the protection of natural spaces, a tourist tax and better working conditions for hotel cleaners, who joined today’s protest in Santa Cruz as they insisted to local press: ‘We are not slaves.’

The archipelago of 2.2 million people was visited by nearly 14 million foreign tourists in 2023, up 13% from the previous year, according to official data.

Authorities in the islands are concerned about the impact on locals.

A draft law expected to pass this year toughening the rules on short lets follows complaints from residents priced out of the housing market.

Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo said on Friday he felt ‘proud’ that the region was a leading Spanish tourist destination, but acknowledged that more controls were needed as the sector continues to grow.

‘We can’t keep looking away. Otherwise, hotels will continue to open without any control,’ he told a press conference.

In the Gran Canaria capital Las Palmas, marchers carried banners in Spanish which said: ‘It’s not phobia, it’s love for my land.’

A woman protestor held up another which said: ‘Fourteen million tourists a year but 36 per cent of Canarians at risk of poverty.’

People march on a street during a demonstration for a change in the tourism model in the Canary Islands, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. REUTERS/Borja Suarez

One of the other banners exhibited by protestors said: ‘The Canary Islands government is an estate agency.’

Another said: ‘With so much Airbnb where are we going to live?’

Paula Rincon told local press: ‘It pains me that Canarians cannot afford to live in their own neighbourhoods.’

Insisting the current tourism model led to ‘more people paying lower prices and badly-built hotels that destroyed beaches and protected areas’ she added: ‘I don’t know why we aspire to so many numbers when this doesn’t filter down to the rest of the population.

‘The current system doesn’t benefit us, it impoverishes us.’

The protests in the Canary Islands are mostly taking place away from the main tourist areas, which in Tenerife and Gran Canaria are in the south of the islands.

Some British holidaymakers have shown their support for the issues raised by the islanders but others have accused them of biting the hand that feeds them.

The Canary Islands’ tourism minister Jessica de Leon urged British holidaymakers not to cancel their holidays ahead of today’s demos.

Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo initially admitted he was worried tourists might be put off coming to the area, before softening his message last week and describing the April 20 protests as an opportunity to ‘revise’ the current tourism model.

Jorge Marichal, president of regional hotel association ASHOTEL, has claimed tourists were ringing establishments to ask whether it was safe to come.

He has also insisted ‘non-regulated’ holiday lets are a big problem and the reason there is less control than there should be on the numbers of tourists in places like Tenerife.

Protest platform Canarias Se Agota has insisted it has nothing to do with the graffiti that has appeared in parts of Tenerife over recent weeks – and has accused regional politicians of blaming them of tourism-phobia as part of a ‘dirty tricks’ campaign.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

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(Reuters) – AS Roma defender Evan Ndicka has been cleared to resume sporting activity after undergoing a series of tests, the Serie A club said on Tuesday, days after the 24-year-old collapsed on the pitch during their match against Udinese.

The Paris-born player, who represents the Ivory Coast, was carried off on a stretcher after falling backwards onto the pitch in the 18th minute with the game in Udine later abandoned at 1-1.

Ndicka was conscious but visibly in pain, rubbing his chest with his right hand as the medical team rushed towards him. He was discharged from the hospital a day after the incident, which occurred on April 14.

“Ndicka underwent a series of cardiologic and third level pulmonary tests,” Roma said in a statement.

“Tests conducted confirmed the absence of cardiac pathologies and the healing of the minimal pneumothorax that occurred during the match.

“The player is therefore fit for resuming sports activity that will be monitored in the following days.”

Roma, fifth in the Italian top flight with six games to go, travel to Napoli on Sunday.

(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.

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