Source: U.S. News Travel
In the past, vacation planning was thought to have changed into an online industry. Today, vacation planning is changing and travel advisers are once again in high demand.
Travelers are tired of planning their own trips, searching and searching for the experience of their dreams, only to be left frustrated and disappointed. Tourism consumers are looking for trusted resources now more than ever to create personal, memorable trips. As the travel industry prepares for 2018, it's important to know what trends to expect. Below is a list of the top travel trends to watch out for in 2018.
1. Transformational Travel
In 2016, the travel trend was "experiential travel." Now, travelers want even more. According to this blog about transformative travel, tourism consumers want to feel more connected to their travel experiences. Luxury travelers are spending big bucks on their vacations, and in return they expect to receive the ultimate vacation. These life-transforming experiences are in high demand for years to come. What does that mean for your travel brand? Take your consumers a step beyond experiential travel. Instead of selling a memorable vacation, sell a life-changing experience. People want to come back informed, enlightened and changed after their vacations.
2. The Rise of Sustainable Tourism
According to Upchurch sustainable travel is another emerging trend. Sustainable tourism is an industry committed to making a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people. "Sustainable tourism is not a trend, it is a travel transformation," says Upchurch. To make this topic even more relevant, the United Nations declared 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
3. Volunteer Vacations
Voluntourism, where travelers want to make a difference with hands-on experience helping out in the community, is also expected to increase in the wake of recent disasters, as more and more travelers will be looking to do their part to help. Misty Ewing Belles, the managing director of public relations for Virtuoso, says, "The need is apparent and as people look for ways to help, volunteer vacations will likely see a rise."
4. Extreme Trips
Epic adventures and extreme experiences are in high demand among the travel industry. These include over-the-top experiences such as African safaris or a private tour of the grand canyon.
5. Extended Vacations Overseas
These sojourns are designed to recapture the reasons why people fell in love with travel in the first place. Brownell Travel has launched this concept of extended three-month stays at apartments, offering access to co-working spaces for those able to work during the trip. Oftentimes, family members will come and visit during the stay.
6. Multigenerational Vacations
Families are able to reconnect with Multigenerational travel, which continues to be a leading industry-wide trend. "Skip-gen" trips are also becoming popular. Grandparents take grandchildren on a special adventure, while the parents get their own time off!
For more travel trends to watch in 2018, click here.
Source: U.S. News Travel
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