Education for Tourism in our Current Sharing Economy

The current approach that people have towards the use of their free time and holidays has been changing at great speed in the tourism industry. Tourism services have proliferated in such a way that almost everyone can contribute to our sharing economy. This is due in a great part to education, technology and societal development as people are becoming more efficient and aware of new possibilities. Previously only well-established business & services had this opportunity but since the mid 90's the internet has had a great impact in many societies on a wide range of topics such as technology and communications, commerce, business and culture. The approaches in international tourism trends that used to work might not be no longer reliable in today ' s market. It can be argued that, not only has education established a new mindset in our sharing economy but also enhanced the tourism industry through the use of technology to book rooms, flights, cars, cruise ships, concerts, etc... and as a result, this is now bringing the opportunity to individuals willing to try new ideas and offer services in combination with technology and culture. Services like Uber and Airbnb have transformed the concepts of transportation and accommodation. The developments in marketing technology through the use of mobile apps have established a new paradigm for the tourism industry. As a result, creating a variety of services to those who invest in their own skills and education, could give them greater access for becoming producers apart from being consumers. Education is the key for the development of tourism where a new understanding of travelers needs has to be studied and news ways of traveling have to be analyzed. Through an analysis of emerging trends in traveling patterns, we need to develop tourism destinations through technology while understanding the need of specific niche markets in a sharing economy.