I spend a lot of time throughout the year taking mental notes of things I see and hear, and then see if I can sense trends within my observations.There is a running list I keep on my phone, in my journal and sometimes on scraps of paper. My friends from different sectors in the industry always have interesting insights. I also read online newsletters like Skift, have Google alerts set up for different tourism topics and tune into webinars on a regular basis.
With all that said, I am not an expert on Tourism trends, but I think I can share some insights. That is why I am planning to release my trends for the upcoming year by the end of the summer. Reading about upcoming trends in January of a given year can be too late to take advantage of the trend. Many of us have to decide on new programs by the end of fall to be ready for a January 1 budget. It’s too late to adjust plans at that point.
So here are some of my ideas so far this year. These trends might not all make it into the final report I create, but I am noticing that they all have an impact on tourism. See what you think and let me know what you are seeing out there in the tourism industry!
Trumpitis.
No matter who you voted for in the election, the new administration has had a strong impact on tourism already. The ‘not a travel ban’ travel ban has given our potential international visitors pause. Many of our membership organizations like U.S. Travel, NTA and ABA are walking a fine line between working with the current administration and making sure the new initiatives are either not enacted or that visitors feel welcome and tourism businesses can find staff.
Low-Cost airfare will bring more visitors international visitors to your door.
For many years, international flights came into large cities and international visitors tended to stay nearby. Changes in airline competition are changing that landscape. Case in point is Norwegian Air which is now flying into Stewart Airport in Upstate NY. The benefits? International tourists from the UK and Scandinavian countries can now rent a car and head out on a holiday to places they have never been before. So smaller destinations with unique ( as in, what can I only see there and nowhere else in the world?) offerings will get an influx of international guests. Get ready to use Google Translate more often!
Attractions and Activities are the new ‘it’ thing
Companies like TripAdvisor/Viator and Expedia have gotten all the big players in the attraction arena onboard. They are now switching their strategy to adding smaller attractions, seasonal venues, and activities such as wine and beer tasting tours. Airbnb has added bookable experiences like ‘learning to surf and eat like a local’ for $149. It’s a great time to be an attraction!
DMOS and the contractor model
I know this is happening in every industry, but I have seen it a lot in DMOs in the past year. DMO’s are looking to cut costs and become more efficient. I know of several instances where staff have left to start their own business, and their old company is now a client. So if you are an attraction, how to you capitalize on the fact that your contacts might not be available every day? If you are a DMO, how do you communicate to your stakeholders that you will still be able to help your partners achieve their goals of growing their business if your staff is shrinking?
Safety and security training for staff
I attended the inaugural Secure Tourism Summit earlier this year and was very impressed. I continue to see reasons why safety training for tourism staff needs to go beyond the occasional fire drill. Attacks can happen anywhere and having a speedy response, a good crisis communication plan in place and a strong relationship with local law enforcement is going to become critical.
China and WeChat – is everyone China ready?
I don’t think a week goes by without getting some kind of proposal for representation in the Chinese visitor market through social media, setting up a WeChat page, or getting ready to accept WeChat pay. It’s the wild west as far as tourism promotion, but plenty of small attractions and DMOs have reaped the benefits of this lucrative market without doing anything in China. I will explore some of those trends further.
Or maybe by the time I release my thoughts, I will have a whole other set of trends. I just listened to a TrendWatching webinar the other day on the Future of Customer Experience. It broke down trends into two categories: Customer attention saving , and customer attention seizing. Pretty interesting ideas!
Let me know what trends you are seeing. I will share them in a future post.