Travel Trends for 2019

New year, new trends in how people travel. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) predicts that business travel alone will be a $1.6 trillion market by 2020. Any shift in habits among the travel industry can create a cascading effect for many businesses, so it’s wise to stay up-to-date on the latest market trends.

LESS AUTOMATION, MORE HUMAN

While apps and automated services are helpful tools, they have proven to be inadequate replacements for human assistance. When problems or complications arise during trips, travelers don’t fully trust automated technologies to resolve them. According to Skift’s 2018 Global Business Travel Report, only 12% of business travelers are confident in tech to solve travel-related problems. The other 88% place their confidence in a person.

BLEISURE, AGAIN

After years of trending in travel, it’s clear that “bleisure” won’t be diminishing anytime soon. In March of 2018, Hilton Hotels & Resorts surveyed 1,200 U.S. business travelers between the ages of 23 and 35. They discovered that work travel plays a pivotal role in their overall career and employment decisions. 39% of respondents stated they would not join a company that did not offer travel as part of the job. 75% of respondents see business travel as a major work perk and 65% consider it a status symbol.

OKAY, GOOGLE, NOW…

The influx of smart speakers like iPhone’s Siri, Amazon’s Echo, and Google Home have caused a massive shift in consumer behavior. In 2016, 20% of all Google searches were made using voice search, and ComSource predicts that number will rise to 50% by 2020. The shift will happen quicker than we realize and it will be exciting to see how travelers and travel brands interact.

SKIP – GEN

As the baby boomer generation reaches retirement, they have more time to bond (and vacation) with their grandchildren. Many parents are left behind at home as their children and parents embark on adventures. Grandparents use this opportunity to grow closer relationships with grandkids while giving the parents a staycation.

GOING SOLO

Although the movie may not have been a box office hit, Solo travel seems to be. Solo travel is on the rise as of all ages are venturing out alone. However, traveling on your own is not without risk – it requires a higher level of awareness and preparedness than being in a group.

DARKER SKIES

As Earth becomes increasingly populated, dark skies have become scarce. The more light we have beaming up from the ground, the more difficult it is to gaze out into the universe. According to the Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute, the Milky Way is entirely hidden from more than one-third of humanity, including 60% of Europeans and nearly 80% of North Americans. Travelers are more frequently seeking remote places with dark skies for their vacations.

DNA TOURISM

With the rise in affordable, more accurate DNA testing, more and more people are actively seeking information about their heritage. Intrigued by their test results, travelers set out to explore their own origins. Some seek a deeper understanding of self, while others just want to satisfy their curiosity. The mere potential of walking in the same path as a distant ancestor is enough to entice many people to venture out.

DUTY OF CARE

Duty of care, as it relates to business travel, is a company’s responsibility for the wellbeing of its employees from both a moral and legal perspective. According to AlertMedia, both lawmakers and employers have put an increasing emphasis on duty of care in the past 10 years. It’s more than just a legal safeguard. Having immediate access to the location of every traveler is a key step in ensuring their safety in the event of an emergency. With the help of travel management companies, travel managers can easily access the lodging locations of all traveling employees.

Learn more about traveler support and safety

See our 2019 travel trends