4 travel trends which will drive the travel and tourism industry in 2018

The more you wonder, the more you wander – hadn’t this been for real, the majority of the population on earth would not have constituted of gallivanters. Boundaries and borders have never restricted the adventurers from travelling and exploring the different corners of the world. The US, UK, France, Spain, and China have always been the prime choices of travellers. However, the trends in travel and tourism are changing in sync with the changing role of travellers into adventurers. One is no more merely a traveller who enjoys the beauty of a stunning landscape; instead, he/she is the new-age adventurer who dives straight into the depth of an ocean or becomes a part of the dense forest located in remote areas of Africa to feel the thrill.

Therefore, the popularity of experiential travel destinations is increasing if compared to the traditional vacation destinations.

Apart from the volatile nature of travellers-cum-adventurers trying new exotic destinations every time, there are many factors that resulted in the evolving trends in the tourism and travel industry.

Growth of luxury travel industry

Customers all across the globe are now hunting for holiday packages which promise luxurious camps amidst the wilderness of nature to capture the picturesque views. This has led to the rise of responsible and luxury tourism. According to an Allied Market Research report, the global luxury travel market may garner up to $1,154 billion by 2022. The hosts of travel destinations need to create better and luxury accommodations for customers and better sites for customers to visit for delivering an authentic experience. Personalized customer services, good-quality camps and beds, sophisticated hotel room décor, good food, drinks, and reliable transport services – all should be ensured along with the breath-taking scenery. Trips to remote and peaceful places for wellness are also peaking now as a means of natural healing.

Burgeoning wildlife tourism

Wildlife tourism is growing continually, almost in tandem with the rising scarcity of wild tigers, gorillas, and other species. Lately, it has been noticed that people are opting for safari trips to see the remaining habitats of endangered or extinct species. The scarcity, in such a case, triggers the rise of wildlife tourism’s economic value. Surveys have confirmed that wildlife watching is an important segment of African tourism, with over 80 percent sales of the total annual global trips comprising of African trips. Over the last two years, adventure trips to Africa increased up to 17 percent, where wildlife safaris have seen a steep rise of 22 percent in East and South Africa.

However, trips to places like Kenya and Egypt have dropped due to insecure and unsafe wildlife safaris in risk-zoned areas. But now, safety comes guaranteed with the holiday packages – good news for the intrepid traveller.

Choosing the destination less travelled to

People are setting their eyes on areas or countries that are less travelled to as these are, often, the refugees of birds and animals living in harmony with nature. Dominica receives about 73,000 tourists, Tonga around 45,000, and Bhutan 37,000 – every year. Lack of tourist facilities, visa complexities, alienated locations, and tight budgets might be a few reasons why such places are not travelled to by visitors frequently. However, Kenya, Rwanda, Arizona, and Nepal are trending hot-spots on the list for travel enthusiasts to explore. In fact, Nepal and Rwanda are listed among the top 12 popular destinations, as per ABTA’s report on travel trends.

The wildlife safari in Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro climbing, gorilla tracking in Uganda, beautiful road trips in Arizona, and bungee jumping in Pokhara are attracting gallivanters from all over the world.

Obsession with solo trips

Solo holidays have started running in great demand, making travel companies customize their tour packages. Many companies have started offering incentives to single travelers, giving up on the single supplement, or the premium charged for taking a room alone. Single tour packages are widely chosen, by approximately 51 percent of people sick with wanderlust. One of the reasons behind this is currency fluctuations. The value-added single tour packages provide solo travelers with the opportunities for planning other tours ahead on fixed budget amidst the economic and political uncertainty.

They can travel to their dream destination either by air or road, depending on their choice and not only on their budget. They can plan their travel budget and stick to it, which is a rare case while traveling in a group. The best part is that they can give time to themselves and enjoy the trip as they want it to be. In fact, more than 56 percent of solo travelers plan to take their next solo trip within the next 12 months.

Viswanath Raju is the Co-founder and Head of Marketing at Mojhi, “the world’s largest marketplace for adventure activities”.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)