Has the way we travel really changed in recent decades? A review of travelers’ preferences and the current strategies of tourism companies.
All set! I unload my boarding passes, the trolley only carries what I need to avoid checking in and I already have the train tickets on my cell phone that will take me from the airport to the hotel. I close the door of my house. The trip begins. WathsApp sends me the first message: “your table for tonight is reserved, please confirm if you have any allergies”. I check the itinerary, the Qr of my visa has arrived in the e-mail and ahead I have two weeks enjoying a new destination, in which I have designed experiences with local artisans, meals in award-winning restaurants, others in street markets, visits to new hotels, interviews with suppliers, bike, horse or boat rides, tastings in wineries, whale and star watching, spa treatments and even a night concert in a futuristic soccer stadium.
All that good planning seems little when I read about what many travelers now expect from their trips. The way we travel has changed and the travel industry seems to be reinventing itself with these changes of the new generations. So what are these tourism trends in 2024?
Let me tell you. It is a tourism that seeks to “open minds”, as stated in the slogan of the last World Tourism Summit, held last year in Riyadh. A commitment to changes focused above all on values such as inclusion and sustainability. A scenario in which experiential tourism, nature, wellness and local gastronomy take the lead. But what is real about all this, how is it reflected in what tourism providers offer, is sustainable tourism aligned with environmental protection and the social benefits of tourism companies, and is luxury tourism really sustainable?
Sustainability, fashion or reality
As users of these services, we should pay more attention to the useless claims about sustainable tourism, which in many cases are unfortunately just a fashionable facade. We must be aware that some of the technologies we have so internalized are based on polluting processes. And we must break the myth that sustainable tourism has to come at a high price.
The response to climate change offers realities, such as off-season travel and alternatives to flights. In 2023, off-season bookings grew by 29 percent in destinations such as Spain, France, Portugal or Italy, highly saturated destinations that, in this way, are improving the traveler’s experience. The climate crisis also means that awareness is changing and the train is being seen as a real alternative to the airplane.
More humane technology
The pandemic plunged us into a virtual world that is now bringing back human values. Hotels today prioritize contact and detail; and welcome surprises in the rooms! After all, we are human! In addition, smart destinations, today so driven, should also take advantage of the value of independent travel, which is increasing every day.
Sustainability, but especially safety, is also making travel easier. By 2030, 80 percent of European travelers will have digital passports, and biometric checks will already be a reality this year, when at the pioneering Changi Airport they will tell you Smile and go through the checkpoint!
Z experience
Customer loyalty is now the main marketing strategy of many major hotel brands. Today your points allow you to enjoy benefits when choosing one hotel or another, flying with one airline or another, getting discounts on travel and experiences.
The post-pandemic renovation brings with it new spaces in hotels that serve as a lure for new customers. This is the case of coffee or specialized bars. They emerge in common and open spaces, inspired by the smell and taste of old or modern toasteries, signature cocktails or famous baristas. It’s another fantastic strategy to attract customers, and not just those staying in hotels. They bring city life.
And if you are a digital nomad, a work traveler, you can work, enjoy and rest in hotels with more hybrid and collaborative spaces, look at what hotels like The Hoxton offer as an example. Millennials and Z already take advantage and extend their work trips to enjoy their leisure time at the destination, so they are looking for inspiring experiences beyond the usual ones. Wellness is an example. The hotel spa is no longer enough; now, brands are looking for partnerships with local partners on topics such as nutrition or sports to enhance the experience.
Security and domestic tourism
Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, coupled with rising travel costs and inflation, are causing more and more tourists to opt for nearby destinations. This does not imply that they will spend less, but they prefer the security of regional destinations, and they prefer to focus their budgets on adding more activities in the destinations. Domestic tourism is still strong in the USA, Europe and Africa, where mandatory visas have been eliminated. Countries such as Kenya, Gambia or Seychelles, and soon Rwanda, have eliminated visas for African citizens.
What inspires our travels
Influencers and screen tourism continue to attract travelers to often fictitious destinations. Inspiring, but sometimes so replicated that they have lost all charm. A pink wall? What an experience that is! Los Angeles offers many more surprises in its streets. Santorini is a beauty, with its whitewashed domes silhouetted against the blue sea on the cliff, and what about Paros, pure Cyclades! Still, who doesn’t want to go to Paris, Thailand or Scotland after watching such inspiring TV series about these or other destinations?
Concerts and sporting events of a global, and also local, nature are growing and setting trends in 2024. These are moments to remember forever, in addition to pure travel – tell that to Taylor Swift’s fans!
Inspirational and transformative travel experiences are also hooking more than one… and thousands: retreats, road trips, nature and adventure destinations in authentic accommodations connected to the environment; uniquely designed hotels with unique, creative points of view; that collaborate and reinvest (truly) in local communities.
More accessibility
Fortunately, every day there are more suppliers who are on this side, paying attention to the place where they develop their business, and to the accessibility of tourism, another aspect that is generating growth in the sector. The aging of the population or the needs of physical, mental or sensory accessibility are multiplying the demand. By 2027, this market is expected to have a global value of more than 100 billion dollars, a factor that will have an impact on the design of events or digital developments to improve accessibility. A challenge, for the moment, for destinations, transportation and hotels.
It is just as important for companies to reinvest in the communities and natural resources they touch, as it is for us, the travelers, to pay attention to the practices of our suppliers when we travel and demand that they do so whenever the sustainability of what they are offering us is questioned.
It has been an intense day on this side of the world, I close my laptop, wondering if in fact the way we travel has changed so much over the last few decades. The answer is complex and open to many opinions, so I curl up in my bed and turn off the light. New adventures await me tomorrow and I want to be rested – good night and, above all, bon voyage!
