What:
Adventure Travel Trade Association’s “2018 Adventure Trends Report” outlines 20 of the top trends in travel-related technology, experiences, products, destinations and travel in general. According to the report, traveling like a local remains a strong desire among consumers.
Why It Matters:
All trends outlined in the report will affect advisors, and agents ahead of the curve stand to gain the most. Two trends in the report reflect travelers’ desire to experience destinations like a local. One trend has to do with an increase in marketing messages focused on feeling like a “temporary local.” The second trend focuses on operators specializing in “slow travel.” Get to know companies such as Unsettled and Remote Year, which are facilitating a fast-growing demand for stays that are one month or longer in destinations where clients can easily work remotely while exploring.
Fast Facts:
- Michael Youngblood, co-founder and COO of Unsettled, says demand has caused the company to grow rapidly this year. Youngblood attributes growth in Unsettled’s extended stays to three major trends: The number of people working remotely is growing beyond “digital nomads;” middle-aged professionals may be overlooked, but they’re increasingly traveling, especially during career transition periods; and today’s retirees are younger and healthier, and are embracing slower, more adventurous travel.
- Other trends described in the report include the continuing growth of adventure tourism; risks created by declines in democracy; the rise of bots in customer service; virtual reality’s popularity as a marketing tool; the rise of solo travel; consumer desire for health and wellness features in itineraries; the creation of more transformative travel products; preparation against overtourism; and more.
What They Are Saying:
“I often think of the rise of slow travel as if it was the cruise industry in the 1960s,” said Michael Youngblood, co-founder and COO of Unsettled. “It has just begun, but there’s a billion-dollar industry on the horizon. The ports of call are no longer traditional sun-and-sand destinations, but digital hot spots. Destinations can actively design for and attract this market by investing in and marketing three things: digital infrastructure, lifestyle opportunities on a day-to-day basis and the makeup of the types of people guests will meet when they visit your destination.”
The Details
Adventure Travel Trade Association
www.adventuretravel.biz
