Fashion tourism is a niche segment of the market that mixes creative, cultural and shopping tourism all together. It can be defined as the interaction between trade associations, tourism suppliers and host communities.
How does fashion tourism work?
Fashion Weeks are the starting point for many destination marketing organizations to take fashion as a new anchor for their tourism industry and the general economy of a country. By constantly pushing fashion week trade events into the public eye, awareness about the location’s fashionable credentials is raised and that encourages visitors to consider traveling to that specific location.
Who are the prime-movers?
The global “Big Four” fashion capitals: Paris, London, Milan, New York.. oh, New York! Back in 1943, the first-ever fashion week was held in The Big Apple. It’s main reason was to give buyers alternatives to French fashion during World War II, when the borders were closed and people were not able to travel to Paris.
Is shopping a real tourism motivator?
When traveling, visitors are increasingly considering shopping to be a way to experience local culture through an engagement with local products. There is a trend within shopping tourism for consumers from emerging markets to plan their trips according to where high-end fashion brands are cheapest. This is less about “the chic” of buying from the point of origin and more about the economic interest of each individual.
How much influence does the fashion industry have on tourism?
The importance of fashion tourism cannot be under-estimated for sure. Every passing year it seems like shopping cities are making it to the top preferred holiday destinations. Individual luxury fashion brands also play a major part in a city’s marketing on fashion tourism. Cultural tourism is the subset of fashion tourism concerned on a country’s culture. Specifically, the lifestyle of the inhabitants is the experience that tourists want to live.
Now that we understood how fashion tourism works it is time to find out our top 5 fashion-related touristical destinations that are safely accessible during summer 2021 and can offer you a fresh perspective on style.
The Reasons for the Rise of Fashion Tourism
Fashion is undoubtedly the most influential phenomenon of this generation. The current generation makes their rebellion, their ideas, and their thoughts all known through the style that they embrace. Thus, when the fashion sensibilities of a particular country match their own, people are naturally drawn towards to explore more of the options.
In spite of the world going global, there is also the fact that not everything is available everywhere yet. There are certain items and even designer labels that are not accessible beyond the boundaries of particular countries. Naturally, fashion enthusiasts are attracted towards such location to fill up on their quota of fashion and also have some sightseeing on the sides.
The Constituents of Fashion Tourism
The modern tourist is no longer only attracted by the sands and seas of the typical tourism packages. The destinations worldwide understand this shift and are thus modifying their approach to draw in more tourists to their land. One of the evidence of that modified approach lies in the rising trend of shopping festivals around the world. Shopping festivals in places like Dubai, Hong Kong, and more attract tourists from all over the globe. The aim of these shopping festivals is to foster economic growth by providing high-quality services and products based mostly on the respective cultures.
To understand this component of fashion tourism, you can take a look at the very famous Hong Kong shopping festival that takes place in the month of June and August. This festival, marketed as ‘east meets west,’ makes fashion lovers of the world travel to the oriental city. Dubai shopping festival, starting on February 15, 1996, is one the trendsetters in this matter.
Shopping is one of the major activities of interest for tourists on leisure trips. The destinations are aware of this fact and to that end provide special shopping packages for tourists. There are groups of tourists for whom shopping is the main agenda and for the other group shopping for souvenirs is just a part of the trip. The shopping packages are made to cater to the needs of both of these groups of travelers.
The Top Destinations for Fashion Tourism
With their amazing array of designer clothes, bags, and watches, some destinations definitely have the edge over the others. When you think of fashion and the destinations you long to reach to get your hands on the latest trends, these are the places that you think of.
Paris, France
Paris has firmly cemented its place at the fashion capital of the world since 17th Century. The haute couture that you get in the city is coveted by the fashionistas around the world. There are several fun fashion workshops held around the city year round. Also, this is the home to some of the leading fashion houses like Yves Saint Laurent, Celine, Dior, Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and more. The Paris Fashion Week organized every year in the month of May is the place to be if you love high fashion.
New York, United States of America
When it comes to fashion, New York is the place where innovative ideas are showcased, uniqueness is celebrated, and trends are set and broken. The city’s fashion scene can be gauged from the fact that it has a fashion walk of fame with plaques laid on the names of 24 top designers of the world. The Prada Flagship store here is nothing short of a museum spanning 25,000-square-foot of an area. The Point is another location in the West Village area that lets you be the fashion designer and create your own designs.
Sydney, Australia
The most famous event of the city is the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival which is organized to showcase the Spring-summer collection of the leading brands of Australia. The festival is mainly celebrated at the Sydney Town Hall with events across the city. The Strand Arcade and Queen Victoria Building are the two must-visit shopping destinations of the city. If accessories top your shopping list, head to the Australian Opals. The options are numerous, and so is the number of tourists drawn for it.
Now that you know everything about this phenomenon of Fashion Tourism go ahead and be a part of it for your next holiday.
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