OBSERVATIONS ABOUT TOURISM TRENDS - EUROPE FROM WEST TO EAST
OBSERVATIONS ABOUT TOURISM TRENDS - EUROPE FROM WEST TO EAST

Summary/Abstract: The perpetual attention towards tourism market segmentation remains a significant issue. Scholars and practitioners alike face a formidable task in tackling this issue, given its reflection of the dynamic and varied needs of tourists, influencing their purchasing choices and holiday concepts. To that end, the author endeavors to delineate various approaches to market segmentation within the travel industry focusing on individual movement patterns. The paper aims to explore and elucidate the prevailing trends in European tourist movement geography drawing from an extensive survey of news articles and the author's own observations and discoveries. In addition to delineating the predominant tourism segments of mass tourism and independent travel, this paper contributes further insights by highlighting contemporary market strategies, notably focusing on emerging segments such as LGBTG+ tourism, "Adults only" accommodations, and effective management strategies for online platforms like TripAdvisor and similar entities. The information foundation of thisA study is derived from curated sources including specialized online publications, official websites of Bulgarian and European tourism entities, perspectives from industry stakeholders, press communiqués from hotel chains and tour operators, alongside the author's experiential insights and findings. The research methodology encompasses a range of scientific methods, each serving distinct purposes and offering inherent value. Among the employed methods are observation, synthesis, and analysis, as well as geographical approaches, systematization, reviews of specialized online articles, sociological investigations and others. Following the current tourism trends in Europe moving from west to east, a detailed systematization of various market segments was produced highlighting their advantages and disadvantages as well as a parallel between mass tourism and independent travel. Special attention was paid to the advent of new hospitality models sharing communities, vacation ownership, serviced apartments, co living, co working, the specifics of niche markets culinary experience, ornithology, railway backpackers, and the use and inclusion of latest trends and strategies LGBTQ+, artificial intelligence and inclusion of handicapped people.

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