People do not buy products, or even services; they purchase the total experience that the product or service provides. Experience management is seen as the way to remain competitive in markets where globalisation and technology have turned products and s ervices into commodities. This book draws together academic and practitioner insights into the consumer experience by combining the perspectives of the tourist consumer with that of experience managers, supported by examples from established and emerging international scholars, it is organised into three sections: understanding experiences, researching experiences and managing experiences. It aims to provide students, researchers and managerss with a stimulating overview of the current research and managerial issues in the field as well as a resource to guide their further reading.
"A comprehensive exploration of the tourist experience, this book breaks new ground in conceptualising the topic. It propose new and thoughtful research agendas and, through insightful cas studies, reveals responses to the challenges of managing the tourist experience in a variety of contexts. An inspiring and essential read for those seeking a contemparary perspective on the subject." Richard Sharpley, University of Central Lancashire, UK
"This book both represents an advance on Ryan's The Tourist Experience and a response to Pine Jr and Gilmore's The Experience Economy by offering both conceptual and empirical arguments about the central role of visitor experiences in tourism. this is done within a framework of differing research paradigms and managerial implications, but also it raises questions about our understandings of what will constitute tourism in the 21st century. This collection of papers helps us toward better understanding a new habitus of tourism." Chris Ryan, University of Waikato, New Zealand
