Tourism is growing steadily and this trend is not about to stop. According to the January 2015 Oxford Economic Vision, personal spending on leisure experiences will surpass by 100% spending on material by 2025.

 

 
Owning becomes less and less synonymous with social status, experiences are in vogue. Let’s be honest, we have always defined ourselves through the eyes of others. This has simply become ubiquitous through the development of social medias. Some Instagram and Youtube stars are now making a lucrative job out of their way of life. Lower transportation costs and open borders have also facilitated access to many destinations, formerly exotic and distant. Do you remember when Thailand was an obscure and exclusive destination?

 

The growth of international tourism is heavy and even small players will have to adapt in order to compete on a global scale. Traditional tourism was local, we were looking for ease. We also were steeped in a world where the concept of family was broad. It was a controlled change of scenery, we lived the same life as the rest of the year but in the sun, on a beach … New tourism is looking for unique experiences related to lifestyle and values. So what is it exactly?

 

 

SOMETHING  NEW!

69% des voyageurs – de tous les groupes d’âge – prévoient d’essayer quelque chose de nouveau en 2016 (TripBarometer, 2015)

 

Tourists in 2016 are looking for opportunities to explore lesser-known destinations, especially destinations considered intact or unique (Virtuoso, 2016)

 

Only 31% of travelers book a trip based on their own past experiences (Skift Megatrends Defining Travel, 2016)

 

 

 

SOMETHING NATURAL (the need to unplug)

According to the European Commission of Tourism, European preferences for tourism, 2015, the natural characteristics of a destination are considered as the main reason to want to return to the same place for holidays, for about half of the respondents.

 

31% of respondents said their main reason for going on vacation was the landscape (nature, lakes, mountains, forests).

 

 

 

 

 

IN LINK WITH THEIR VALUES

Awareness of an entire generation about their environmental impact has paid off. They are becoming more demanding about the social and environmental responsibilities of the companies they choose.

 

 

 

Large tourism companies must already adapt to meet the new requirements of this clientele, highly educated and critical.

 

 

In short, mass tourism, based only on price and volume, will have to adapt or perish. A strong tendency to hyper personalisation sets in. This trend is even visible on certain customers such as China, which has always been seen as a mass clientele with price-based choices. It is a new paradigm that is evolving and implies a speed in change, in order to avoid the risk of obsolescence.

 

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