Do It Yourself Trend in Tourism Industry

The term ‘Do It Yourself’ in tourism refers to consumers booking individual aspects of their holiday directly with the producer, instead of using an external agent, such as Thomas Cook. In recent years, there has been a rise in the United Kingdom in the number of ‘DIY’ holidays from 57% in 2005 to 62.3% in 2009 (Keynote, 2010) due to several significant driving factors influencing consumers’ behaviour. Examples of these external drivers are changes in technology, the Internet revolution for example, and changes in the economy. For instance, due to the economic recession originating in 2007, people in the UK have seen decreases in their disposable income, from £180 a week in December 2009 to £172 in December 2010 (The Guardian, 2011) for the average family. We also have internal factors to incorporate into the reasoning behind the emerging trend. For example, we must consider the influence of socio-economic and motivational factors, which affect consumer’s behaviour towards tourism. This emerging trend towards ‘DIY’ in tourism has implications on managing and marketing tourism. These implications include changes in the strategy of the tourism industry and how different producers have altered their marketing mix.

In recent years, there has been significant development in the technology world, where consumers have the ability to access the continually evolving Internet through different mediums and at a faster rate. Nearly all computers now have the capability to connect to the Internet, and henceforth, producers of tourism products are utilising the Internet as an alternative distribution channel to sell their products, instead of using a tour operator. This allows consumers to book directly with their producer, whether it is cheap flights with EasyJet, or a hotel in Bangkok. This saves both consumers and producers money as they cut out the cost of an intermediary.

Furthermore, the smart phone is a fundamental driver towards DIY in tourism. More and more

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