The Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said, “The only constant in life is the change”. His words are especially valid today when change is the very essence of our everyday lives. Change is constant all over the place – our tastes in food, music, movies, and services are constantly shifting in tune with the latest trends. The travel industry is not an exception: it’s not only the vacation spots that constantly evolve, but it’s also the ways in which travellers and tourists choose to spend their time away from home. Here are some of the new travel trends that we can expect to see more in the catalogues of travel agencies in the coming years.
“Green” Travel
People today are more ecologically aware than ever before in human history. Today, we consciously choose the “green” option in many cases, from giving up the use of plastic bags and straws to buying electric cars instead of the “traditional” ones. This eco-awareness will show in next year’s travel trends, too.
Next year, a never-before-seen number of travellers will opt for eco-friendly vacations, no matter if it’s a bikepacking trip in the mountains or a daycation in an untouched wilderness. And an ever-increasing number of travellers will combine vacationing and volunteering, turning their holidays into a much more meaningful trip.
High-tech Travel
Technology will play an ever-increasing role in the world of hospitality, no matter if it’s online or offline.
Machine learning will likely play an ever-increasing role in the world of travel booking, automating tasks through chatbots and clever algorithms that will be able to provide instant responses the travellers need. It’s already not a rarity for companies in the travel industry to use them – next year and beyond, their role will increase, offering an even more streamlined and high-quality service.
The role of devices will also grow in the coming year(s). While we can’t expect self-driving cars taking us directly to a robotic hotel just yet (although Alibaba’s Flyzoo Hotel has already offered us a glimpse of what will come), we’ll see a lot more connected devices taking care of simpler tasks, such as checking in, through the use of AI, as well as voice-controlled “concierges” in hotel rooms around the world.
Personal and Local
One of the most distinctive features of the current demographic’s tastes is that they no longer settle for “one-size-fits-all” solutions – they want something that was conceived with their individual wants and needs in mind. This shift will be increasingly influential in the travel industry in the coming year(s), with travel packages, destinations, recommendations, and services become more and more tailored to the travelling individual’s needs.
Perhaps it’s the same need for a personal experience that pushes – and will continue to push – an ever-increasing number of travellers toward experiencing their destinations in a deeper, more personal way – not crammed up inside a resort but out in the streets, exploring the local life, tasting the local food, and diving deep into the local culture.
