With every passing new year comes a wave of travel trends that change how businesses treat and cater to customers and how travelers experience the places they visit. Failing to keep up with these changing trends can mean getting left behind and overlooked by travelers eager to get the most for their money or to enhance their vacation in other ways. But it isn’t just hotels or tour companies that should take note of these trends; travelers too can benefit from knowing just what’s out there to experience.
Whether you’re a hotel or other tourist-centric business looking to keep up with your customers or a traveler eager to see what others are doing, keeping reading to learn a few 2020 travel trends that should be on your radar.
A Personalized Experience
Most travelers choose their destinations based on what they enjoy doing, seeing, or even eating while they’re away from home. But in 2020, expect travelers to take this personalized approach one step further, by expecting or demanding options to tailor their experience wherever they go.
For hotels and other tourism outlets, this means giving consumers a variety of ways to change their experience. From bundles that range from basic room-only accommodations to those that include meals and activities, to partnering with other businesses in the area to offer ready-made tours that depart right from the property, there are plenty of ways to work in this trend and appeal to travelers looking for just the right experience.
If you are one of those travelers, you’re in luck. Hotels and other businesses are taking notice and beginning to offer a variety of ways to mix and match your own vacation experience. Before booking a hotel, check to see what packages might be available, as well as which amenities beyond the standards might be an option, including off-site amenities like tours.
Bleisure
It may sound like a nonsense word, but Bleisure is another in a long list of travel trends making waves among younger generations. In an increasingly globally-connected world, business travel is now a reality for far more than just middle-age, suit-wearing businessmen. Those younger generations are frugal but eager to travel, which means that they are very likely to try to squeeze in some pleasure and vacation time, even on a short work-trip.
Hotels are eager to cash in on this trend, thanks to the big boost that business travel brings. May are offering leisure amenities to help busy travelers unwind after a long day. Others have focused efforts on creating business centers that make it possible for “digital nomads” and other remote workers to squeeze in a few hours in their online “office” before jetting off to the see the local sights.
Whether you have a business trip or two on your calendar or you’re lucky enough to have the chance to work remotely either full or part-time, utilizing these features can help you enjoy a business trip a bit more or make a little money during your next vacation to, well, fund your next one!
Solo Travel
In the 1960s, the average age a woman was at her first wedding was 20. The average first marriage age for men was 23. Today, men and women alike are waiting to tie the knot. On average, American women marry at age 27, and men at age 29. Later marriages are just one of many factors leading to the rise of this text travel trend.
Solo travel has become increasingly popular in recent years. Whether it’s more individuals spending their 20s single, the dropping cost of airline tickets, or maybe the rise of the internet as a fast, accurate, and reliable travel guide, more and more people are choosing to take to the road on their own.
At first glance, this trend might not see to have a huge impact on most tourism businesses. After all, you’re still catering to an individual who needs a hotel room, rental car, or tour. But the reality is that solo travel differs from couples or families on vacation in a variety of ways. To start, many solo travelers are looking for ways to interact with other vacationers or locals. They may steer away from “family” activities like theme parks and look instead for museums, tours, and sightseeing that can enrich their understanding of an area.
Hotels can support this trend by offering safety measures for solo travelers, smaller rooms at a lower cost, or even hosting meet-ups for solo vacationers. And solo travelers can cash in on this trend wherever they go!
Catering to and Utilizing Travel Trends
If you’re lucky enough to be a traveler, these trends are just a taste of what you have to look forward to. And if you’re a hotel or other business in the tourism industry, these are great indicators of what your customers are looking for.
To learn more about travel trends in 2020, check out this post to learn what vacationers are demanding from the hotels they stay in this year.
