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Travellers are slowly getting bored with the traditional, readymade package holidays.
Travelers are eager to experience new destinations. Many are increasingly seeking new and authentic experiences. With travel now being a year round activity, we see an increase in travellers making the most of off-season prices and avoiding crowded destinations. Travel to exotic destinations like Hungary & Czech Republic is on the rise.
The Indian traveller is very value driven. Having the whole holiday experience at a fraction of what one would have to pay for food, accommodation and entertainment elsewhere is now increasingly popular. Travellers are slowly getting bored with the traditional, readymade package holidays. The new trend is the innovative ‘Dynamic packaged holiday in order to attract more cost-conscious and variety-loving customers.
The digitalization of business and processes entered the travel industry years ago. The goal for SOTC in 2018 has to be an active online presence. With responsive websites, online booking and engaging videos on social media platforms to make the holiday experience immersive and customer oriented.
The Indian traveller today believes in taking shorter and more frequent trips instead of a long annual vacation. From having ample number of long weekends to travelers soaking themselves up in immersive travel experiences, 2018 is going to see some interesting trends in the travel and tourism space.
Some emerging travel trends for 2018:
1. Long Weekend Getaways:
- 16 long weekends in 2018
- Popular international destinations for long weekends are Dubai, Thailand and Bali
- Popular domestic destinations Goa, Andaman, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh
- Indian tourists tend to book holidays at least 30 days/ weeks in advance
- Maximum traction has been observed from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai
2. Experiential /Immersive Travel:
- Millennials look for immersive travel experiences
- Most popular destinations for experiential travel are Vietnam, Korea, Japan, East Europe
- Millennials prefer exploring one destination in depth rather than clubbing several destinations together. SOTC has seen an increase in single destination holidays. Across Australia, eco-tourism experiences have been gaining popularity with more and more travellers seeking out eco-friendly holidays. Kenya’s eco-tourism facilities and wilderness has attracted many Indian Travelers to experience the same. Destinations like Turkey, Cambodia, Abu Dhabi, New Zealand offer great outdoors, local customs, charming hospitality, flavourful traditional cooking, stimulating art, intriguing architecture, unique cultural experiences and much more
- Our customers opt to travel to far off lands like Japan to witness the cherry blossoms and Scandinavia to experience the Northern lights. Self -drive tours allow our travelers to experience the destination in a unique way stopping as and when the fancy strikes them, at quaint shops and wayside cafés or simply to admire a particularly scenery. With our self-Drive tours catering to all budgets and incorporating unique inclusions, local experiences customized to suit your requirements they serve as a good travel option to travelers
3. Unusual accommodation options:
- While hotels are the most preferred choice when it comes to accommodation on a holiday, Indians are warming up to experiment and experience new options
- Nowadays, travelers opt for the local experience, prompting them to stay in rental homes or apartments.
- Popular options are Castles, home stays etc
4. Emerging Destinations:
- The emerging destinations for 2018 are Japan, South America, Greece, Italy, South Korea
- With the 2018 Winter Olympics approaching in the coming months, South Korea will drive into the spotlight. East Asia will likely see an incursion of visitors who will use Seoul as a launch pad to visit the region. Other top global destinations include Italy, South Africa, France, Iceland and Australia, with Japan emerging as an untraditional multigenerational family travel destination
5. Lesser known/ undiscovered destination:
- 2018 is going to be the year of lesser known destinations such as Cyprus, Moldova & Azerbaijan which will come into focus
- More off the beaten track destination- As travellers increasingly seek new and authentic experiences, traveling to offbeat destinations has increased in 2017
6. New tech frontiers
- When it comes to planning your next trip, artificial intelligence and digital technology will come forward in leaps and bounds to help with smart destination intuition, reshaping the way we research, book and experience travel.
- SOTC predicts virtual reality previews of destination and entirely planed trips on data analytic
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
