The traveler's search for meaning

Nature tourism has become, in Colombia and the world, the fastest-growing sector in the tourism industry and a trend that not even the pandemic has been able to contain.

According to the latest tourism report from MinCIT, "Tourism in Figures: October 2021," national hotel occupancy this month exceeded by 25.8 percentage points (p.p.) the occupancy of the same month in 2020. Similarly, the number of people who participated in domestic tourism or excursions in the third quarter of 2021 grew by 74.35 p.p. compared to the third quarter of 2020.

This record growth in figures reflects a change in consumer trends and interests of travelers. In this new reality, where uncertainty and discomfort due to new international immigration protocols, flight cancellations, and the latent concern of a possible contagion still exist, mass tourism, where knowing more destinations in less time was the boom, is no longer the protagonist. The new trends point towards local, wellness, sensory, and slow tourism.

According to studies conducted by Dr. Claudio Milano at the Ostelea School of International Tourism and Hospitality in Barcelona, the slow movement trend began in 2010, a form of wellness, slow, and sensory tourism, a tourism that has evolved according to the needs of a constantly changing sector and that responds "(...) to elements such as culture, experience, emotion, meaning, responsibility, sustainability, authenticity, and exoticism." The slow tourism or movement, according to the virtual center for tourism training Innovtur,

"Is not another typology or tourism segment, essentially it is part of a lifestyle and can be conceived as a more relaxed and unhurried form of travel that involves disconnecting from routine to genuinely reconnect with oneself and with the place, its culture, customs, people, and environmental surroundings, from a different travel attitude than the traditional (...)." (Innovtur, 2018).

In this sense, this movement aligns with nature, the rural, and the appeal it offers for its visitors; people who increasingly seek something beyond an experience, beyond an emotion, they seek to awaken the senses. To this is added the growth of rural accommodation offerings, especially in the vicinity of major cities, where the increasing demand has not been entirely met, and this has become an interesting business opportunity for entrepreneurs.

Photographs by Juan Pablo Carvajal. KingDome Glamping, Guatavita, Cundinamarca.

Guatavita is an example of the potential of nature tourism and how well it aligns with the new consumption trends accentuated by the pandemic. Within nature tourism, there is a concept that has recently become fashionable called "Glamping." The word Glamping comes from the combination of Glamour and Camping, referring to a camping experience with the comforts and/or luxuries of a conventional hotel.

When I started the rural accommodation project with my family in 2019, we were the second to offer Glamping in Guatavita. Today, there are more than 40 Glampings recognized in the surrounding area.

The growth of nature tourism has brought new opportunities and challenges, which I have personally experienced. These accommodations have meant a stable job offer that differs from the reality many of the people who work there had before being employed. According to the National Planning Department in its characterization sheet of Guatavita, in 2015, 58% of the population was within the Multidimensional Poverty Index, and currently, the tourism sector has managed to employ directly and indirectly the inhabitants of the region.

With the current statistics, it is not easy to measure the impact that tourism has had on local inhabitants. However, this has not been a problem for travelers who have witnessed this positive impact, who value being served by local staff, knowledgeable about the customs and culture of the region they have visited. 48% of the 359 comments that my accommodation has received on Booking.com mention customer service or attention as the most outstanding attribute during their stay, and in addition, being able to enjoy natural views, fresh air, disconnection, and even the cold of the night stand out among the others. The aforementioned refer to the sensations and feelings that the guests had during their stay.

In conclusion, we see that nature tourism is here to stay, with Glamping as a reference in this sector. This tourism aligns with the new trends that have been forged in recent decades, has been accentuated by the pandemic, and responds to the interests of the traveler in search of meaning. The growing demand for this type of tourism has been seized upon by entrepreneurs who lack knowledge about hospitality or sustainable practices.

References

• National Planning Department. (2015). Characterization Sheet.

• Innovtur. (2021, February 18). What is Slow Tourism? A natural way of traveling, an attitude towards the journey. Retrieved January 28, 2022, from https://www.innovtur.com/slow-tourism-una-forma-natural-de-viajar-una-actitud-hacia-el-viaje/

• McLaren, L. (2017, July 1). Me on a cliff in Yosemite [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/nGwhwpzLGnU

• Milano, C. (2018). Travel Trends and Tourist Saturation. Barcelona: Ostelea School of Tourism & Hospitality.

• Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism. (2020). Sustainable Tourism Policy: United by Nature.

• Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism. (2021). Tourism in Figures: October 2021.