By postmodern tourism

By postmodern tourism, hospitality, and experience (THE) industry, which mean dynamic, nonlinear and partly hypercyclic business environment, the global and national hotel and restaurant chains, shopping centres, congress centres, event centres and experience centres and multi-sensory experience services (Aaltonen 2001; 2007, Heikkinen 2003). As far back as the 1980’s, or, for a few researchers, the 1950’s, the analysis of the consumption habits of consumers in the THE-industry has turned out to be more complicated as a result of growing and globalized service supply and demand.
Postmodernism shows in the fragmentation and insecurity of the mass market and in the emphasis on the consumers’ multiple needs and desires to consume (Cf. Bauman 1993; 2000; Heikkinen 2003; Heikkinen ; Kortelampi 2002; Honkanen 2004; Williams 2002, 173-213.) The logic of hospitality service, experience service and wellness service consumption have loosened and regulations have been discarded which can described as fusing or hybrid consuming (Heikkinen 2015; Inkinen 2002; Karvonen 1999).
According to Heikkinen (2003); Jameson (1986); Uriely (1996); and Urry (1990), in the Finnish THE-business environment, specially winter and sport resorts are representing typical after modern playfields of hyper-real, anti-hierarchial and context-dependant tourism. They are supporting the consumers’ searching of experiences, wellness, individuality and other people. The wellness companies including spas, stadiums, sports halls, fitness centres, beauty salons, plastic surgeries are living and polyphonic miniature of the whole phenomena of postmodernism.
The postmodern Finnish wellness tourists’ behaviour were divided and has an ever-changing mindset. An individual reveals his or her flexibility as a health-oriented consumer when one grounds for choosing wellness products and services may be obscure, flimsy and whimsical. The wellness motifs, lifestyle and expectations towards services and products are contextual changing according time and place. These tourists represent fast-experience and mass consuming with plenty of rational and irrational wellness service and product choices (Sheldon ; Bushell 2009; Saari 2015; Smith ; Puczkó 2009; Suontausta ; Tyni 2005; Tuohino ; Kangas 2009). There may be polarised elements in the health behaviour that manifest himself/herself in a “both-and” attitude, nonchalance, straight or an unconditional attitude (Bauman 1993; 2000). A situation-bound wellness tourist can exemplify conviction and carelessness, presence and otherness. He or she is simultaneously egotistical, liberated, and looking for a sense of security.
Besides that, the customer and consumption behaviour depends on the life situation, values, cultural taste, buying power and different. The wellness traveller moves freely in THE-industry from top quality beauty shops, fitness centres, luxury hotels and fine dining restaurants to experience spa and fast food restaurants during his or her journey, as the situation requires or resources allow (Inkinen 2002; Heikkinen 2003). Especially, the entertainment spas are offering more wellness designed services and products for sale for example bigger rooms, healthy food and beverages, entertainment, clothing, music, medicine (Garciá- Altés 2005).
According to Heikkinen and Kortelampi (2002), they are also concentrating on more and more global brands and trademarks and thus limit the choice available to the consumer´s. At spas, the traditional and classical treatments have been replaced with services designed by combining several technologic and wellness experience services. The wellness tourist is also following sport, food and fashion trends and superstars sportive and lavish ways of life. The social media is affecting the decisions of foreign and international super-branded destinations, hotels and spa chains increasingly.
In these hybrid-markets, the concepts of health, wellness and quality have suffered an inflation of sorts in this market. Small companies and consumers have been made into objects of the mass culture, accepting the situation, being even pleased with it. The growing business problem of Finnish wellness industry is after all that the heavy users of wellness services claim that they have “experience it all” and nothing that is on display has an impact on them. Still they are restless as they want to see and experience something completely new. The wellness travellers are searching new destinations and experiences and service and product innovations at the same time they should diminish the travelling and wasting because of the climate change (Simpson ; al. 2008).