The beginning of a new year provides the ideal chance for tourists to change their view of the world and embrace emerging tourism trends. With the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the planet for the past two years, the tourism sector in most countries almost came to a standstill. Although traveling beyond borders continues to be a challenge for the unvaccinated, most countries are now accessible for the fully vaccinated.
With the world gradually healing from the pandemic, tourism is also gaining pace, with many tourists setting trends on how they want to travel in 2022. Travel agencies, hotels, and tech firms are also keeping a close eye on tourism trends to create products and services that adapt to the changing clients’ demands.
If you’re in the hospitality and tourism business, what should you do to ensure you don’t lag as changes hit the industry?
The Top Tourism Trends to Watch Out For In 2022
Staying up to date with the changes in the tourism industry is key, especially if you’re mainly in the hospitality business. If you own vacation rentals, it could help you gather several ideas on how to give your business a fresh breath of life and attract guests throughout the year. Here are the top trends defining tourism in 2022 that you should watch out for.
All-inclusive luxury
Modern travel has become costly due to all the coronavirus tests and paperwork you have to do. Booking an all-inclusive hotel is a simple way to eliminate some of the stress associated with taking a vacation.
Realizing that even wealthy travelers enjoy stress-free vacationing, high-end properties have embraced all-inclusive stays. For example, a Four Seasons resort in Hawaii has an all-inclusive wellness concept, while in the Maldives, the Siyam World includes everything from meals to water sports.
Supporting local
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly devastated the tourism industry. Many tourists are aware of that and want to do their best to assist. Before the pandemic, there was a big trend in volunteer tourism and giving back to the place you are visiting.
Philantourism is a new trend that has come during the covid-19 times. It is a natural evolution of volunteer tourism where tourists choose off-the-beaten-track destinations to spend their vacation. They spend their money to help the local economy.
For tour operators, it is crucial to provide travel experiences to lesser-known destinations and create travel plans that support the local economy.
Data-driven travel research
According to research by Google, an increased number of travelers are researching for their trips online. It is a growing trend in 2022 and beyond. Travel agencies are preparing for this by increasing their online presence to become more visible to travelers who spend much of their time online.
If you are operating a tourism company, you can increase your online presence through content marketing. Through content marketing, you provide your prospective clients with the services they seek. You can also use social media to make your brand visible to potential customers.
Minimum carbon footprint and sustainable tourism
This trend is familiar among tour operators and is quickly becoming a growing factor for travelers. With 8% of the world’s carbon emissions coming from the tourism sector, there is an increasing need for firms to re-evaluate their environmental footprint.
Tourists are going for carbon-free travel experiences such as hiking, biking, sailing, and kayaking. It allows them to experience the adventure to the fullest. While most hotels are still dependent on dirty fossil fuels for the majority of their energy needs, your firm can gain a competitive edge by embracing the use of clean energy.
Retreats for personal development
The past two years have been uniquely gloomy for many people. As the world emerges into the sunlight, people look to invest in personal improvement. To respond to this, all kinds of personal development retreats are popping up around the globe. An example of such personal development retreats is The Heartbreak Hotel in Norfolk, which helps women get over love loss.
The rise of “bleisure” travelers
While corporate tours wade through a recovery period, tour operators can target a new breed of business travelers to fill the void. “Bleisure” travelers are remote workers who can work from anywhere and anytime; simply put, they’re digital nomads. They are people taking extended trips combining recreation and work.
With the growth of online collaboration tools. Video conferencing, cloud computing, and other digital developments, more people to work remotely. The pandemic has revolutionized companies enabling them to offer flexibility for remote working to some of their employees. This trend creates opportunities to provide “workstation” experiences for travelers with the ability and means to work remotely.
Physical distancing while traveling
COVID-19 is still circulating in 2022, and vaccination rates differ from country to country. Travelers seek reassurance that they will have the freedom to practice social distancing while experiencing their stay in their chosen destination.
For tour agencies and operators, this means you will have to consider how your customers will get around at their destination. The desire to feel safe is becoming common among travelers in this era. As a tour operator, you need to get creative in managing these concerns to ensure a smooth return of the global tourism sector.
Restriction free destinations
With vaccine booster programs well on course in many countries, international tourism is becoming easier as countries relax entry requirements.
Travel agencies have reported a significant increase in bookings in countries with fewer restrictions. If you wonder where you can fly, 2022 offers more options than last year. Most places have reopened, and airline firms are gradually adding back old routes and expanding with new ones.
City travel is back
After more than two years of avoiding urban travel, city travel is back. Travelers are eager to return to their favorite metropolis and dive into the bites, sights, and sounds of a new city. Looking at Europe, London and Paris are the top searched international destinations.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced an awakening, and much to our delight, travelers are becoming more conscientious and matching their values with holiday time. Foreseeing what is likely to happen in the coming years of the tourism industry is difficult due to the constantly changing course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, it does not keep the trend-watchers from identifying a range of trends for a successful future in tourism.
Tour operators have a task to ensure they upgrade their various services to meet the changing demands of tourists. If the key players of the tourism industry do their job in the right way, the sector will easily wade through the effects suffered from the pandemic.
Final Thoughts
Running a hospitality business isn’t easy without following the trends and changes in the industry. You need to follow what’s going on in the market and adapt accordingly. If you run a vacation rental business, these trends can help you introduce new features and services that vacation travelers will find a plus during their stay at your property.
While implementing the changes, it’s advisable to seek guidance from vacation rental management service providers to introduce a fresh breath of life. Bellboy is a renowned vacation rental concierge service provider and can help you align your business with the changing trends globally.