PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS

The psychological factors are the more subjective ones to evaluate because each person perceives reality in different way according to his/her socio-demographic profile and personality traits, motivations and expectations.

The tourist experience can be structured in the following phases:

The tourist experience begins in the moment that visitor starts to interact with the site. And that happens before to get the place...

NEEDS MOTIVATIONS EXPECTATIONS PERCEPTION EXPERIENCE BEHAVIOR

Previously to the visit During the visit After the visit

PREVIOUS PHASES TO THE VISIT

Recreational Needs: Recreation includes a set of activities that people develop during his/her free time looking for the satisfaction of physical and mental needs. They vary a lot, according to the different living style and personality traits, of the people.Recreational motivations: they are internal forces that address people to act in order to satisfy their recreational needs. Basically, they can be grouped in 4 types: entertainment, education, esthetics and scape (adventure). Expectations: They are what visitors want from the experience. They are built with the information that visitors receives from the site (projected image). This image can be forged even before visiting the site or before receiving commercial information as people over the life, accumulate information related to historic, politic, economic and social facts that are continously shaping his/her image (memories).The information sources (stimulating factors) can be: official, commercial, and other prescriptors.

Needs, Motivations and Expectations

PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE I

Perception and recreational experience it-self are processes taken place in the site. They can affect the personal impression that the visitor will create from his/her full immerssion in the activity and/or the absortion of all the information that the environment provides.Perception is a process that allows people to receive firstly information about environment (stimulus) through the senses (sensations); thereafter, the brain selects, organises and interpretes informations in order to create the perceived image.This process is a task of both senses and brain (memory capacity, learning and intelligence) for giving meaning to the new information and to link it to previous cognitive elements (ideas, memories, believes, previous feelings, models, previous experiences, etc.).Perception can vary according the personality traits, previous knowledge, observer experience and cultural development of each person.

Perception

Perception has two dimensions: cognitive or rational dimension, and emotional or affective dimension. The cognitive dimension is based on the knowledge of site attributes: resources, attractions, facilities, services, etc. This dimension has few real possibilities of mistake because resources and attraction are those existant . Nevertheless, they must be adequately presented to the public and in good state of conservation.The emotional dimension is subjective and can be stimulated or even improved. The mental process followed is:

Sensations (Reality / Input)

Perception (Internal Processing)

MemoryLearning

Intelligence

Emotions (Output)

Feelings(Assessment)

ActitudeBehaviour

PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE II

STIMULUS SENSORY RECEPTORS SENSATION

They detect physic conditions (waves, etc.) or chemical ones (gases, etc.) from the environment and

trasmit this information to the brain Some of them are in the body surface (senses)

Others are in the muscles, tendons and jointsThey inform about the body orientation in the space,

about the position of the members (walking, balance, etc.)There are others in the interior of the body organs.

They inform about the physiologic changes in the environmental conditions (pH, temperature, air

presure).They bring us pain, hunger, thirst, nausea, etc.

Sensations

vision

taste

smell

touch

hearing

PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE III

Emotions are a complex set of physical, chemical and neuronal answers that affect all the body.They are characterized by very varied range of physiological changes (breath, pulse, secretions, etc.), and from the mental side: state of excitement (calmness, joy, pleasure, fear, sadness, anger, surprise, etc.).They are provoked by sensations and/or external stimuli but also by internal ones (thoughts, memories, etc.). Duration of an emotion can vary from some seconds to several hours.Emotions predispose people to the action.

Emotions

PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE IV

SentimientosEmociones

Sensaciones

Feelings are the result of a conscientious assessment of an emotional answer, done by the brain. Then, in the field of the tourism, they are product of cognitive and/or emotional evaluation of a recreational experience. As a result of this evaluation, the judgment can be: satisfaction (feeling of wellness or pleasure after fulfilling a wish or covering a need) or can be dissatisfaction.Feelings provoke affective states dealing with an optimistic attitude (that affect health and wellness) or pessimistic . They also carry a behavior (rejection, acceptance, indifference, etc.).Feeling can persist in the absence of external stimuli, although they ar more powerful during the visit. For this reason they are valuable elements to strengthen posterior behaviors in the short and mid term.

Feelings I

PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE V

In the mental conscientious assessment process of the experience, several elements such as attractions, activity, services, etc. affect. The referent for the site attributes or attractions evaluation will be differences between projected image (expectations) and perceived image (reality). To have a satisfaction feeling after a recreational experience can contribute to facilitate the achievement of the site managerial objectives thanks to the enhancement of certain appreciation attitudes and behaviors. Attitudes and behaviors developed in situ can be projected at medium to long term thanks to an efficient communication of the administration managers by using the new technologies and also the social networking.

Feelings IIattitudes and behaviors

PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE VI

SentimientosEmociones

Sensaciones

Turismo y Humedales

Maria José Viñals

TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE TOURIST EXPERIENCES

Projected image = Perceived Image (Never create false expectations).Good state of conservation of the site and their resources, as close as possible to the ecological and landscaping Integrity.Authenticity of the resources and programmed activities. Use of the intangible heritage , because is to much linked to the people, and then to the emotions. Use the all senses in the act to catch information from the environment.Provide the site with an Interpretation Programme that includes emotional objectives for provoking positive feelings and pro-active conservation attitudes and behaviors to the visitors.Interpretative icones must be adequate according the audience profile.Services’ providers (hotels, restaurants, recreational services companies, etc.) must be involved in the management of quality, destination image and brand, and also must be in co-ordination to the interpretation programme and the responsible administration of the site.Customers’ service staff must be well trained.Existence of guides-interpreters who help to grasp the sensations because living beings, particularly humans, are the more able ones to generate emotions to the others.Use of experiencial marketing in the promotional and commercial processes.The experiential tourism is a complex issue and must be managed by good professionals.

Our planet Earth bears peoples and treasures that can offer memorable vital

experiences…

Our duty is to educate good people and to conserve the heritage legacy so that

the future will be a suitable reality

Thanks for your attention !!!

Any night can the sun rise…