Tourism 4.0 is a new paradigm with the quest to unlock the innovation potential in the whole tourism sector. Its name arises from the Industry 4.0 and its technologies, such as Internet of Things, Big Data, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.
However, the innovation is not based on technology but rather on collaboration of all stakeholders of the tourism ecosystem involving local inhabitants, local authority, tourists, service providers and government. What is more, the new paradigm shifts the focus from tourism that is tourist-centred to a tourism centred around the local community.
In marketing of new concepts, such as a new paradigm, the first issue everybody is facing is how to build trust and rise interest for complex and new solutions. It is crucial to be aware of the lack of readiness level of the target groups. To address this, the Twirl marketing model of a paradigm shift has been developed and presented in the chapter of the book titled Consumer Behavior and Marketing. The original model shows, in which process the appropriate target groups were identified and how the nature of communication has been growing into collaboration.
To learn more about this new paradigm of tourism and the role of marketing in a paradigm shift, read the full chapter here.
