EMERGING TRENDS IN TRAVELS

AND TOURISM
importance

 It is important to understand the trend of

tourism development, as it will have major
impacts on the regional economy, culture,
society, environment, and even political
systems within and outside of the region.
 1. Travel has become more activity-interest based
rather than destination- based

 2. China and India continue to be the two main

drivers of tourism industry and tourists generating
countries/regions

 3. The development of low-cost carriers (LCCs)

makes intra- and inter-regional travel more
affordable and will change people’s travel habits
and patterns
 4. Airlines are likely to become a low-cost
industry.

 5. Travel agents transform themselves into

travel consultants

 6. Polarization of tastes and travel spending

 7. Continued growth of online transactions

 8. Consolidation of social-environmental
awareness and consciousness

 9. Competition and cooperation among

destinations for inbound tourists

 10. Emphasis on travel experiences and

customized tours
 11. Rapid growth of business travel

 12. Asia is becoming a convention hub

 13. Increasing growth of seniors and women

travelers boost the demand for cultural and
wellness tourism
 14. Travel safety and health become major
concerns
 15. Emphasis on timely communication of
accurate information to mitigate negative
impacts on destinations
 14. Travel safety and health become major
concerns

 15. Emphasis on timely communication of

accurate information to mitigate negative
impacts on destinations
 “travel has become more activity interest-
based rather than destination-based”.

 This transformation calls for destinations to

develop unique activities.
 In terms of activities offered, South-east Asia
continues to feature cultural/heritage tourism
and adventure tourism (Indochina), marine
tourism (Malaysia and Philippines), and
integrated resorts (Singapore);
 North-east Asia continues to excel in
cultural/heritage tourism, with Hong Kong and
Macau both tapping into this niche market.
 With an aging population in the region the
promotion and preservation of culture is likely
to be one of the main tourism development
focuses of the tourism destinations.
 Booming economies in the region fuel intra-
regional, outbound and inbound tourism
traffics.

 India and China have led the tourism growth

and will continue to be the leading tourist-
generating countries in the future.
 An economic boom has also boosted the
business travel market. Again, China and India
are likely to experience the fastest growth in
travels and tourism.

 Business travel in the future will become more

interactive and technology-oriented.

 Business travellers are likely to demand more

interaction with the host communities and for
hassle-free Internet connections as the line
between leisure and business becomes thinner.
 Low-cost carriers continue to exert strong
pressure on full-service carriers. This
willencourage online bookings and indirectly
force travel agents to become travel
consultantsor advisors.

 The fierce competition in the aviation industry

has driven down airfares,making air travel
more affordable and frequent.

 Experts predict that the sector will soon

become a low-cost industry.
 LCCs will also change peoples’ travel pattern.
Lower airfares are likely to encourage
travelers to shift from annual long-haul
holidays to multiple short-haul short breaks,
and hence further boosting the intra-regional
travel demand
polarization of travel spending

 People with low-class status mainly go for

budget travel and choose budget airlines and
hotels while upper classes enjoy luxury travel.
Enhancing the comfort and quality service for
the front-end passengers by many airlines is a
good example. In China and India, the
tremendous volume of domestic travel has
resulted ininternational hotel chains investing
in budget hotel accommodations.
 Lastly, but not the least, since travel safety and
pandemic outbreak remain top concerns for
travelers and because people make travel
decision based on the perception of risks,
 National Tourism Organizations need to take
proactive measures to ensure the timely and
accurate information be conveyed to potential
visitors in order to mitigate possible negative
impacts on their destination images.