Survey - Tourism in Transit

When talking tourism, where do you stand? Are you fearless or are you cautious? Are you a tourism lover or tourism hater? Move the red dot of the enter your position.

Traveller

Tourist

Tourism lover

Fearless traveller

Cautious traveller

Tourism hater

Why do you want to travel? (choose max. 3 options)

I want to get to know myself better
I want to make new friends (and, who knows, maybe meet the love of my life!)
I want to live new experiences
I want to escape my routine
I want to discover different cultures (through art, gastronomy etc.)
I want to immerse myself in nature
I have to travel for work, but combine it with leisure
I want to relax
I don’t travel. Home sweet home!
I want to add new countries and cities to my list

Do you think there are other ways to reach these goals?

Sure, but travelling is the best way
Yes, and therefore, I’m going to travel less
Yes, and therefore, I am not going to travel anymore
No, travelling is a must for me. I’d be travelling right now if I could

What are your preferred ways to pursue your goals outside of travel? Feel free to select more than one option

Reading books and/or watching movies or TV
Getting to know people through dating apps
Taking a digital trip through Google Street View
Staying in touch with friends and colleagues through video calls
Becoming a member of local networks and getting involved
Relaxing and getting a lot of sleep
Trying to learn new skills
Creative endeavours (writing, drawing, music etc.)
Cooking ever more elaborate dishes

When you do travel, do you like to connect with locals?

Yes, I love to meet up with locals
Yes, I love to stay with locals, at their place
No, I prefer to stay on my own or with my clan
I would like to, but I don’t dare to approach locals

Do you want to know more about local habits and culture?

Yes, it’s very important to know what is going on locally
Yes, before I leave, I try to learn as much as possible about my destination
Yes, I would like to, but have no idea how to do this
Yes, just a little, to make sure I know how to behave myself
No, I could not care less
No, I only travel for work

During your stay in another city, would you like to do something back for the city?

No, I am not interested. That’s not what I go on holiday for
Yes, this would give me the opportunity to learn more about the city and its citizens
Yes, I have a lot of skills that could benefit the visiting city
Yes, but only if there is a reward involved. My time is valuable
No, I am already boosting the local economy by going out to dinner every night
No, this is ridiculous. I visit places to benefit myself

If you want to do something useful in the place you’re visiting, how long should that take?

A few hours, tops
Less than 5% of my stay
More than 5% of my stay
I want to do it during my whole stay!

Suppose a city would only let you in if you are prepared to do something beneficial for the city during (a small part of) your stay. How would that influence your decision to go there?

It would make me never go there again. That’s insane
It would make me more likely to go—I love doing something useful!
It would be a big opportunity to meet locals and to learn more about local culture
It wouldn’t really influence my decision either way

For your future travels, how do you intend to get where you’re going?

I prefer to travel by plane. It’s easy and fast
I prefer to take the train. Flying emits too much carbon
I prefer to go by car (or motorcycle). It makes social distancing easy
I travel only short distances, so I either walk or cycle

While the streets will remain empty for the time being, as public places stay closed and souvenir shops are going bankrupt, we hope that won’t last forever. Do you think we’ll need tourism more than ever as a means to revive local economies? Would you welcome back tourism for this reason? Or do you think the crisis is an opportunity to change tourism as we know it?
How do you see visitors?

As potential friends
As people who are curious about new cultures
As people looking for the best selfie spots
As perpetually drunk anthem-belchers, keeping me up at night
As temporary co-citizens—no different from my neighbours
As a necessary evil; I’d rather not see them at all

When visitors want to connect with you, what do you do?

Make friends and offer them a tour
Invite them to my house
Invite them to my house
Pretend I don’t speak English or am in a hurry
Invite them to join an activity I am involved in
Invite them to join an activity I am involved in

Which of the following things do you attribute to tourism? You can pick 3 options

Cultural exchange
Economic boost
Opportunities to make new friends
Overcrowding
Loss of local identity
Rising housing prices

Local economies benefit from tourism. Some cities even depend on it. Is that a good reason for the tourism industry to keep growing?

Yes, the more it grows the better
Yes, but we have to introduce some restrictions
No, enough is enough; needs of the locals outweigh those of tourists
Yes and no. We have to find the right balance between economic interests and the liveability of the city
Yes. But we have to focus on attracting the right visitors.

Do you think visitors to your city should pay an active role, making themselves useful during part of their stay? And why?

Yes, that would be great; there’s a lot they could help out with
Yes, that would make their stay more enjoyable for them
No, I don’t think we need their help
No, why would they want to? Just let them look around on their own
I do not know, we might try it out

What do you think are the best ways to improve the quality of destinations that attract a lot of visitors?

Close most or all cheap souvenir shops and tourist traps
Create tourist attractions that offer value for both tourists and locals
Introduce a fine for tourists who do not behave themselves
Involve visitors in local activities

Overall, how do you see tourism after the Corona crisis?

There is no world without travel. Travel brings joy, it boosts the economy, and allows for cultural cross-pollination
We should support airlines and tourism companies, to make sure things return to how they were before, warts and all
Travel should be a privilege, and the people who travel should strive to make themselves useful at their destination (and stop using those trolley suitcases)
People who are nuisance are not welcome. The authorities have to focus on ‘good’ tourism
Traveling should only be done if strictly necessary
No more travel. Let’s keep this emptiness and quietness

Traveller bonus!

The last person to answer this survey is curious about you and left you a question:

Ah :) I was already asking the question :) That gives me the opportunity to reformulate it: “How can we experience our city as a tourist ourselves, and thus bring back the liveliness?”

done!

Skip the bonus

How ’bout you?

I do miss the vibrancy. How can we bring our city to life ourselves?

Do you miss tourists in your city?

Not really

Ah :) I was already asking the question :) That gives me the opportunity to reformulate it: “How can we experience our city as a tourist ourselves, and thus bring back the liveliness?”

Now it's your turn

What would you like to know about the traveler that’s coming next?

Done!

Skip the bonus

How ’bout you?

I do miss the vibrancy. How can we bring our city to life ourselves?

Do you miss tourists in your city?

Not really

How ’bout you?

I do miss the vibrancy. How can we bring our city to life ourselves?

Ah :) I was already asking the question :) That gives me the opportunity to reformulate it: “How can we experience our city as a tourist ourselves, and thus bring back the liveliness?”

Last step to discover who you are...

You identify as

Your age

Where are you from?

Submit!

Okay, human! We are crossing the data to see how your actions reflect your thoughts. Give us a moment, we want to get this right

You are a THE REAL TRAVELLER Click to know more

THE REAL TRAVELLER

You live for a good trip and believe in the power of travelling. You are fearless. The moment the borders will openup, you will pack your bags and hit the road. All you need in your backpack is your passport, and you’re always willing to take a leap of faith. You’re sure things will mostly be fine. That’s why you are such great company for visitors to your own city: you really enjoy touristic affairs. You do want to point out the difference between a tourist and a traveller. You are a real traveller and want to see more people likeminded. You like to meet locals, and would love to engage with locals even more. For you travelling is not all about consuming, you want to give something back to the destination where you are at. The more people do it, the more shared and lasting memories we create.

You are a THE DREAMER IN A BUBBLE Click to know more

THE DREAMER IN A BUBBLE

You love planning ahead just as much as actually travelling. Yes, true it is not easy to do this in times of this staycation. But still, you will keep on asking for tips for your future destination and take virtual trips around YouTube in preparation, arrange the hypest guides, the whole nine yards. Your bespoke maps make Google jealous and you’re the go-to person to everyone who comes to the place where you live. Yet you don’t really feel like engaging with travellers too much. It is quite a hassle to encounter one another, plus they are just passing through. You will never see them again, so why would you waste your time. You rather stay in your mind bubble and keep your head space. In the end, when you are on holiday you want to take a rest and to get a healthy dosis of self-care. Nobody else has to be involved with that.

You are a THE STAYCATIONIST Click to know more

THE STAYCATIONIST

You think things through and are always prepared for the unexpected. Travelling is a no-go in these times. It is better to stay in, and you recommend it to everybody —why wouldn’t you? Apart from the pandemic, you know that a getaway can be more exhausting than restorative. The packing! The traffic! The mad dash to the airport! This may be why thinking of a recovering tourism industry gets on your nerves. You do not think tourism will ever change and you are afraid things will get back where they left off. You do not see the point in contributing to a city at all, come one… you are trying to relax. You’re probably aware by now that other travellers in your home town were a nuisance to you. Everything was so perfect in quarantine. Can we turn back time?

You are a THE EXCLUSIVE HIPPIE Click to know more

THE EXCLUSIVE HIPPIE

Your path is the unknown and freedom makes you breathe. This quarantine time makes you sick, you are chomping to travel again. You have a go-to list of all the places you want to visit. This could be the reason behind your exasperation every time you find yourself after another extension of the lockdown. Come on with the vaccine! You have places to see and maps to chart. To you travelling is all about the experience. Yet you are not very interested in contributing to the city nor engaging with locals. What is wrong roaming around a city and sipping some wine on a terras? You just don’t want others to kill your vibe. You respects each others space and mind zone, also when you see travellers in your own place. Definitely, if they need some help you will be there, but that is pretty much it.

You are a THE IDEAL BUDDY Click to know more

THE IDEAL BUDDY

Normally, you know exactly what’s up, the uncanny ability to find the best bars, and a knack for making friends. You can’t wait until this all will be over, you are ready to travel again and enjoy the company of new friends. This makes you an open-minded cookie, welcoming and friendly to all sorts of travellers. Giving something back to your destinations is crucial for you. You think travellers should be more open to connect with locals. It is important to have a good connection with your destination and find people that are likeminded there. The best thing to do that is by linking with a local, ideally by having a buddy. You act similar when you meet travellers in you home town, you are open and ready to connect. You wish this would always be the case and you know you are the best buddy one could wish for. Hopefully in the future there will be more solutions to be able to travel and connect with the locals around. And you advise that to everybody.

You are a THE ADVENTUROUS OBSERVER Click to know more

THE ADVENTUROUS OBSERVER

You’re adventurous, but prepared. You know what is happening where, when and how, so you never miss out on anything. Now you are reading all the news and seek for the latest developments in the travel world. You are set to go. You are dreaming of visiting several tourist destinations. In you opinion travel allows us to open our eyes to different cultures, learn about other ways of life, build empathy, and embark on life-changing experiences. At the same time you think that tourism is dull, and you are very aware of how things are going. You do really hope tourism will change soon, but you are quite desperate. In you home town you are quite fed up with all the visitors. To you they are just some passive voyeurists. A lot of people don’t seem to understand how travel can really be. It’s all about adventure. This is what gives your life. Let’s roll.

You are a THE PRESIDENT OF THE LONELY PLANET FANCLUB Click to know more

THE PRESIDENT OF THE LONELY PLANET FANCLUB

You have almost all the Lonely Planets in your bookcase. And once in a while you turn the pages and dream away. You like things to be under control—you keep ranked lists of everything (including your friends). In these days, the world is out of control and it makes you very uncomfortable. To travel or not to travel, that is the question. You will rather stay in and continue to day dream where you could have been right now. Tourism in general is great for local economies, although you also understand that it does not always works out that well for the environments of locals. You are wishing there were more experiences where you can engage with locals. Being useful to a destination is definitely an added value. That is something you miss in your own hometown. If everybody could only do something back to the place we are it would be great. Also it is a nice addition to your trip. Can just somebody tell you how?

You are a THE STUCK PILGRIM Click to know more

THE STUCK PILGRIM

If you had the chance, you’d be exploring an undiscovered village in the mountains of the Philippines as we speak. You’re hardly ever home. Being at home right now is a trap. These days you go out for long walks and seek for future discoveries. It would be too irresponsible to hit the far way road now. It’s best to remember that traveling can be so much more than just a vacation. You want people to be more aware of the human side of tourism. At the same time, you don’t want that others discover your hidden gems. You wish there was a way in between, where you can contribute to a destination and not marking it completely. Because we all know how it works, they get over populated and then the fun is over. The same thing happend to your own town. It still has a quite nasty after taste. So, what is best… it is a hard question. You feel a little bit stuck in the middle.

You are a FLOW MASTER Click to know more

FLOW MASTER

You’re fine with pretty much everything. The idea of staying in for the summer is also fine. You have enough to do and you try to make the most out of you time; it’s all good to you. You’re the optimistic spirit animal every traveller loves. You’re floating two centimeters above the ground at any given time, that’s how zen you are. You believe that people should be more conscious of their travels. You would love to give something back to any city, but you feel on an island when it comes to that. At least that is what you see in your home town, people are so unconsious of the flip side of their travels. We should create more awareness. You believe people should take some time for self-reflection and ask the question, how can I become the mindfull traveller? You think we should definitely blend in with our surrounding and contribute to the location we are. But for now … Peace out, sit back and relax for now. You are not going anywhere. So you have enough time to think.

You

Tourism lover

Fearless traveller

Cautious traveller

Tourism hater