10 trends that have transformed tourism around the world

11-02-23

According to an analysis by Deloitte, 2022 was a positive year for the international travel and tourism sector, but 2023 is expected to bring a number of challenges that will accelerate the emergence of new trends.

After one of the strongest crises that tourism has faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, destination preferences have now transformed with new demand preferences.

According to Deloitte's "Consumer Travel Trends 2022" analysis, the pandemic has triggered the emergence of new requirements. The analysis identifies and analyses how booking flexibility, the growing influence of social media and interest in sustainable travel have gained ground.

Key trends

1. The influence of social media.  Consumers' decisions are now increasingly guided by what they see on social media platforms and posts from their favourite social media influencers. A recent Skyscanner survey revealed that around half of respondents made travel plans inspired by content they had seen on social media. Instagram was the most popular travel source (cited by 40 percent of participants), followed by Facebook (33 percent) and TikTok (25 percent).

2. Types of travel. For years, beaches and cities have been among the top destinations for travellers, although during the pandemic there was a blip as restrictions on confinement have been relaxed, but a love of these traditional destinations is re-emerging. Globally, international tourist arrivals to sun and beach destinations improved from 36% below pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2022 to 23% below in the second half of the year. Urban travel is also on an upward trend.

3. Resilience. Demand for accommodation has recovered; in September 2022 the hotel industry saw global room demand return to over 90% of 2019 levels. The same Deloitte survey noted that the intention to take domestic and international flights was similar. By autumn 2022, bookings for international flights had recovered to a similar level to domestic flights.

4. Expenditure. Cost remains the crucial factor when planning a trip for most people. In July 2022, around 60% of travellers said inflation would affect how they planned to travel in the autumn. The issue of affordability is particularly important for Generation Z; these younger travellers say they value deals and discounts as the most useful travel resource, and are increasingly looking for ways to optimise their budget.

5. Luxury travel. Recently, hyper-personalisation has also become important for luxury travellers. Despite the current global financial challenges, the luxury travel market has proven to be resilient. On Trip.com, the number of five-star hotel bookings grew by 19% in the first three quarters of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, only 7% below pre-pandemic volumes. Euromonitor estimates that global luxury hotel sales will expand at an average rate of 39% in 2022, with growth rates strongest in the Middle East and Africa (53%) and Western Europe (45%). It also forecasts that luxury hotel sales should reach around US$92 billion by 2025 compared to US$76 billion in 2019.

6. Business and leisure. The sector is now adapting and recovering. The rebound in business travel has triggered another trend: the recovery of so-called "package" travel. One in six respondents are likely to take mixed trips by 2023, according to Skyscanner. Flexible working, which for many has been accelerated by the pandemic, is one of the contributors to the growth of blended travel.

7. The sustainable traveller. According to WTTC's Environmental and Social Research, in 2019, travel and tourism accounted for 8.1% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and the sector is stepping up its efforts to reduce its footprint. The Trip.com survey also reported a strong commitment among travellers to reduce their carbon footprint. More than half (59%) had opted for some form of sustainable travel in recent years, 69% of travellers are actively seeking sustainable travel options, and three quarters (75%) expressed a desire to choose sustainable travel options in the future.

8. Post-pandemic booking habits. Cost and convenience continued to be the main drivers of booking method choice, but demand for flexible booking also grew. Travellers are looking for the option to change their flight and hotel dates to be less expensive. They are also more willing to spend on travel insurance. Insurance provider Allianz Partners reported a significant increase in the intention to purchase travel insurance for upcoming trips: from 21% in 2019 to 55% in 2022.

9. Most booked destinations in 2022. While domestic travel has continued to increase, 2022 marked the return of international travel. One city of note was Doha, the capital of Qatar, which became one of the most popular destinations for the football World Cup. In addition to Doha, other destinations with significant growth include Warsaw, Sanya, Orlando, Rio De Janeiro, Las Vegas and Miami.

10. Most searched destinations for 2023. December hotel and flight search data shows a trend. In the Americas, hotel searches suggest that travellers have their sights set on the US, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar and the UK. Also, according to Skyscanner, the top flight searches in the Americas are for: Canada, EU, Mexico, Brazil and India. In Europe, Middle East and Africa, travellers searched for flights to the UK, France, Spain, Italy and the US. In Asia-Pacific, the most popular flights include Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Australia.

Author: Alba Servín