The rise of experiential travel on The Silk Road

November 23, 2015

The Terracotta Warriors at Xian. Pic: © CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / CC-BY-SA-3.0

The Silk Road is one of the world’s most powerful brands – and 2016 will see a hugely increased awareness of the route through both old and new media.

It was revealed at a seminar staged at World Travel Market that both BBC Travel and BBC4 will be showing Silk Road documentaries next year. And in addition to the massive television exposure, technology and social media are also expected to enhance coverage of the region, say travel specialists.

Around 60 tourism executives gathered at the UNWTO seminar to discuss maximizing potential of the Silk Road, and join in a debate on the rise of experiential travel.

In her progress update on the UNWTO Silk Road activities, Programme Manager Alla Peressolova said a recent Forbes report highlighted The Silk Road as a more powerful brand than Disney and Coca Cola.

She also referred to a UNWTO survey of 300,000 people using social media and blogs which showed that the Silk Road accounted for 30% of all conversations – a remarkably high figure.

Katy Xu, vice-president (Greater China and North Asia) of BBC Advertising, provided further market intelligence on the Silk Road, drawing on the results of an online survey that the BBC launched in 2015 in collaboration with UNWTO.

Historic, cultural and interesting were the adjectives most used by people to describe The Silk Road. The survey also revealed that among the 33 countries the UNWTO works with on its Silk Road programme, China is the one most associated with the route.

More than two-thirds of people quizzed expressed an interest in visiting The Silk Road, with the Terracotta Warriors of Xian, ancient ruins, tombs and historical museums highlighted as the things most want to see.

As numbers of visitors rise, so will the volume of information and photos from visitors enjoying experiential travel, whereby they connect more to the history, people and culture of the region and share those experiences through social media.

On the panel at the seminar was Gil Harel, Vice-President of Business Development at Gogobot, an app that helps people to plan their trips. The firm has 43m users worldwide.

The app helps visitors discover culture and experiences, he said. “It used to be you just found out things when the bus stopped – now visitors can discover and share their local experiences.”

The surprises thrown up by travelling haven’t changed, said Andreas Janz, Deputy Managing Director of China Tours, the biggest Silk Road specialist tour operator in Germany. “What has changed is how people express their surprises,” he added, referring to the rise of social media.

The expansion of travel information due to better communications, apps and social media, was a key discussion point at the seminar, moderated by Mark Frary of Travel Perspective.

Manolis Psarros, Managing Director of Athens-based digital agency Toposophy, said that most popular tourist sites were well-worn paths. “People still go to The Acropolis – but what has really changed is how you experience such sites.

“How you visit the site, who you’re meeting with: that has changed. There is so much information out there now that we now need local experts,” he added, a point that was also addressed at the seminar.

With so much information, a more personalized service to visitors will need to emerge to help them choose what type of travel and experiences suits them best, said Monica Clemente, Senior Manager, Corporate Strategy at Amadeus, an Affiliate Member of UNWTO.

She suggested better analysis of big data will help, along with virtual reality Oculus Rift technology, allowing visitors to ‘see’ through a headset where they might travel along The Silk Road.

Connectivity “everywhere, always” and sustainability are also tourism forecasts included in a #Tribes2030 report from Amadeus. Interestingly, the appellation ‘Tribes’ is also one used by Gogobot in describing different types of people and how they need different types of travel to better personalize the experiences they want.

It was a far-ranging and fascinating discussion of how experiential travel is becoming more expected by the traveller seeking ‘real’ contact and communication along the way – and how they are sharing those experiences.

The Silk Road is ripe for such travel. The survey showed, for example, that 81% of visitors to Uzbekistan were attracted by The Silk Road connection. The country is, with Tajikistan, one of the Silk Road Heritage Corridors to China set to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016.

The seminar rounded up after an hour with networking among the audience, which included UNWTO Executive Director Zoltan Somogyi and representatives of the newest Silk Road Programme members, Spain and Romania