March 24, 2022
The Boston Globe recently published insight featuring Frédéric Brunel, Associate Professor of Marketing, on the new measures the tourism industry is taking to keep consumers engaged through new experiences.
The article discusses how technology has opened the door to new immersive experiences for travelers, allowing them to create memories by better engaging in their activities. For example, RiseNY, New York’s newest attraction, takes visitors on an aerial adventure over the city with exhibition galleries that tell the city’s story through a multi-sensory thrill ride. In other areas, art museums are adding scavenger hunts and live theaters to lure previous visitors back while seeking to pull in new groups of people who previously hadn’t been interested in a museum experience. Frédéric gives his take on these new efforts by stating,
“There is an ease, there is a richness to the experiences. There are many senses involved. The part that’s wholly lacking is authenticity,” he said. “It’s fun, it’s engaging, it’s often quite effortless,” “It’s pre-packaged. It’s pre-chewed for you. And the need for control in an uncertain world is what people want.”
