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EDITORIAL: Is transformational travel the new trend in the hotel industry?
International Journal of Hospitality Management 66 (2017) 135
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
International Journal of Hospitality Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhm
EDITORIAL: Is transformational travel the new trend in the hotel industry?
MARK
I recently read a number of trade articles in which the gurus of the travel industry predict that transformational travel will be the travel trend of 2017. Not being familiar with the term, I started looking for information about this phenomenon and found out that not only is there a significant amount of writing about this topic but there is even an organization by the name of Transformation Travel Collaborative (TTC). This organization which is fully devoted to the promotion of transformational travel “provides both travelers and travel outfitters with tools to encourage personal and professional growth while on the road” (Vogue, 2017). So what is transformational travel (TT)and how does it relate to the hospitality industry? According to the TTC transformational travel is “any travel experience that empowers people to make meaningful, lasting changes in their life” (TTC, 2017). Trivago defines it as a new philosophy of travel in which travelers “are seeking self-reflection and development in their travels, to connect with humanity and the natural kingdom, and to return home changed with shifted perspectives and a deepest understanding of the world they inhabit.” (Trivago, 2017). Last, but not least, Pure defines it as “an immersive, perspective shifting itinerary that challenges and inspires the sophisticated traveler on a deeply personal level, creating emotions through the powerful medium of storytelling and transforming their life for the better” (Pure, 2017). In the opinion of TTC and others who promote it, TT is the next stage in the evolution of experiential travel (ET). “It has similar elements of experiential travel , but taken a step further..” Michael Bennett whose doctoral dissertation was on this topic, suggests that what separates TT from ET is the return home phase of the travel experience, when travelers implement the knowledge acquired during their travel phase, which ultimately changes their lives and the lives around them. In other words, when experiential travelers return home from their adventurous or experiential trips, they go back to their normal lives and continue to pursue the same interests and hold the same values, attitudes and beliefs. Contrary to that, upon return home, transformational travelers have undergone a change in their attitudes, values and beliefs towards nature and humanity, a change that will alter their lives forever. In the words of Caitlin Ahern, the CEO of Thread Caravan, when transformational travelers come home “they start caring more about where the things they buy come from...people want to feel more connected and one great way to do that is to know the stories behind the things we use every day” (Vogue, 2017). So what does TT has to do with the hospitality industry and why do some hotel experts suggest that this type of travel is a new hotel trend? In the opinion of these experts, hotels need to gear towards “designing guest experiences that enable travelers to challenge themselves and engage with the local community and in conservation efforts. This can mean anything from offering an off-the-grid meditation retreat to facilitating volunteer work with non-profit organizations.” (Trivago, 2017). Others, such as Eluxe Magazine advocate TT through transformational retreats that change people’s lives forever, not just a few days or weeks. Such specialized retreats as Etnikas in Peru or Rhytmia in Costa Rica teach new skills, techniques, knowledge and tools that one can take home and use forever. Others, offer programs that break bad habits, cure addictions and transform people’s views of themselves and the world. Normally, such programs occur at remote resorts that specialize in these type of activities, but Eluxe suggests that TT can also occur at conventional resorts such as Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Canada that offers special rates during off-season.(Eluxe, 2017). Being a skeptic by nature, I am not convinced that until there is a long term empirical evidence that certain types of travel experiences can change people’s lives forever, that transformational travel exists. And even if it can be empirically proven that it does exist, I personally believe that this phenomenon affects only a small and insignificant proportion of travelers. I do believe that the majority of travelers are affected temporarily by their travel experiences, but this effect diminishes over time until it vanishes altogether. As to transformational travel being a “hot trend” for the hotel industry, once again I personally do not believe this to be the case for the absolute majority of the hotels around the world. The market for this segment is too small and the physical and/or cultural environments of most hotels is incompatible with such type of guests. I encourage my fellow researchers to study this interestimg phenomenon and validate its existence. References Eluxe, 2017. How to Change your Life with Transformational Travel Retreats. Retrieved on August 19, 2017. from. 〈www.eluxemagazine.com/travel/transformational-travel-retreats/〉. Pure (2017) Transformational Travel. Retrieved on August 19, 2017 from 〈www.purelifeexperiences.com/awards-transformational-travel/〉 Trivago, 2017. 5 Hotel Trends that are Transforming the Guest Experience. Retrieved on August 19, 2017. from. 〈http://hotelmanager-blog.trivago.com/hotel-trends-transforming-guestexperience〉. TTC (2017) About Transformational Travel. Retrieved on August 19, 2017 from 〈www.Transformational.travel/about-tt/〉 Vogue (2017). Transformational Travel. Retrieved on August 19, 2017 from 〈www.Vogue.com/article/transformative-travel-trend-2017〉
Editor-in-Chief Abraham Pizam University of Central Florida http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2017.09.009
0278-4319/ © 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
International Journal of Hospitality Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhm
EDITORIAL: Is transformational travel the new trend in the hotel industry?
MARK
I recently read a number of trade articles in which the gurus of the travel industry predict that transformational travel will be the travel trend of 2017. Not being familiar with the term, I started looking for information about this phenomenon and found out that not only is there a significant amount of writing about this topic but there is even an organization by the name of Transformation Travel Collaborative (TTC). This organization which is fully devoted to the promotion of transformational travel “provides both travelers and travel outfitters with tools to encourage personal and professional growth while on the road” (Vogue, 2017). So what is transformational travel (TT)and how does it relate to the hospitality industry? According to the TTC transformational travel is “any travel experience that empowers people to make meaningful, lasting changes in their life” (TTC, 2017). Trivago defines it as a new philosophy of travel in which travelers “are seeking self-reflection and development in their travels, to connect with humanity and the natural kingdom, and to return home changed with shifted perspectives and a deepest understanding of the world they inhabit.” (Trivago, 2017). Last, but not least, Pure defines it as “an immersive, perspective shifting itinerary that challenges and inspires the sophisticated traveler on a deeply personal level, creating emotions through the powerful medium of storytelling and transforming their life for the better” (Pure, 2017). In the opinion of TTC and others who promote it, TT is the next stage in the evolution of experiential travel (ET). “It has similar elements of experiential travel , but taken a step further..” Michael Bennett whose doctoral dissertation was on this topic, suggests that what separates TT from ET is the return home phase of the travel experience, when travelers implement the knowledge acquired during their travel phase, which ultimately changes their lives and the lives around them. In other words, when experiential travelers return home from their adventurous or experiential trips, they go back to their normal lives and continue to pursue the same interests and hold the same values, attitudes and beliefs. Contrary to that, upon return home, transformational travelers have undergone a change in their attitudes, values and beliefs towards nature and humanity, a change that will alter their lives forever. In the words of Caitlin Ahern, the CEO of Thread Caravan, when transformational travelers come home “they start caring more about where the things they buy come from...people want to feel more connected and one great way to do that is to know the stories behind the things we use every day” (Vogue, 2017). So what does TT has to do with the hospitality industry and why do some hotel experts suggest that this type of travel is a new hotel trend? In the opinion of these experts, hotels need to gear towards “designing guest experiences that enable travelers to challenge themselves and engage with the local community and in conservation efforts. This can mean anything from offering an off-the-grid meditation retreat to facilitating volunteer work with non-profit organizations.” (Trivago, 2017). Others, such as Eluxe Magazine advocate TT through transformational retreats that change people’s lives forever, not just a few days or weeks. Such specialized retreats as Etnikas in Peru or Rhytmia in Costa Rica teach new skills, techniques, knowledge and tools that one can take home and use forever. Others, offer programs that break bad habits, cure addictions and transform people’s views of themselves and the world. Normally, such programs occur at remote resorts that specialize in these type of activities, but Eluxe suggests that TT can also occur at conventional resorts such as Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Canada that offers special rates during off-season.(Eluxe, 2017). Being a skeptic by nature, I am not convinced that until there is a long term empirical evidence that certain types of travel experiences can change people’s lives forever, that transformational travel exists. And even if it can be empirically proven that it does exist, I personally believe that this phenomenon affects only a small and insignificant proportion of travelers. I do believe that the majority of travelers are affected temporarily by their travel experiences, but this effect diminishes over time until it vanishes altogether. As to transformational travel being a “hot trend” for the hotel industry, once again I personally do not believe this to be the case for the absolute majority of the hotels around the world. The market for this segment is too small and the physical and/or cultural environments of most hotels is incompatible with such type of guests. I encourage my fellow researchers to study this interestimg phenomenon and validate its existence. References Eluxe, 2017. How to Change your Life with Transformational Travel Retreats. Retrieved on August 19, 2017. from. 〈www.eluxemagazine.com/travel/transformational-travel-retreats/〉. Pure (2017) Transformational Travel. Retrieved on August 19, 2017 from 〈www.purelifeexperiences.com/awards-transformational-travel/〉 Trivago, 2017. 5 Hotel Trends that are Transforming the Guest Experience. Retrieved on August 19, 2017. from. 〈http://hotelmanager-blog.trivago.com/hotel-trends-transforming-guestexperience〉. TTC (2017) About Transformational Travel. Retrieved on August 19, 2017 from 〈www.Transformational.travel/about-tt/〉 Vogue (2017). Transformational Travel. Retrieved on August 19, 2017 from 〈www.Vogue.com/article/transformative-travel-trend-2017〉
Editor-in-Chief Abraham Pizam University of Central Florida http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2017.09.009
0278-4319/ © 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.