The travel industry has always been known for innovation. In the last few years, though, particularly in the post-pandemic era, things have changed drastically. The fact that we went from no one traveling to seemingly everyone wanting to get on a plane made the industry have to adapt to this complete 180. A lot of these trends aren’t too positive for travelers. Knowing this, you may want to avoid going with the crowd this summer. That is how your vacation is going to be impacted! In any case, here are popular trends to keep in mind.
Luxury Travel’s Rise
Prices on everything related to travel are on the rise, and they’re going to continue to climb. That’s especially the case in destinations that are seeing high demand. This summer, the list includes places like Paris, Rome, NYC, and others. Some companies even claim that an average international trip is now costing around 9K per person. This is in part due to the increase in the number of luxury experiences that people are willing to pay for. It’s also a product of the aforementioned high-demand issue. The “trend” is that prices are going up, which can impact your travel plans drastically.
AI Usage
This is something that many companies are trying to push on travelers, more so than travelers attempting to embrace new technology. In any case, some of the new AI-based tools for travel can be very useful and, therefore, impact your vacation. Expedia, for example, developed an app called Romie, which is, in essence, a Chat GPT that helps you solve problems while on a trip. The use of these types of apps is also something that’s only expected to continue to climb in the coming years.
Better “Accessibility” at Many Destinations
One of the more welcome trends, for sure! This doesn’t just mean that hotels and popular tourist spots are building more ramps and making areas easier to access for people in wheelchairs. While this is happening, and it’s a welcome innovation, there are other cases to celebrate. Virgin Hotels, for example, is making an effort to ensure that their staff is “Autism Double Checked.” It’s a certification that helps people in the service industry learn to cater to the needs of people with autism. Hopefully, making the experience of people on the spectrum and their families much better when they stay at these hotels.
Last Minute Booking?
This is a trend for unfortunate reasons. In fact, it’s thought of as an inheritance from the pandemic days. It’s not necessarily a good one, either. People are waiting until the last minute to book to avoid having to cancel and losing out on some of the money that airlines charge to cancel or rebook. There are instances where people have found last-minute deals, as always. It may be wishful thinking, though, to put too much hope into this idea that booking at the last minute equals paying less. Especially considering how high the demand for travel is this summer.
You’ll Travel to Sleep
One of the growing trends in the industry is sleep tourism. People are trying to truly get away from their busy lives now and actually rest. Many travelers realized that they ended up being more burnt out when they returned from their trip than when they left. Now, hotels are catering experiences to ensure that their guests are actually getting enough rest. This trend can work great for people looking into a staycation. You don’t have to go too far if what you want to do is sleep!
