Current Trends And Influencing Factors In Tourist Consumer Behavior

Tourist consumption behavior is an extremely important pre-pandemic growth indicator, as it shows the global scale of the tourism phenomenon and its macroeconomic implications. In this context, tourism naturally becomes the testing ground for the acceleration of digitalization processes. The approach is an integrated one, highlighting the interaction between economic rationality, socio-cultural influences, the emotional dimension of the tourist experience and the impact of new digital technologies in the consumer decision-making process. The contemporary tourist benefits from extensive access to information, uses online platforms and mobile applications for planning and booking trips and adopts an increasingly autonomous behavior, oriented towards comparison, personalization and optimization of the value-cost ratio. The paper highlights the transition from classic, organized and standardized tourism to flexible forms of do-it-yourself travel, in which authentic experience, sustainability and self-development occupy a central place. Tourist consumption behavior is analyzed both as a rational and informative process and as a social and cultural phenomenon, in which identity, status and group membership significantly influence consumption choices. The study also highlights the determining role of social networks, user-generated content and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality, in shaping tourist perceptions and satisfaction. In conclusion, tourism consumption behavior is emerging as a complex, dynamic and adaptive process, located at the intersection of economy, culture and technology, requiring flexible strategies from tourism service providers, focused on a deep understanding of the motivations and expectations of the modern consumer.