Experiential Marketing in Hospitality and Tourism

Experiential marketing has emerged as a strategic approach that transcends the traditional service exchange by engaging guests in multi-sensory, emotive and memorable encounters. In hospitality and tourism, this approach leverages the entire service setting – from ambience, narratives and interpersonal interactions to digital interfaces – to co-create value with travellers. The shift from goods-centred to experience-centred offerings reflects the evolution of the experience economy, wherein providers orchestrate elements such as authenticity, memorability and personalisation. Modern frameworks underscore the importance of immersive storytelling, cultural authenticity and technological augmentation, including virtual and augmented reality, to tailor unique experiences. Scholars highlight the dynamic interplay between physical and digital experiencescapes, emphasising how the design of environments, service narratives and community engagement coalesce to shape guest satisfaction and loyalty. Cross-cultural research attributes global relevance to experiential marketing practices, demonstrating their capacity to enhance destination branding, drive sustainable tourism and foster local economic development. Practical applications range from the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings as experiential venues to the integration of mobile technologies for real-time customisation. Together, these insights reveal a trajectory towards holistic, guest-centred ecosystems that reinforce brand narratives, deepen emotional connections and generate competitive advantage in an increasingly experience-driven market.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Experiential Marketing in Hospitality and Tourism publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in experiential marketing in hospitality and tourism across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Experiential marketing: A strategic approach that engages consumers through multi-sensory and emotional interactions to create memorable and personalised experiences beyond the core service.
Experience economy: An economic framework emphasising the staging of experiences as distinct offerings, in which value arises from engagement and personalisation rather than goods or services alone.
Experiencescape: The holistic environment—physical or digital—designed to facilitate immersive experiences, encompassing ambience, narrative and sensory stimuli.
Service-dominant logic: A theoretical paradigm that views value as co-created through interactions between providers and consumers, prioritising relationships and experiences over tangible products.
Co-creation: The collaborative process whereby consumers actively participate in designing and personalising their own service or experience journey.

References

1. Embracing the paradox of customer experiences in the hospitality and tourism industry. International Journal of Management Reviews (2023).
2. Experience management in hospitality and tourism: reflections and implications for future research. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (2024).
3. Historic buildings and the creation of experiencescapes: looking to the past for future success. Journal of Tourism Futures (2019).
4. Understanding Customer Experience for Sustainable Innovation: An Integration of Conscious and Unconscious Perspectives of Theme Hotel Guests. Sustainability (2024).