TOP 7 TRAVEL TRENDS FOR 2020
The travellers of today are incredibly aware of what kind of experiences they want. Shifting demographics, developing technologies, dynamic travellers, and me — it’s a super exciting time for the travel industry.
An ever-evolving industry that adapts quickly, however, certain constant trends drive the industry while some newer travel booking trends indicate the direction of change. As we gear up for 2020, let’s take a look at these 2019 travel trends that are going to be bigger in 2020.
1. SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL CHOICES
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Over half (55%) of global travellers report being more determined to make sustainable travel choices than they were a year ago. (Booking.com 2019)
But it is due to the lack of knowledge and lack of appealing options that act as barriers when travellers try to put this into practice.
2. NEWER FLIGHT ROUTES
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To give the new generation unlimited reach airlines are expanding destination routes. Millennials are looking to have different travel experiences than their parents and the travel industry understands this. As a result of that, the network has to evolve and look different.
Stopover destinations during long haul flights used to be an unwanted part of the journey, not anymore. Travellers are consciously choosing to lengthen the stopover time, so they can explore the destination.
3. BOOKING 3 WEEKS IN ADVANCE
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Hotels and flights are booked in advance of 12 weeks. The search increases further for experiences within the 3 months before the trip date. (Google 2019).
The most popular day for people to book their trips is Monday while the least busy days are Saturdays.
4. FAMILY HOLIDAYS ARE ON THE RISE
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It’s estimated that roughly half the UK and American workforce in 2020 will be freelance and more children are being home-schooled in 2017 than in 2014 (48,000 and counting). Parents will be embracing the freedom this gives and we’ll see more of family holidays. (CN Traveller 2019)
5. MILLENNIALS AND CONVENIENCE DRIVING TRAVEL DECISIONS
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Millennials are showing more signs of influencing travel decisions and so is convenience. Plane and car have become the preferred modes of transport for family travel.
· 52% of surveyors selected their mode of transport by the fastest option
· 34% selected based on the lowest cost (Expedia Group 2019)
6. SOLO TRAVEL ON THE RISE
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From 31.5m estimated passengers in 2018 at Dublin Airport, 57% were solo travellers.
Co-living apartments are being introduced that allow solo travellers to meet like-minded individuals on their trip.
7. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENHANCING TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
AI offers implications worth leveraging to enhance travel experience via voice technology. Predictive and prescriptive analytics to help consumers track deals, conversational AI to help book flight tickets over simple conversations, AI-powered virtual travel buddy acts like a personal travel assistant using continued conversations and travel dashboards to provide end-to-end flight booking service and data insight.
