Living There
Some interesting luxury travel trends are going to affect the travel industry in the near future. These range from Influence of China, to the use of technology in planning.
There are a number of luxury travel brands who are jumping on a trend that is being adopted rapidly all over the world; mainly building app and game development based around their brands. Airlines, hotels, and travel agencies are taking advantage of these trends. These trends not only will affect the travel industry, but will also serve as stepping stones to more advanced innovation. Here are some of the trends.
Adoption of New Technology
The use of mobile tools in the form of apps integrated into wearable devices is one of the trends that is going to shape the future of travel. Many companies like Expedia are developing sophisticated tools that will shape how they get their prospects in future. The company is spending billions to develop a recommendation system that will provide tailored information to its clients on where they should travel.
Google glass is also being used for Geo tagging by those in the travel industry from airport check-ins to automated hotel bookings. The Mountain View based company’s Google glass overlays information about a hotel, or resort on a tiny screen positioned in front of your eyes and you are able to access the information wherever you go, hands free. This system does not rely on review sites like Yelp and BBB, but looks for information from blogs etc. Even though Google glasses are still in their adoption stage, this could be a reality in the future.
Smaller Resorts and Alternate Experiences
Many travelers are looking for a different kind of travel experience. They want more than the traditional vacation, where they would fly to an exotic destination and spend a lot of time on the beach. They now want experience. Some hotels have different radical designs, while others are resorts set in a village to give visitors the experience of visiting those villages. Travelers are also looking for smaller resorts, which have more privacy and unique experiences.
Green Travel
With global warming awareness rising. People are becoming more environmentally conscious. Many of them are starting to question the environmental impact of their activities. Agencies now know that environmentally conscious people will take time to investigate any claims before they buy into any travel packages promoting green travel.
Some of the things that environmentally conscious people are looking for are organic food. Some travellers take organic food and expect to get the same where they travel, even though this may cost them a little bit more. The area the resort is built is also of concern, since it could be at the expense of a water catchment area, local indigenous communities, or pose some other environmental threat.
Better and More Comfortable Airports
Most travellers hate to wait for their flights when it has been cancelled, or when there are delays. For many years, airports were complicated and were not comfortable. Airports all around the world are now evolving. There are now airports with spas and other leisure activities. This is a trend that will be interesting to watch, as we head into the future.
Emerging Markets
Luxury travel is now expanding into new markets in Asia such as China. There are luxury resorts that are coming up to tap into the middle class, which currently is at 300 million. This means that China consumes ¼ of luxury brands and is an emerging market that cannot be ignored, especially when it comes to travel.
