The Future of Travel Insights from Discussions Building on an Ini4al Perspec4ve by: Richard Hammond| Founder and Chief Execu4ve | Greentraveller
Context The ini4al perspec4ve on the Future of Travel kicked off the
Future Agenda 2.0 global discussions taking place through 2015. This summary builds on the ini4al view and is updated as we progress.
Ini4al Perspec4ves Q4 2014
Global Discussions Q1/2 2015
Insight Synthesis Q3 2015
Sharing Output Q4 2015
Doubling of Interna6onal Tourism In 2012 the number of tourists crossing interna4onal borders reached over 1bn. Much of the demand is fuelled by rising household incomes in emerging economies… Interna4onal tourist arrivals are expected to reach 1.8bn by 2030
Growing Consumer Awareness The dream of affordable travel is being obscured by climate change and a
growing awareness among consumers that sustainability and responsible travel are set to impact how we understand, embrace and manage our holiday plans.
Two Main Challenges There are two main challenges ahead for the development of a robust travel and tourism industry: how to grow further to deliver jobs, exports, economic growth and development, and in doing so, how to manage this sustainably.
Security vs. Convenience The balance between convenience and security with border controls coming under increasing strain as they deal with huge volumes of people travelling
interna4onally at a 4me when fears around global security are high.
Mul6-‐Modal Hubs Perhaps the most significant improvement is the mul4-‐modal approach to air and rail. Many large German airports now have modern rail sta4ons that allow air passengers to con4nue seamlessly by rail to many des4na4ons.
BeEer Employers Given that the travel and tourism industry is a huge employer, the development of and 4ghter controls on employment rights
are likely to be a significant factor in the future.
Community-‐based Tourism Community-‐based tourism is on the rise with holidaymakers eschewing the
crowded beaches and all-‐inclusive packages to enjoy a more authen4c experience living in the culture rather than observing it from the outside.
Posi6ve Local Impact Travellers will base buying decisions not only around comfortable beds, leisure facili4es or cultural a[rac4ons, they will also choose to stay in places where staff are being treated well and the local economy is not being exploited.
Responsible and Inclusive Look out for growth in travel focused on learning about, experiencing or posi4vely affec4ng ecological conserva4on, economic development and local community improvements, cultural respect or human rights.
Seamless Cross Border Travel Smart visas, indeed, smart 4cke4ng in general for mass transit
provides a tangible way forward in addressing some of the barriers to the seamless growth of cross border visitor numbers.
Personalised Choice Consumers enjoy a world where choice is a commodity but where trusted opinions play a cri4cal role in guiding and assis4ng decisions or, for some
individuals, reducing choices on their behalf.
Device is King, Consumer is Queen The device is the focus of the future – it knows where you are, what you redeem and will consolidate all your informa4on. Travel brands have to
understand the ways devices will mediate their rela4onships with customers.
Chinese Tourists 150 million outbound Chinese tourists and a total of 500m more mobile Asians will need places to stay in other countries that align be[er with
their specific cultural norms and expecta4ons.
Maximising Moments Individuals seek to maximise the benefits of moments available to them -‐
whether efficiency, rest, enjoyment or otherwise -‐ regardless of 4mespan and whether the moment was planned or enforced.
Up-‐Stream Insight Companies and networks have, and act on, very early insight on future ‘intent to travel’ and customise services to suit. Exis4ng hotel brand rela4onships are
by-‐passed by those more ‘in the know’ about guest interests.
Eastern Centricity With China’s 500m-‐strong middle-‐class burgeoning and travel barriers diminishing, Western and Eastern cultures meet and
feed off one another, shibing global norms.
Consumer Power The consumer is likely to gain the upper hand in terms of
the power dynamic and principles such as ‘great customer service’ will no longer be a nego4able.
Mass Medical Tourism In key loca4ons where hotel footprints align with the medical facili4es,
there will be growing demand for accommoda4on for pa4ents, their families and healthcare professionals.
Deeper Loyalty While travellers are used to points, many see the need for deeper rela4onships with the hotels they prefer to visit, rather than a global porcolio that share the same brand. They seek closer rela4onships around their real needs.
Lengthening Rela6onships With the sector under a[ack from outside, hospitality companies see the need for new points of contact that are different from the past: They want to lengthen rela4onships with customers both before and aber the stay.
Final Fron6ers The growth of space tourism, increasing interest and par4cipa4on in Arc4c/Antarc4c trips, deep sea explora4on and other remote journeys
all drive more of us to seek to access the inaccessible
Wi-‐fi Global Nomads For some in the knowledge economy the poten4al for con4nuous travel,
blended with part-‐4me work, is focused on ‘wi-‐fi hopping’ for regular access to high-‐speed connec4vity -‐ no ma[er where in the world they are.
Smart Avia6on Digitally-‐enabled passengers, intelligent passenger screening and
pilotless aircrab deliver greater safety, speed and efficiency. Flying 4me decreases and trade increases as we fly more efficiently, more oben.
Peer Power Aggrega4on occurs in hotel/peer review sites alongside integra4on with
consumers’ personal trusted networks. This gives guests advice they can trust and greater consistency of ra4ngs globally.
Travel Mindsets, Not Segments Through be[er staff training and improved use of connected data, travel
organisa4ons are able to target based on situa4ons, not segments, allowing the mindset of the guest – not an age bracket – to drive their experience.
Learning to Upgrade A shib occurs in how educa4on is delivered across the service industry globally. Blended learning, be[er brand applica4on and capacity building in HR, results in a more data-‐led, mul4-‐skilled workforce and so a be[er guest experience.
Government Coopera6on Issues such as climate change, border controls and open skies, demand cross-‐border responses and greater government coopera4on, resul4ng
in growth, stability and a rethink about airspace management.
Consolida6on of Travel Ver6cals The pull of large industry players aiming to improve efficiencies and the push of market disrup4ons such as AirBnB and Uber lead to increased consolida4on
and integra4on within tourism boards, hotel brands, travel agencies etc.
Mul6-‐Genera6onal Travel Many elect to travel together as mul4-‐genera4on groups of both families and mixed friends. They look for vaca4ons that keep everyone happy and, as such,
stress many systems based on delivering segmented experiences.
Sa6sfying a BeEer Educated Workforce As travel industry employees are more educated, increased pressure is placed on management to be[er serve the workforce and their needs. A greater focus
on human capital develops leadership and embraces diversity.
Disrup6on and Resilience Disrup4ons and instability increasingly interrupt travel. As such safety, security and health rise as key criteria for travel decisions and the travel industry seeks
to be be[er prepared and deliver greater resilience in these instances.
End-‐to-‐End Experiences To simplify the customer journey and exploit inefficiencies across the travel
eco-‐system, new technology-‐led services decouple and disintermediate current providers: New seamless, integrated apps re-‐bundle the a-‐la-‐carte choices.
Chinese Convenience The global travel infrastructure has been built for, and by, western travellers. This will be reimagined for the Chinese -‐ going beyond congee for breakfast to
a more subtle understanding of what is ‘convenient’ for Chinese tourists.
Chinese Tourist Demographics More Chinese outbound tourists are expected, but li[le a[en4on has been
paid to their demographics. Growth so far has been in the young and wealthy, but the next decade will see a rise of less wealthy and older Chinese tourists.
Mind, Body and Spirit We will see a growth in travel aimed at improvements in well-‐being. This will include a reawakening and revisi4ng of local spiritual tradi4ons in countries where travel and travellers have, to now, been associated with modernity.
Travelers in Control Connec4vity everywhere will redefine research, decision-‐making, marke4ng and experiences. This leads to a richer environment for travellers and the opportunity for them to ‘make it their own’ including the spontaneous.
Suppor6ng Overwhelmed Travellers With access to seemingly endless informa4on, travellers will con4nue to need help ‘connec4ng the dots’ and filtering. The gathering of useful local and authen4c knowledge from meaningful (human) sources will be key.
Valuing Time Technology-‐enabled connec4ons provide more headspace and heart-‐space that displace the frustra4ons and ‘lost 4me’ that travellers needlessly suffer.
This helps them to get more value from their 4me spent travelling.
Defining My Space Hospitality organisa4ons increasingly op4mise the experience of space – both physically and experien4ally -‐ to help travellers feel comfortable and secure.
This results in more memorable, personalised and efficient travel.
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