The world is continually changing, and travel is no different. Luckily, Big Data allows us to see the nuances of these changes so we can notice trends and react accordingly. If you’re planning to travel next year, here are some of the travel trends to expect in 2017:
More Americans travelling
Those living in the United States are finally seeing less vacation shaming, and wellness travel has seen a 50% increase in growth compared to regular travel, with many companies recognising that rejuvenating, refreshing, and recharging is key so that workers can have a healthy work-life balance. For this reason, you can expect to see more American’s travelling further and taking longer vacations next year.
Connectivity continues to grow
You can now go almost anywhere within just 24 hours, with airlines adding more than 10,000 new routes over the past ten years- an increase of 37%. The increase of regional low-cost airlines has also made it easier than ever to travel, and we can expect this to continue in 2017.
More competitive travel
Travellers are no longer satisfied with sleeping on the beach and spending their vacations on cruise ships, and now want to experience adventures while abroad. This coincides with the range of travel adventure products now on offer, including rickshaw rallies throughout Southeast Asia, and of course, The Global Scavenger Hunt- the everyday traveller’s answer to The Amazing Race. These competitive travel adventures allow the most adventurous (and jaded) travellers to test their Travel IQ against competitors around the world.
Loving it to death
Tourists are on a never-ending quest to see as much as they can, which is slowly killing these destinations. Once-in-a-lifetime, must-see destinations like the Louvre, Galapagos, Machu Picchu, Venice and Angkor Wat are seeing a skyrocketing demand, something that Harvard professors Mark Spelman and Paul F. Nunes are calling “scarcity of place”. As this demand continues to rise, we can expect to see tourism caps- something that Machu Picchu has had for a while now, and dynamic pricing will begin to be expected- similar to Uber’s surge charges.
Expect prices to go up, as tourists from around the world “ruin” destinations that were once only accessible to only the luckiest few. The rise of China’s middle class continues to affect destinations throughout Europe, and many travellers are stuck looking for destinations where they won’t be jostling with tourists taking photos of every angle.
Protest tourism
Many travellers look for meaning while they’re travelling, and as the world becomes more and more connected, socially conscious travellers are using social media to belittle, boycott, shame, and discourage fellow travellers from visiting certain places. Examples are those visiting Myanmar while the general reigned and those who visited South Africa during Apartheid. These days, boycotts are happening in North Carolina and Uganda due to the anti-LGBT laws, Russian due to its meddling in the recent election in the United States and aggression in the Ukraine, and even Israel, as the pro-Palestinian boycotts gain momentum.
Millennials recognise that choosing where to spend their money is one way to encourage change in many places around the world.
