Job profile! Travel guides for literary tourists: art & culture on the rise

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Travel as a Statussymbol

That travel the People important, even if you might otherwise have to save, there are reasons: It's simply part of the lifestyle. While people used to say theirs in “my house, my car, my boat” manner Status Measured by possessions and horsepower figures, they have been bragging about the frequency of their vacations and the exoticism of the travel destination for several years.

There are then two types of tourists: For the classic tourist, the travel destination is almost interchangeable, it is about gaining status ("We were in New Zealand - and you?"), Changing the wallpaper, the good weather guarantee and the price-performance ratio. For tourismCompanys are such customers however unpredictable.

So it fits well that a new target group is on the rise, which is one of the most attractive, because most financially strong target groups for tourism professionals. And they are also increasingly interested in culture and active holidays.

Target audience 50 + on the rise

The books on the subject (advertising)

The World Travel Monitor® by IPK International is carried out annually on behalf of ITB Berlin in 60 countries of origin of Europe, Arabia, America and Asia. As the largest and only tourism study in the world, it examines the international travel volume and travel behavior in these markets.

Travel behavior means choice of destination, reason for travel, holiday segments / motives, type of business trip, duration of travel, means of transport, accommodation, season, information and booking behavior, expenditure, regional focus markets, target group profiles, etc.

Best Ager in Europe: In 5 Years 78 Million Travel

The study will be conducted around 400.000 interviews. And they show: Overall, this age group accounts for more than a quarter (27 percent) of all stays abroad. That's equivalent to around 78 millions of vacation trips.

As far as holiday forms are concerned, the Best Ager is constantly moving away from the stereotype of the classic retirement journey. Although the beach holiday in Europe is still the most booked holiday form with a market share of 28 per cent and is even more popular, there are different preferences depending on the country.

Europe: Towns in coming

Discounts for your success (advertising)!

In addition, the city breaks (market share 16 percent) increased powerfully. In this segment, the volume of the 55plus generation increased by 3,0 million (plus 32 percent), followed by the cruise with an increase of 2,4 million travel (plus 45 percent) and round trips with 2,1 million (plus15 percent).

But the best agers also want something for theirs on vacation Health do and stay active in terms of health: Sports and health-oriented holidays also recorded an easy trend throughout Europe growth.

Where do the travelers come from?

The main markets of origin of Best Ager UK with 16,1 million and Germany with 15,3 million vacation travel. While foreign travel in the British market has increased by 28 percent, the trips of the 50 + generation are stagnating on the German market.

In third and fourth place are France with 7,2 million travel and the Netherlands with 6,9 million. These four countries alone cover nearly 60 percent of travelers in the age group beyond 55 years.

Germany vs. Germany United Kingdom: Beach vacation out or not?

Other countries, other holiday preferences. According to the World Travel Monitor ®, the interest of the German Best Ager on beach holidays has dropped sharply (minus 18 percent). Nevertheless, with 25 percent market share, this form of travel is still the most popular. Winners are market share smaller segments such as health-oriented holidays with 0,7 million travel (plus 61 percent), cruises with 0,9 million travel (plus 64 percent), sports travel with one million travel (plus 53 percent) and city travel with two million travel (plus 30 percent) ,

In the UK, the beach holiday continues to be the most popular holiday form. While in the French the round trip has roughly the same importance as beach holiday. The Best Ager in the Netherlands still prefer to go abroad in the country, but the biggest increases are in city holidays and beach holidays.

Travel as an individual experience

In addition, there is more and more a new type of tourist: someone who is primarily looking for an individual, unforgettable experience when travelling. 25 to 40 percent of vacationers will stubbornly do so in the next ten to 20 years Internet search for new experiences.

And they will be happy to book their vacation in the communities in which they usually stay. For this target group, vacation is becoming more like traveling like it was in the 19th century: a curious and adventurous exploration of the Welt. For these people, travel becomes the prime discipline for fulfilling their wishes change and departure.

Horizon-expanding with literature

Therefore, there are trips where the participants ye Background and can broaden their personal horizons, all the rage. A good example is trips and guided tours to the settings of literary works. In Germany, for example, regional crime novels are booming – from Ingrid Noell to Jaques Berndorf, whose crime novels have already received 75.000 advance orders.

Such popular works are then ideal as Vorlage for tourism tours: Similarities with places and personalities are allowed, after all the authors live locally, so that they often do not have to do much research. And this is exactly what you can benefit from as a travel guide. Because the local crime genre is starting to boost local tourism.

Culture tripp as a customer magnet, with the example Provence

Customer acquisition with the Kultur-Tripp works well not only in Germany, but also abroad. For example, in Provence, where I recently had the privilege of taking a close look at the tourism industry at the invitation of the French Tourist Board ATOUT FRANCE and the tour operator Siglinde Fischer.

In Provence, the culture jumps out at you like that: starting with Marseille, that's Greek Foundation and in 2013 Europe's cultural capital, via Avignon, where the popes resided for almost 19 years in the 70th century and still shape the region today, to various artists and writers who discovered the region as a place to live and a source of inspiration:

From Marqise de Sade to Picasso

The notorious Marquis de Sade organized the first theater festival in France in 1772 in his Château de Mazan in the Vaucluse. Today the former de Sade castle is a four-star hotel. In 1844, the writer Alexandre Dumas settled the plot of his novel "The Count of Monte Christo" at the Château d'If off the coast of Marseille - making it world famous.

One hundred years later Pablo Picasso bought a house in Ménerbes in Luberon Nature Park and gave it to his muse and lover Dora Maar - before he left her for a twenty-one-year-old. The painter and photographer died there 1997. Today, artists and writers from all over the world can spend a few months there as part of the Brown Foundation Fellows Program.

Peter Mayle: A love of hate

And where we just got it from regional thrillers: Ménerbes, which belongs to the “Most Beautiful Villages in France” label, was immortalized in literature: the Englishman Peter Mayle described the peculiarities of the place and its inhabitants so well in his books that he found himself there made unpopular until today.

Piquely, however, it is precisely his books, which helped the community to become world-famous and thus to an enormous economic boom.

The trend is towards regional limi- tation

The special topic with which you can delight your customers is now available free of charge in many places - from the book market, for example, such as the Chateua d'If near Marseille, the setting for Alexandre Duma's classic “The Count of Monte Christo”.

Because there is currently an unmistakable trend: regional thrillers. Local politicians, social studies teachers and housewives undauntedly take up pen and shift the crime into the familiar. Idyll and horror are not a contradiction in terms, because the dramaturgy is usually the final one Order restored in the regional microcosm.

And while the average circulation of a paperback is around 3000 copies, the regional crime stories always produce new circulation records. Example: Andrea Maria Schenkel's "Tannöd" is about incest and murder, Wolfgang Schreiber's "The highest price" reveals a story of abuse, in Lucille Clauss' "end of the month" the dignitaries of a small town in Upper Palatinate are involved in a prostitute murder.

Similarities are not coincidental

Similarities are allowed; after all, the authors live on site, so they often do not have to do much research. And this is exactly how you can benefit as a travel guide: the regional criminal genre starts to stimulate local tourism.

Have a look at your literary material in your surroundings: because many cases are so sculptural, because the places are so interesting, you can offer excellent guided tours to caves or to the tribes' committees for this type of literature.

Cooperation possible

You can also work very specifically with the author of a work: The author writes the novel with the future in mind Guideby selecting certain tourist attractions. You in turn lead with a smart one Concept appropriate tours and market the book.

Of course, this is also possible abroad – assuming you have the appropriate local knowledge. You can book tours on behalf of larger tour companies, to organize, which has the advantage that you get less in advertising invest must. Or you can start very small with regional networks for your people Idea to inspire and then gradually build up a customer base.

This is what the work looks like

If you are looking after a group for the entire trip, you can take care of organizational matters Tasks such as the allocation of rooms in the hotel, money exchange or the procurement of means of transport. They also organize trips. They act as the contact person for travelers and receive complaints and suggestions, for example.

Your job is to make the journey as pleasant as possible for the traveler. Of course, they also assume the duties of a city guide and inform the travelers about the history, traditions and peculiarities of the place, the region or the country.

Local contact

However, it is also possible that you are only looking for travelers at the destination. Then you are available as a contact person and, for example, arrange excursions or carry them through. Tour guides are often confronted with unforeseen situations, such as when travel agents fall ill or means of transport fail.

They react quickly and flexibly to the respective circumstances, take care of the participants or procure replacements for a failed bus.

Prerequisites, education and training

In order to be able to carry out this activity, there is usually one Vocational Training in the field of tourism or a cultural studies Study necessary. However, the designation is not legally protected, so you can start working as a tour guide immediately.

In practice, in addition to the ability to deal with difficult people and larger travel groups also organizational skills, a good general education and excellent knowledge of the target area are in demand. In addition, it is essential to speak several languages.

No paid holidays

You must clear Be that tour guides are not paid vacations: During a trip, tour guides are on duty from morning to night. If you accompany a tour group throughout the trip, you are available around the clock as a contact for the travelers.

Tour guides often work in the open, for example, when they lead city tours. They are exposed to rain, wind, cold or heat as well as to physical exertion.

Opportunities for business start-ups

As a travel guide you are self-employed. This means you only need a tax number from the tax office. A commercial application is not required. A great idea are the literary walks with Google Streetview.

Even if literature tours are certainly a niche product and will remain so: interest is growing. Those who specialize in certain genres, locations or a certain author and their customers the trip as an unforgettable Life-style experience, does not get rich with it, but has certain opportunities to make a living to earn.

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