Experiential tourism around the world and at home: definitions and standards

This paper examines the 'experiential tourism' concept as reported in the academic and practitioner literature. Examples of experiential tourism around the world are examined. Standards for the experiential tourism concept suggested by the literature are developed and presented. Using the standards framework developed, a specific rural regional planning process is used to describe a sample of activities based on the standards. The implications for both research and practitioners are discussed.