Each year, travel industry experts will predict what they think will be the big trends for the year ahead. They may use statistics or just worldly wisdom, but it certainly makes for an interesting read. Will their predictions come true? We’ll find out this time next year. So, just what are these elusive trends? Let’s take a look.
General expectations for 2016
ABTA, the largest travel association in the UK, does a survey each year of both its members and the general public. For 2016, they found that 23% of people were expecting to spend more money on their holidays this year. One in five holidaymakers will also travel to a new country and 23% of people will spend time in a new resort or city even if they have visited the country before. ABTA anticipates that Spain will be the most popular destination, however it’s members are speaking of increasing demand for other destinations: Cape Verde, Canary Islands and the United Arab Emirates. At home in the UK, domestic tourism is set to rise as we look to British culture for holiday inspiration- for instance, it’s 400 years since Shakespeare died, so theatre breaks to see his plays will be on the up.
2016’s key trends according to ABTA
West Mediterranean Mania
Bookings for 2016 place the West Mediterranean destinations, particularly Spain, ahead of any other. This is reflective of a shift towards ‘trusted’ destinations in the times of testing political climates around the world, particularly in traditional summer holiday destinations such as Egypt and Tunisia.
Splash the cash
ABTA says that almost four in ten people who are of a higher positioned occupation, such as an executive manager, are planning to spend more on their holidays in 2016. It is claimed that this group will be mainly responsible for the success of the holiday market this year.
Transformation Time
Some destinations are reinventing themselves in order to attract different markets. For instance, Magaluf, synonymous with young Brits out to party, has introduced laws to restrict alcohol and is attempting to coax in a more family friendly type of customer.
Long Haul Love
Long haul holidays were once a pastime of the rich and privileged. However, these days faraway places are more accessible than ever. Over the last decade, Thomson has said that it has seen a 350% increase in people booking long haul holidays, particularly to destinations such as Australia, Mexico and Dubai.
Adventurous over 55’s
According to ABTA data, people over the age of 55 are travelling further and seeking more adventurous holidays. Saga Holidays, a provider for older holidaymakers has introduced new adventure holidays specifically for customers who ‘grew up in the 60’s and have seen it all’.
Tailor Made Travels
Package holidays are normally described as being for the dwellers of all inclusive resorts in Europe, rather than for exotic, far flung destinations. However, it’s all change for 2016 as ABTA says that more people are embarking on a tailor made tour or package holiday, enabling them to step away from the tourist trail but still have the security and convenience of a package holiday.
Active Getaways
It’s not just the older people wanting to be more active on holiday. 16% of 16-24 year olds are planning to take an activity or sporty holiday this year.
A summer of sports
Major sports events are taking place this summer. We have the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the Euro 2016 football tournament in France. Six per cent of British travellers are heading off on a trip to see one of these events!
Trending Destinations
Several destinations will take the spotlight in their own light this year, according to ABTA. They are:
- Abu Dhabi- The controversial Louvre Abu Dhabi museum will open its doors later this year, four years after it was expected to be completed.
- Canada- Canadian airline Westjet are launching direct flights from the UK to Canada.
- Hawaii- 2016 is the 75th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbour, a monumental moment in world history, so visit the USS Arizona memorial on Oahu.
- Iceland- Iceland is becoming more accessible, with direct flights and a welcoming exchange rate.
Rough Guide’s 2016 Predictions
Technology Takeover
Well, it already has, but technology is still set to reign supreme in the travel world. Customers can now plan their holiday, from getting to the airport to where to stay, entirely by themselves. One website expected to be popular this year is Hipmunk,a flight comparison site which is essentially launching a virtual travel agent. If you include the email address in an email citing travel plans, Hipmunk will look for flights for you.
Faster Travel
We’re not talking hypersonic jets which will get you from London- New York in an hour- well, not yet anyway. Japan is continuing work on it’s new train service which has already broken speed records and a prototype based on the Hyperloop theory (essentially a pod in a tube which goes around very fast) is in development.
Tighter Flights
Flights are going to get more crowded. Emirates recently launched a new aircraft with 615 seats on board as airlines look to increase profits.
Learning from the locals
We already stay with the locals thanks to sites such as AirBnB, but now we’re going to learn from them. Withlocals is a new site which matches travellers up with experiences, for example cooking in someone’s home or sharing in depth knowledge about a city’s music scene.
Slow It Down
Rather than travelling at speed trying to see as much as possible, Rough Guides thinks that we’ll slow it down this year to allow time for relaxing and meeting locals.
What do you think of these predictions? Let us know!
