Experience Tourism as a Smart and Sustainable Form of Tourism in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Experience tourism is a form of tourism in which participants are motivated to seek experiences that are different from everyday life. It has two extreme approaches. The first is seeking and experiencing social contacts and contact with nature and cultural environments, which supports sustainable development of the destination, and the second is seeking experiences within attractions. Experiential tourism is associated with a personal and subjective experience in which main attribute is interactivity. Experience tourism can be distinguished from traditional tourism by the fact that it engages all human senses. In experience tourism, it is important to place greater emphasis on reconciling the economic, social and environmental objectives of the destination in order to ensure its sustainable development. It is essential that visitor gains unforgettable experiences, i.e., different from everyday life. The aim of this paper is to examine the supply and demand of experiential tourism products in a selected region with respect to smart and sustainable tourism development. Promoted visitor experience can be an important tool for destination marketing communication in the twenty-first century. If the destinations want to be competitive in a dynamically developing tourism market, the must adapt to this situation and offer the visitors an unforgettable authentic experience in smart and sustainable way. The goal is to create an offer that allows the visitors to actively engage in tourism activities and thus to intensify their emotions.