BITTEN BY THE TRAVEL BUG MAY 2018

Transcription

1 BITTEN BY THE TRAVEL BUG MAY 2018

2 TRAVEL TRENDS IN 2018 Gone are the days where travel was the domain of the wealthy and flying was an expensive rare experience. Today s Australian travelers are more adventurous, culturally aware, well-researched and bitten by the travel bug from an earlier age. With this change to a typical Australian traveler, so are the types of holidays being taken. Airlines offer affordable international airfares, incredible package deals and with the growth in the share-economy, businesses like AirBNB make world travel more accessible to every type of traveller. Whether it s a Luxury Escapes inspirational package deal, a bedsit in Mauritius or the new non-stop flight destinations, travel trends have changed. So what s new for 2018?

3 TRENDS IN TRAVEL FOR 2018

4 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both - Robert Frost, Road not taken

5 1. SENSESATIONAL Faced with dozens of deals, packages and ads for holiday destinations, travelers are becoming overwhelmed by what psychologists are calling choice overload. In 2018, Expedia s own global travel comparison site ebookers launched its SenseSational tool that uses facial recognition technology to pick up micro expressions of our reactions to different images and sounds. Users go through 8 different questions exploring holiday experiences, where they are shown 4 different images with it s own sound track and facial recognition tracks user s choices. From your responses the tool is then able to determine your ideal dream destination. SOURCE: EXPEDIA 2018

6 It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to... - Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien

7 2. SECURITY CNN s global travel survey revealed that for over two-thirds of respondents, safety and security was the greatest concern when choosing an international holiday destination. How are companies addressing this? Facebook launched Safety Check in 2011 in response to the earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku Japan. Designed as a crisis response tool during natural/man-made disasters or terror related incidents, it allows users to let friends and family know that they are safe if they were in the area of a known crisis. Initially a Facebook activated feature, the Safety Check is now activated based on user generated content and third party sources. SOURCE: CNN CONSUMER CONNECT: TRAVEL AND TOURISM 2012

8 Diversity and independence are important because the best collective decisions are the product of disagreement and contest, not consensus or compromise. James Surowiecki, The Wisdom of Crowds

9 3. WISDOM OF CROWDS From Tripadvisor to travel magazines, there are so many sources audiences can gather information from when planning a trip. South Korean internet provider Naver recently launched an artificial intelligence platform ConA offering personalized travel itineraries by sorting through big data from online tour sites, traveler reviews, blogs and even the Google Map platform to create themed itineraries. With over 112 foreign cities outside of Korea and 282 domestic destinations, Travelers can now simply type in a location, select a theme - from travelling with family to best nightscapes, and be given detailed itineraries with generated routes. SOURCE: TRENDWATCHING 2018 KOREABIZWIRE 2017

10 Food is everything we are. It's an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. - Anthony Bourdain, Food and Travel host CNN

11 4. FOOD TOURISM Wellness and yoga retreats are so In 2018, its all about Food Tourism. Tourism Australia recently launched a $40m Restaurant Australia campaign promoting Australia s produce, restaurants and wine. As part of the campaign, 80 food influencers from around the world were flown into Australia and given personalized tours of Australia s best restaurants, wineries, fisheries and farms. The event finished off with a gala dinner by leading Australian chefs. Where can we get an invite? SOURCE: FOOD TRAVEL MONITOR 2016

12 Once untrustworthy, always restricted. - China's National Development and Reform Commission 2018

13 5. TRACK N TRUST The Chinese make up a large and valuable group of global travelers. Chinese travelers took 4.5bn trips in 2017, spending on average $5,565 per person. On the other hand, Chinese tourists are also known as being some of the most badly behaved. Straight from an episode of Black Mirror, the Chinese government is now launching a nation wide Social Credit System to rate the trustworthiness of its citizens. Based on various measurements from financial creditworthiness to personal behaviours such as jaywalking or leaving fake reviews, Chinese citizens are now blacklisted from booking flights or buying long distance train tickets if their score is too low. SOURCE: CHINESE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES 2017 NIELSEN 2017 CHINA NATIONAL TOURISM ADMINISTRATION 2017

14 SO WHAT NOW?

15 WHERE TO NEXT? Last year 14 million Australians took a holiday. From backpacking, to cruises to luxury tours, Australians love it all. Yet Roy Morgan finds that approximately half a million workers in Australia have accrued 4 or more weeks of annual leave, with no foreseeable plans to use them! Scientists have found that taking a holiday can do wonders for one s mental health and the benefits can last for up to a month after returning home. From an increase in life satisfaction, better quality sleep, improvement in creativity to benefits to your physical health, experts agree that regular breaks are good for your health. With the world so much more accessible than ever before, the questions is, what are you waiting for? SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON 2017 ROY MORGAN

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