Travel trends
Both experts agree that the travel and tourism sector will continue to focus on safety and wellness. One of the ways it is doing this is by creating standards on meetings-and-events as well as standards for tour operators. Through all of the steps mentioned above, the tourism and travel sector is being built to be more resilient, inclusive and sustainable so that it can continue playing its part in the economic recovery and social progress of all recovering nations.
We see more people traveling now that there are fewer restrictions, but did we ever stop to think about what we learned from the pandemic in the areas of travel and tourism? And how may we apply these learnings so that this sector becomes more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient compared to how it was before Covid? experts Sandra Carvao of the United Nations World Tourism Organization and liz Ortiguera of the Pacific Asia Travel Association in Thailand shared their insights with the World economic Forum (We Forum) via its Our World in Transformation series.
According to the abovementioned travel and tourism experts, the younger travelers are more aware of the impact of their travel on the environment and the communities. The businesses, likewise, are making effort to reduce emissions, like the airlines, for instance. There is still, however, a great need to invest in solutions and technology so that the negative environmental impact can be further lessened.
Another trend is the preference for domestic travel and local experiences, which is probably due to travelers’ notion that it’s safer to travel within their own countries. Governments and businesses, therefore, need to study the domestic market more deeply to be able to offer fresh experiences and new products to domestic tourists.
Travelers this time prefer to immerse themselves in the local communities, as opposed to spending time and money in overcrowded tourist spots.
Community-based tourism means the communities have to be at the core of tourism activities. They need to be consulted during the planning or design stage and engaged in the management of these activities. It’s very important that the local communities are empowered and that they benefit—including financially—from every travel and tourism program in their area. When they are involved, there is a greater chance that the locals’ cultural heritage may be accurately represented, promoted, and reinforced, leading to the creation of culturally authentic activities.
Tourists also love to engage in what is called creative tourism, or the creation of experiences wherein they can directly participate, like an art workshop with the local art group, or a weaving lesson from the community weavers, etc.
According to surveys on social media, activities like these are more likely to be shared online, further driving marketing and promotion for the community.
On the technical side, local governments can help the communities with the digitization of their systems so that tourists will have an easier time finding accommodation, for instance.
Both experts agree that the travel and tourism sector will continue to focus on safety and wellness. One of the ways it is doing this is by creating standards on meetings-andevents as well as standards for tour operators.
Through all of the steps mentioned above, the tourism and travel sector is being built to be more resilient, inclusive and sustainable so that it can continue playing its part in the economic recovery and social progress of all recovering nations.