The evolution of tourism demand and experiential tourism. New tool for promotion and territorial marketing. L’evoluzione della domanda turistica e il “turismo esperienziale”. Nuovi strumenti per la promozione e il marketing territoriale

The present contribution focuses on the tourist demand sector structured on objective but, above all, subjective elements to which different types of demand correspond, according to the requests and needs expressed by single tourists. The most significant types of demand are: demand for hospitality and catering services, transport, tourist intermediation, primary and derivative services and consumer goods and services. Tourism is no longer tied merely to the concept of free time, as in the past, and in particular since the 1980s, it has constantly moved towards different destinations, and towards different ways of doing tourism, as it happens in experiential tourism, with a focus on particular characteristics of the chosen destinations, in order to make the stay suitable for the intended initial purpose. From both quantitative and qualitative points of view, with the evolution of the post-industrial society, we are witnessing the diversification of tourism with the presence of different types of tourist experiences, characterized by subjective motivations of the tourist, as well as by particular natural or human elements, so called identifiers, related to certain places. The territory is the result of the transformation carried out by men whose goal is to adapt to existential needs. But the territory is above all a container of knowledge and experiences stratified over time, traditions, places characterized by distinctive elements. This represents the essential value of the places that represent themselves as offer to the tourist with their potential and beauty. In this context, there has been a change in both the demand and the tourism offer sectors, and this has led to a great revolution in the tools for presenting and promoting tourism products, inducing the same mediator to adapt to contemporary developments in the digital field. On the one hand, we are witnessing the need to visit authentic places and to make unique experiences, and in this sense the narration of the places for their discovery becomes important, especially with reference to what is traditional in a place, but also with regard to what is brand new, thus escaping from mass tourism; on the other hand, the traditional organization of a journey that used to involve the mediation of tour operators, travel agencies and service providers is changing, making the practicality of direct sales through the World Wide Web prevail over telephone or personal contacts. The diffusion and competition conducted by low-cost airlines and platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Trivago, Kajak make the consumer able to compare prices of different types of accommodation, flights, car rentals and even sports, food and wine experiences and individual well-being. Moreover, thanks to the use of the Internet and such platforms, it is possible to obtain immediate statistical data. The objective of this contribution is to assess how tourism demand has evolved and how territorial marketing and communication.