What Are the 3 Types of Tourists?
Tourism is defined as the movement of people to places that are outside their normal environment for leisure and/or business/professional purposes. It is also a growing industry that provides many job opportunities. Domestic tourists travel within your country of residence for leisure or business reasons. This is often much easier to arrange than international travel and avoids the issue of language barriers.
Psychocentric Tourist
Psychometric tourists prefer the familiar, are more concerned with safety and comfort, and tend to stick to well-known destinations and hotel chains. They are also said to be less willing to take risks and might even refuse flying for psychological rather than economic reasons.
Allocentric tourists, on the other hand, are known to be more adventurous and would not mind travelling somewhere that doesn’t have a chapter in their travel guidebook. They are also likely to be intrepid explorers and might be able to travel to locations that have never been visited before.
Midcentric tourists are in the middle of the spectrum and are a bit of a mix of the Allocentric and Psychocentric types. They are usually more comfortable in new environments than Allocentrics and might be quite willing to try out different foods or experiences. They are, however, still more interested in safety and security than Psychocentrics. Smart marketing for tourist destinations could include offering a range of activities to cater to these travellers.
Organised Mass Tourist
A tourist of this type usually travels to a place outside his/her home country with the aim of enjoying a vacation. This kind of tourism can take the form of a simple beach holiday or a trip to an exotic location such as the Himalayas or a European city like Paris.
A new pattern of tourism is educational or learning-based travel. This type of travel can involve visiting places of historical significance or learning a language. It can also include travelling to improve your health with the goal of visiting weight loss camps or naturopathy centres.
Another popular type of tourism is called ‘set-jetting’, which involves travelling to destinations featured in movies, TV shows or books. This can include visiting stately homes as seen in Jane Austin movies or going to the locations used for Lord Of The Rings filming. This type of tourism is usually very cheap. It is also a very environmentally friendly option.
Allocentric Tourist
Allocentric tourists are people who love to travel to places that have cultural value. These include places that preserve remnants of past cultures, such as museums and buildings. This also includes places that have a historical event associated with them, such as pilgrimage spots and holy shrines.
Alternatively, they can be people who love to visit natural areas. This can include mountain and island destinations. Also, they can be interested in the biodiversity found in these areas. This can include national parks and protected forests.
Another type of allocentric tourist is one who likes to ‘set-jet’, which involves visiting locations where popular movies have been filmed. Visiting the stately homes in the Jane Austin movies or riding on the gondola in Venice are examples of this. Finally, there are also cultural travellers who enjoy everything the destination has to offer in terms of its culture. This can include eating local food, attending festivals and rituals, and learning about the history of a place.
Drifter
Niche tourism is a type of travel that focuses on a specific activity. Examples of this include gastronomy tourism, cycling tourism and geo-tourism. It is less commercial than the mainstream types of tourism.
Drifter tourists are individuals who enjoy a unique and immersive travel experience. They prefer novelty over the familiar and are more likely to visit a local community than stay in a hotel. They also like to travel independently and are unlikely to eat at fast food chains such as Mcdonald’s or Zara.
Educational tourism is a form of tourism that involves learning new things from other countries. This includes learning about their culture, history, language and traditions. It can be done through educational tours, observing wildlife, or even travelling to war zones. This is an important type of tourism as it can help promote a country and boost the economy. It can also be a great way to de-stress and get away from work and home.