Right now, we’re at a particularly challenging point in time globally. Geopolitical conflict is at an all-time high, we’re struggling with a cost-of-living crisis and we’re all weary from the back-to-back crises over the past few years.
Indeed, we are in a permacrisis, as Michelle Newton, Head of Cultural Forecasting at Accenture pointed out last week at Travel24, a new industry event hosted by Travel Daily.
But while we may be watching our dollars more closely, we are still willing to save up for a hard-earned holiday. Indeed, travel is the antidote to the aforementioned issues, said Newton. In fact, for some, it’s a non-negotiable when it comes to their self-care checklist and it provides us with an escape and an outlet to restore, repair and rejuvenate ourselves. It’s also a form of connective tissue, bonding us as a community, despite the current volatility around the world.
“Travel is who we are, as Australians and individuals. It binds us to people, place and planet,” said Newton.
During her presentation at Travel24, Newton shared some of the surprising trends on the horizon for consumers and the travel industry in the next two years.
Travel at all costs
As we know, since the pandemic hit, consumers are less preoccupied by acquiring more stuff, but collecting more experiences and building memories.
“We’ll do whatever it takes to get our travel fix in. The cost of not travelling is too high,” said Newton.
Some examples of how this concept is playing out include:
Hushcations: Where burnt-out professionals are combining remote work with disconnected vacations);
Holiday hacking: Where thrifty travellers are finding creative ways to enjoy more with less;
Dupe destinations: Rather than travelling to popular (read: expensive) destinations like Paris, Barcelona and New York, savvy consumers are saving coin and beating the crowds by heading to emerging locations like Taipei and the ‘Stans.
Accenture Senior Executive Victoria Loutas shared some ways that the trend could potentially roll out in the future.
“What if there was global citizenship available to support digital nomads?” she said. “What if there were secret travel hacks or discounts to be found in parts of our cities?”
Augmented altitudes
Thanks to the emergence of AI, experience-oriented technology is changing the way that consumers interact with travel before and after their holiday.
In the future. Australians will become more comfortable letting AI plan and book their travel adventures, while the industry prepares for phygitally-entwined experiences, said Newton.
“Advanced technology is extending pre-trip anticipation, real time exploration and post-travel reminiscence into one enriching experience,” she added.
Meanwhile, the White Lotus effect is taking place, where consumers are inspired by the specific destinations they see on movie screens and – jetsetting to those locations.
Wellcations
After being filled with fear and anxiety post-pandemic, we are now at peak wellness, as travel is now being used to help consumers find peace and progress, observed Newton. It feeds into the rise of the anti-hustle and ‘quiet quitting’ movements.
This can be seen through micro-trends like slow travel, where we’re prioritising quality over quantity and seeking deeper connections with people and places.
Sleep tourism is also a new trend, as travellers are searching a way to escape reality and experience deep rest, repair and tranquility.
Case in point: LA’s historic Hotel Figueroa R&R Suite, offering guests “the most elite sleep experience”, complete with customised pillows, high-tech mattresses, red-light lamps, air purifiers and other cutting-edge products from luxury fitness and wellness brands.
Meanwhile, more consumers are now open to holistic travel experiences that rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit to focus on personalised wellness goals, concluded Newton.
Odyssey retreats in the US are a great example of this. Inspired by psychedelic therapy clinical trials, the retreats offer immersive experiences designed to maximise the benefits of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic.
In the future, the rise of wellcations may lead to new ideas like sleep pods in cities, allowing people to recover from their travels, pondered Loutas. Or perhaps Byron Bay will one day become internationally renowned for psychedelic retreats.
Re-gen routes
“The days of tourism taking its toll on our planet and communities are at an end,” declared Newton. As can be seen by the number of cities around the world taking measures to combat overtourism, it’s clear that it’s time that we start travelling in harmony with mother nature, not against her.
This will lead to more consumers taking holidays during shoulder seasons, or perhaps beating the heat of global warming by seeking trips in cooler climates.
Meanwhile, other travellers will turn away from the environmental impact of airplanes and the “chaotic skies” to railway travel.
In addition, the circular economy will become a permanent part of the travel and tourism industry, as demonstrated by operators like Soho House, which worked with the Paper Foundation to turn old bedsheets into new postcards.
Non-linear leisure
Over the years, traditional concepts around family and career are changing, turning travel into the ultimate milestone achievement, said Newton. It’s also creating new target audiences for the travel sector.
“Travellers are seeking individuality, flexibility and hedonism in their celebration of life, no matter what lifestage they are in,” she explained.
This can be seen in the rise of solo and multigenerational travel, as well as opportunities for neurodivergent tourists.
As Loutas wondered, “What if we improved the accessibility and inclusivity of travel experiences to ensure neurodiverse travellers are able to participate?”
Destination unknown
“With very few roads left untravelled, it has become harder and harder for consumers to feel enamoured and awestruck in the same way as last century travel,” said Newton.
This has led to some travel operators dreaming up more creative experiences, such as exclusive thrillseeking adventures for the ultra-wealthy. Airbnb introduced its Icons initiative in May this year, a new category of extraordinary experiences hosted by well-known personalities in music, film, TB, art, sports and more. This may include spending the night in the Ferrari Museum or spending the day with comedian Kevin Hart and his mates during a tequila tasting and a live stand-up performance.
Perhaps in the future, Australia’s icons like the Opera House, could be reimagined for the top 1% for travellers, said Loutas.
Dark tourism is also attracting more travellers, considered by some as “the antidote to toxic positivity”. A great example of this is the Sky Cave Dark Retreats, an experience which was inspired by ancient spiritual practices from many cultures around the world, including monks in Tibet and India and the ancient Egyptians and Romans. Travellers stay in cabins deep in the the Cascade-Siskiyou Wilderness in Southern Oregon in the US – and are left completely in the dark for three or four days.
From sleep tourism and new experiences for diverse customers to psychedelics, it looks like the next 24 months in travel are set to be a surprising and exciting time for the whole industry.
