Innovation in the tourism industry through personalization for the case of Thessaloniki: Tourist types and their role in development strategies

Abstract

The tourism industry has been one of the most significant and fastest-growing globally. The pandemic of COVID-19 had a crucial and unprecedented impact on tourism, from which it is currently trying to recover. Innovations and technology are among the most vital tools for this recovery. In order to effectively utilize and employ technological innovations, they need to be targeted toward the trends and desires of consumer demands, which are increasingly pointing to personalized experiences and products. Personalisation can significantly benefit businesses and improve consumer satisfaction, especially in tourism. To this end, the present paper explores tourist types through qualitative and quantitative analyses and formulates ten “personas” based on their unique technological, social, economic, and cultural traits and behaviour. Overall, tourists are open to the locality, willing to participate in events, taste local cuisine and interact with the local population. They consider security and quality as essential preconditions of visiting a destination. Cultural tourism appears as the most favoured scope of travelling. The individual types of tourists presented can play an essential role in implementing strategic planning and are necessary for creating personalized tourism products and experiences. The analysis focuses on the city of Thessaloniki (the second-largest city in Greece). The results are further utilized for creating personalized city tours through a newly developed innovative mobile application.