WTM megatrends — responsible tourism, inclusiveness and how can technology open new doors to the world ( Part I)

Topics: travel industry, travel trends, software services, responsible tourism.

Arriving at a world tourism trade for the first time can be both amazing and overstimulating for the eye. Though at a first sight you are magnetized by the impressive stands that frequently recreate very vividly different cultures, this year there was more than what meets the eye of the beholder. People were lured into discussions more often using keywords like responsible or experiential tourism, inclusiveness, and on a B2B note, travel software technology remains the main vector that propels the industry towards.

Growing more responsible

In front of a room full of people interested in what the future of travel holds, Caroline Bremner, Industry manager Travel from Euromonitor international, broke down all the important megatrends that will emerge the next year to come. The conclusions are not only a frame for the big picture worldwide, but also deeply rooted in the cultural changes that are happening as we speak. “The global travel industry is expected to grow 3.3% year on year in constant terms. Online will have a 52% share of the travel sales, with mobile sales taking a quarter of all travel bookings as the industry continues its digital transformation. By rising incomes in emerging markets making travel more accessible to a wider range of audiences and as destinations transition to a sustainable tourism model.”- and this is only the breaking point of her report.

The travel industry is now at the crossroads of multiple influential factors like economy, politics, social, demographics, environmental and technological changes. All these directly influence the consumer’s behaviors and creates new needs. To keep track of the consumer’s shift on preferences, eight megatrends that will fundamentally influence the consumer market were exposed.

Europe

The Greta Effect — the young Swedish activist has managed to shook the world in terms of climate change. As expected, Scandinavia is leading the movement with terms as “flight shame” and a special app that measures carbon emission and gives alternatives to travel options. In Norway, domestic business trips by air have become subject to criticism of the press. Forbes even pronounced it as the buzzword of the year, with its own hashtag.

Accessible goes mainstream — Accessible tourism can have many definitions, but this year the specific facet that we're looking at goes beyond the number of people with physical and intellectual disabilities, to encompass all those with mobility needs — including seniors and babies — across the human lifecycle.

Asia

Asia for innovation — Half of the world’s internet subscribers with a young and highly connected population live here. The Innovation Index indicates that Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and China were the most innovative in the region in 2018. China is also years ahead in its digital transformation journey, where facial recognition technology powered by AI and biometrics are already used in hotels for room entry, using the lift and other services.

Super apps — the Asia Pacific is the world’s mobile hub and leads the way in terms of smartphone users as well as mobile commerce through super apps, digital wallets, and social commerce. A super app is the “new thing” and a multifunctional mobile app combining several features such as communication, lifestyle, travel, social, financial and retailing in a centralized platform — we dare to say, an all-inclusive service.

If you want to read about trends that also concern the Americas, Middle East, and Africa, read about them in PART II of the article.

Author: Mihaela Șteți, marketing specialist AROBS.

Data source:

Megatrends Shaping the Future of Travel presentation by Caroline Bremner, Industry manager Travel Euromonitor international