Travel Trends for 2024
SUSTAINABILITY / THE ENVIRONMENT - This was included in my travel trends for last year. Climate change and awareness of the impact we all make on the environment continues to be important and one of the key criteria for a lot of people. They are wanting to make ‘green’ decisions when they travel. I help to signpost my customers to make informed decisions and to consider alternatives. This might be travelling by train rather than flying for a short trip, choosing a local hotel that employs local people, sources its food from the surrounding area, has recycling and reducing waste at its core etc.
SHOULDER SEASONS - Connected with sustainability and the environment is the increase in interest, and therefore demand, for travelling outside the traditional ‘peak’ seasons. The weather is increasingly erratic and there are more extremes which is encouraging some people to holiday at other times of the year. For example, avoiding the extreme heat in the Mediterranean in July and August, those that travel in the shoulder months of April, May, June, September and October can enjoy more pleasant weather, fewer crowds and are helping destinations to manage their visitor flow (and income) more consistently throughout the year.
VALUE FOR MONEY / ALL-INCLUSIVE - In light of the cost of living crisis plus the lasting economic impacts of both Brexit and Covid, disposable income decreased for a lot of people. Customers may want to ring fence going on holiday and commit some of their household budget to this, however I think they will be looking for value for money. Related to this is the rise in popularity of All-inclusive. Customers want to be able to budget for their holiday and by choosing an All-inclusive option this means they can save and know there won’t be any surprise costs while they are away.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is going to influence most sectors and industries in some way in the future. In the travel industry we’re learning how we can use AI to improve our service. In the immediate future I can see AI being used to help with automation and amplification. I don’t believe AI will replace people / travel experts. We provide the personal touch, we know our customers well, we have their best interests at heart, we use our professional and personal judgement based on years of experience all the time – this can’t be replicated by a computer (at the moment!)