Cape Town - I am always cautious of the using the word “trend”.
The reason being, that it is a term that is often referred to in the context of fleeting popularity. A lifetime in the travel industry has taught me to beware of just that.
Times will change and what is in vogue today will not be tomorrow. What is of greater importance is getting a clear sense of how the travel world is evolving, and how best to adapt business to embrace change. So, these are my six predictions for how travel and tourism will take shape in 2016:
Engaged tourism
The evolution will continue. Travellers are no longer interested in simply visiting a destination - arriving, sightseeing and snapping the iconic sights before moving on is not enough. Today's travellers are looking to truly explore and experience new locations. They want to feel that they have gained an understanding of the culture, the environment - and many want to see the positive impact of their visit from both an economic and ecological perspective. For this reason, experiential travel as well as voluntourism, will see continued growth. This reinforces the importance of travellers enjoying the sights and sounds, and being involved in a meaningful way to the people and places they visit.
DIFM (‘Do It For Me’)
In theory, our hyper-connected, mobile world should have given us more time to do what matters to us most. Yet it seems we are in fact becoming increasingly time deprived. This has amplified the value of the finite resource; time. As a result, there is now a greater focus on life vs. work balance. Travellers are becoming selective and desirous for turnkey travel solutions and experiences. Travel businesses; airlines, cruise lines, travel companies, guided or tour operators, all need to explore where they can add value by creating a hassle free travel , thus creating time for travellers to focus on themselves and their experiences.
Destination, Iceland
Accessing the mysterious, as well as the exploration of nature is becoming an ever-growing quest of many travellers.
To wonder across wild landscapes where few have been before, discovering the beauty of raw nature is why Iceland is topping the
2016 wish lists of a number of seasoned travellers across the globe. I am personally looking to travel here for the first time in 2016, to experience the mesmerising glaciers, vast open spaces volcanic landscapes, the northern lights, the hot springs and the blissful sound of silence. Iceland is unique, remote, rugged and experience-rich, and today is relativity easy to access.
Technology: Connecting plus disconnecting
That the word 'selfie' was recognised as Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2013, and has since evolved to be both a noun and a verb, is a reflection of just how easy it is for travellers to capture and share instantaneously. Staying connected is now an imperative to some. I personally find this ironic, as it is contradictory to the alternate travel trend of digital detoxing. A new yin and yang; creating a new balance in travel.
The solo traveller
Visa's 2015 Global Travel Intentions Study showed that the number of single travellers heading overseas grew from 15 percent to 24 percent from 2013 to 2015. Travelling alone is a trend we are clearly seeing in Trafalgar too. Today, going solo has never been easier or more accessible as travel companies evolve and encourage this growing demographic. Not only can we expect to see more of it, we ourselves will no doubt do more of it.
Pop culture
Society today is connected across geographies by online “communities” (i.e. 'Friends' and 'Followers'), based on a shared affinity towards immensely popular, long-running television or movie franchises - Game Of Thrones, Downton Abbey, Outlander, Star Wars to name a few. The worlds that these fictional characters have brought to life, have become a powerful source of inspiration for travellers of all ages, especially the affluent Millennials who are innate travellers. The heightened kudos of 'being in the know' after visiting these places of pop culture phenomena, becomes a social media badge of honour.
These are, from my perspective, six drivers of change that will continue to shape our travelling world in 2016.
For more information contact your ASATA travel agent or Trafalgar on (011) 280 8440. Visit www.trafalgar.com
* Gavin Tollman is Trafalgar CEO
IOL, adapted from a press release.