Untitled

a limited period of time. Rented facilities are
usually advertised with published fees. Payment for
using some facilities, including hotel rooms and
condominiums, is often included in the price of the
package tours. In many resorts, cars, boats,
bicycles or even ski boots are available for rent.
repeat tourist
TANJA MIHALIC Ï ,SLOVENIA
Tourists who return to a destination or purchase
products and services from the same purveyor on a
regular basis are known as repeat customers.
Marketers refer to them as being part of the active
market segment; that is, they have purchased the
product in the recent past and intend to do so
again in the near future. Repeat tourists may be
drawn to an area because of cultural appeals that
exist there. They are responsible for perpetuating
the culture, as they initially learn about it on their
first trip and reinforce it on subsequent visits.
When and if the culture changes, displacement
of the repeat tourists will take place as they search
for alternative destinations with which they are
comfortable.
There is no simple answer to the question of
what makes someone a repeat tourist. Seasonal
�second) homeowners are some of the most visible
and frequent repeat tourists to an area �see second
home; summer cottage). Owners of recreational
vehicles or motor homes may exhibit
characteristics of seasonal homeowners, but, due
to their increased mobility, they may choose to
relocate if cultural, political or environmental
conditions change. Small towns or villages located
in proximity to larger urban areas have great
potential to cater to repeat tourists by offering an
alternative touristic experience to that found in
the population centre. Regardless of the conditions
leading to persons becoming repeat tourists, it is
important to understand the characteristics, including
behavioural patterns, of this group as they
are generally the foundation for the rest of an
area's tourism. Word-of-mouth advertising ±or
organic image formation ± has long been recognised
as the most effective means of image
development. Therefore, long-term development
of touristic products, including destination development,
requires careful attention be paid to the
characteristics, needs and expectations of repeat
tourists.
Repeat tourists may also be repeat customers for
a business. All tourism-dependent businesses rely to
an extent on repeat business, but it is more critical
for some than for others. Smaller businesses
generally must have higher profit margins to
offset the lack of sales volume in order to maintain
profitability. To cultivate repeat business, quality
customer service becomes a critical part of value
added to the product. Depending on the type of
business, name recognition, preparation of favourite
food and reservation of favourite rooms are
some of the characteristics of a quality service
programme developed especially for repeat customers.
Large businesses also recognise the value of
repeat consumers. Airline frequent flyer programmes,
with various recognition and benefit
levels, are commonplace in the industry. Similarly,
many multinational hotel chains offer frequent
stay programmes. Frequent buyer programmes are
increasingly being adopted by many different types
and sizes of tourism-dependent businesses, as
recognition of the value of repeat tourists/customers
is acknowledged.
representation
representation 501
WILLIAMC.GARTNER,USA
Representation is the order of appearance of a
thing or event, according to conventions. Representations
range from the authentic/real to the
inauthentic/unreal. Under postmodernity, representations
and signs are increasingly consumed
instead of actual entities. The technology of
simulation is increasingly used to frame touristic
pseudo-events, and mechanical/electronic/kinematic
means are deployed to construct new sign
values.
See also: authenticity; staged authenticity
KEITH HOLLINSHEAD, UK