{"id":17101,"date":"2026-04-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/tourist-or-shopper-guest\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:00:00","slug":"tourist-or-shopper-guest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/tourist-or-shopper-guest\/","title":{"rendered":"Tourist or shopper? Guest."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There was a time when it was clear what a \u201cshopping center\u201d was and what a \u201ctourist destination\u201d was.A shopping center was \u201ca block of concrete with shops,\u201d and a tourist destination was a place to escape into nature.Today, those boundaries are fading. A shopping center is no longer just a place to buy things \u2013 it\u2019s a space for connection, relaxation, and inspiration.Across the world, people are recognizing this, and shopping centers are becoming filled with trees, greenery, and elements of nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, today\u2019s tourist is no longer searching only for attractions, but for a sense of belonging<\/strong>, the taste of something local<\/strong>, and a moment to remember<\/strong>.That\u2019s why we now talk about destinations that can be commercial, gastronomic, cultural, sports-oriented, or experiential<\/strong> \u2013 or even a combination of all these.It\u2019s the same human need \u2013 to feel good<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning from different worlds<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This topic often comes up at conferences.At the most recent one I attended, focused on the retail sector in Istanbul, an architect from Hong Kong emphasized that shopping centers in Asia are designed as \u201cliving organisms\u201d: with indoor gardens, water features, and quiet zones.In Arab countries, shopping centers are places of spectacle; in larger European cities, they reflect elegance and tradition; and in Malaysia, among other attractions, there is literally a jungle inside a shopping mall or an airport.Even airports are turning into destinations of experience \u2013 no longer just places to rush through on arrival or departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each market has its own way of keeping the guest engaged<\/strong> \u2013 but the goal is the same: to evoke emotion<\/strong>.Recently, I walked through one of Istanbul\u2019s centers right after that conference.It was Friday afternoon \u2013 the smell of coffee in the air, music, and children\u2019s laughter.I stopped by an indoor fountain surrounded by greenery and thought \u2013 ten years ago, this would have been an info desk, not a garden.And that\u2019s no coincidence.Today, people aren\u2019t just looking for products \u2013 we\u2019re looking for spaces where we feel good.Sometimes that\u2019s in a store, sometimes while traveling. The difference between the two is getting smaller.And maybe that\u2019s the essence of what we\u2019re all building today \u2013 in tourism, retail, or digital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seller as host, the center as home<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When we talk about experience, we\u2019re really talking about people. Even the most impressive architecture means little if the experience feels cold. A salesperson or a waiter is no longer just an employee \u2013 they are a host<\/strong>. Their task is to create a sense of welcome<\/strong>. To notice you<\/strong>, listen to you<\/strong>, understand you<\/strong>. To help you \u2013 not just to sell. To make you leave with a smile \u2013 and come back again. But to do that, they need to be trained and educated \u2013 both those working in tourism and those in retail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food, conversation, and calm \u2013 the new luxury<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A restaurant or caf\u00e9, whether it\u2019s at a tourist destination or inside a shopping center, serves the same purpose.The guest wants to rest, eat, drink \u2013 ideally something local \u2013 and simply feel good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we had to choose one area that defines success today in both tourism and retail, it would be F&B<\/strong> \u2013 food, beverage, and social connection.Restaurants, caf\u00e9s, food markets \u2013 these aren\u2019t add-ons, they are the heart of every destination<\/strong>, whether tourist or commercial.That\u2019s where people connect. That\u2019s where memories are made.And that\u2019s exactly what a tourist or shopper \u2013 in other words, a guest \u2013 takes home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology as a mirror, not a goal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an age of growing online sales, it may seem that digitalization solves everything.But technology isn\u2019t a magic wand \u2013 it\u2019s a mirror of behavior.Smart systems, analytics, loyalty programs \u2013 all of them are useful only if they help us understand people better.If we don\u2019t know how to listen, data won\u2019t help us. And if we don\u2019t use the data, we don\u2019t need it at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We first need to understand the person \u2013 they must be at the center.Of course, we can\u2019t appeal to everyone, so we must first define what we want to offer, what we want to achieve, and who our target group (persona) is.Then we describe the process, and finally, everything comes together through the right tool \u2013 digitalization.That\u2019s the order we often forget. Everything must go hand in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion: the human is the destination<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether we\u2019re talking about a tourist<\/strong> or shopping<\/strong> destination \u2013 the goal is the same: the human being<\/strong>.When someone feels welcomed, heard, and at peace, they become loyal.Not because of points or discounts, but because they felt part of a story<\/strong> \u2013 and took home good memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe that\u2019s the true essence of future destinations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t matter what you come for \u2014 what matters is that you leave with a pleasant feeling.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jurij Triller<\/strong>
Let\u2019s connect<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

This article was originally published in the Digital Disruptor newsletter #24.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There was a time when it was clear what a \u201cshopping center\u201d was and what a \u201ctourist destination\u201d was.A shopping center was \u201ca block of concrete with shops,\u201d and a tourist destination was a place to escape into \u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":17067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-loyalty-programs","category-smart-destinations"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17101\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sos-sw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}