Download Perception - Med-INA

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:
NEEDS
MOTIVATIONS
Previously to the visit
EXPECTATIONS
PERCEPTION
EXPERIENCE
During the visit
BEHAVIOR
After the visit
The tourist experience begins in the moment that visitor starts to
interact with the site. And that happens before to get the place...
PREVIOUS PHASES TO THE VISIT
Needs, Motivations and Expectations
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.
PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE I
Perception
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.
PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE II
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)
Memory
Learning
Intelligence
Emotions
(Output)
Feelings
(Assessment)
Actitude
Behaviour
PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE III
Sensations
STIMULUS
SENSORY
RECEPTORS
SENSATION
vision
hearing
smell
taste
touch
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 joints
They 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.
PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE IV
Emotions
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.
Sentimientos
Emociones
Sensaciones
PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE V
Feelings I
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.
PHASES TAKEN PLACE IN THE SITE VI
Feelings II
attitudes and behaviors
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.
Sentimientos
Emociones
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
Any night can the sun rise…
Thanks for your attention !!