2016 Travel Trends

2016 Travel Trends

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  2016
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  Driving around inunfamiliar cities can be extremely daunting, but with apps like Ask A Stranger, you can find real-time travel advice personalized to your exact location, weather con- ditions, and interests. For example, “Hi, Maggie! I see you’re traveling by foot in Wicker Park, Chicago. It’s cold outside, so may we suggest some warm pho at Penny’s Noodle Shop?” Keeping it relevant:
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  Take it in: Enjoya chocolate-making class in Saint Lucia, join a foodie tour in Italy that takes you from farm to table, and learn how to make traditional crafts in Southeast Asia. Taking last year’s authen- tic/local trend a step further, you can now plan travel with a stranger via social media apps or use the Tripr app to meet up with fellow travelers nearby.
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  Havana nights: Famous fortheir fantastic food culture with entrees such as arroz con pollo, ropa vieja, and let’s not forget the Cuban sand- wich, culinary tours to Cuba are quickly gaining ground. US-based passenger airlines will open flights to Cuba in 2016, and travel to the island nation is expected to double next year.
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  Globetrotting Travel: With businesstravel to expand 5.4%, companies are growing their busi- ness trip scope to the global sector next year. But beware, hotel rates will rise by an estimated 6.5 - 7.5% to accommodate increased demand.
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  Have time off, willtravel: Americans will be getting out more often as increasing numbers of employers offer unlimited holidays. A few famous ones? Prezi, Virgin, and Netflix.
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  Tiny travel: You’ve heardof packing up your suitcase and going on a trip, but have you heard of toting an entire HOUSE? Yep, you can hitch these 100-400 square foot beauties to the back of a truck or SUV or even book a reservation at places like the Tiny House Hotel in Portland. Companies that are popularizing these compact casas include Tumbleweed and Getaway.
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  Ready to mingle: NationalGeographic grows into a major hotel media marketer with the introduction of its new Unique Lodges Around the World. Discovery Channel is following suit with the hotel/resort-finding tool, Discovery Destinations.
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  Try before youtravel: You wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it. Why not enjoy a virtual tour of a destination before setting your luggage down? With wearables like the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR, travel agencies are giving us a real sneak peek.
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  Freaky fast: How scaryis it that supercomput- ers know what you want before you do? As unsettling as it sounds, personalization can have two huge benefits--understanding the travel- er, and speeding up the discovery and decision process for anything from booking rooms to choosing restaurants.
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  Driving Miss Daisy: Rememberwhen we talked about the Mercedes that could drive itself? Next year, the UK plans to introduce self-driving pods which use Bluetooth connectivity to provide visitors with information relevant to their location.
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  Totally checked out: Whenwas the last time you felt that you truly got away from it all during your getaway? Growing options for relaxation, spirituality, exercise, and mental health motivate health-con- scious travelers to focus on their personal journey instead of their destination.
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  The young andrestless: Watch out! Millennials are joining Baby Boomers on the road. They favor more authentic, less touristy locations and attrac- tions. According to MMGY Global’s Portrait of American Travel- ers, one-third of millenials plan more vacations next year than in previous years. 10% of them will devote more of their budget to future trips in 2016.
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  Beards and brews: Peopleare scouting out locations before they’re cool. “Hipster holidays” have included such novelties as staying in a bee- hive-style treehouse, brewery yurts, or communal camps. Be on the lookout for the new hipster yuppie hybrid, the “yuccie.”
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  It’s a bird,it’s a plane: You’ll see several breakthroughs in the air industry next year, including the birth of the Stratolaunch Carrier, the world’s first “mega plane” that will span more than the length of a football field and send astronauts into orbit. In other news: emissions-free flights are projected to sail in Europe next spring, and Americans are squeezing into cabins designed for even higher passenger volume, referred to as “sardine flights.”
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  Merger madness: Marriott Internationaljust announced their plans to acquire Starwood. If the deal goes through, Marriott will become the world's largest hotel chain, with 5,500 hotels spanning a 30-brand empire. Other big compa- nies keep on getting bigger: Expedia bought HomeAway and merged with Orbitz Worldwide.
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  Google did WHAT?!: The66 billion dollar software company is trying travel on for size. When searching for a hotel room on Google, users can start working on their reservations in a few clicks. Field experts and consumers fear Google because, well, they’re Google. TRAVEL
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  www.yourcls.com 888-852-5100 Some images courtesyof the Noun Project