13 Trends That Will Define Travel in 2013
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
13 Trends That Will Define Travel in 2013 Skift.com Researched and written by: TRAVEL INTELLIGENCE. Rafat Ali GLOBAL SMARTNESS. Dennis Schaal Samantha Shankman 13 Trends That Will Define Travel in 2013 Skift has paid close attention to everything travel One area where U.S. is still defining trends is since before our public launch in August 2012. Our technology innovation, especially in mobile. mix of original reporting, news from partners, and Companies like Airbnb and HotelTonight are curated stories from around the world give us an redefining the very definition of the hotel and inside edge on developments inside and outside the lodging sectors, while larger digital giants like travel industry. With this insight, we’ve identified 13 Google, Apple and Nokia have hit reset on the key trends that will shape the coming year. transportation and local transit sectors with their mapping and local information wars. For the first time since the European Renaissance, the locus of travel is moving eastward, and 2013 2012 was also the start of Skift’s journey—we will continue that inexorable journey. Both consumer launched 5 months ago—and as we prepare and business travel trends are now being defined to go into 2013, we’re defining our coverage and tested out in regions other than U.S and Europe, areas, our expansive lens of looking at travel as while travel sector here, especially airlines, is in a well. We believe these 13 trends, by no means race to find the best new fee. User experience and exhaustive, will help define travel and many other its intersection with design is the lens that travel interconnected sectors. will increasingly be defined by, and regions like Middle East and South East Asia are at the forefront Get your daily dose of Skift: subscribe to our of those trends. newsletter, RSS, Twitter, or Facebook. 1. EVERYONE WANTS A CHINESE TOURIST IN 2013 A record 1 billion tourists crossed From hotels, airports, malls and with Chinese, are re-architecting Chinese and Russian visitors led international borders in 2012, and retailers hiring Manadarin speaking their tourism policies wholesale to the way for busiest year of tourism Chinese travelers are becoming concierge services, to countries accomodate these big numbers. in planet’s history via Skift a bigger and bigger part of it. easing visa norms and doing joint Even countries like Gambia, Outbound tourists rose from 16.6 marketing agreements with China, Kazakhstan and Pakistan, not on Chinese tourists are set to million in 2002 to 70.3 million in everyone wants the hordes of any mainstream tourism map, are become the world’s biggest 2011, and are expected to rise to Chinese travelers spending stepping up their marketing efforts overseas spenders via Skift 82 million this year, up 17 percent. money, especially the recession to lure the mainland travelers. Those numbers are expected to rise and debt crisis beset European to a whopping 200 million by 2020, and North American countries: U.S., If you’re in travel anywhere in the and the world needs to get ready UK and Australia are banking on world and don’t have an evolved to absorb that many extra tourists. Chinese visitors to shore up their and nuanced China strategy, you And especially tourists spending sputtering economies. aren’t a serious player in 2013. money: UNWTO figures show that year on year, Chinese tourists spent Neighboring destinations like Hong Further Reading: 30 percent more when travelling Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Chinese outbound tourism growing abroad than previous year. Singpore, already very popular rapidly via SCMP 13 Trends That Will Define Travel in 2013 | 1 2. ANCILLARY FEES ARE THE NEW NORMAL The travel industry has been fees, and turning once-included Further Reading: completely upended by the services into a la carte ones in 22.6 billion reasons why airlines unbundling of fees, with airlines order to charge extra for additional can’t wean themselves off fees leading the charge. Airlines have housekeeping services, bathroom via Skift gone far beyond checked bag fees amenities, or even television. and are now dreaming up new paid Hotel industry finds its big services, including bag delivery Expect more demands from ancillary revenue driver: spas and pre-ordered gourmet meals on consumers for transparency with via Skift board. As airlines are expected to all the new fees being added on pocket $36 billion in fees in 2012, (the U.S. Federal Trade Commission Opt out may lead to drip pricing other travel sectors are quickly will be knocking on more doors for via Hotel News Now getting into the act, too. Hotels sure), as well as a host of startups are building new spas to build and solutions to manage and on these ancillary services and navigate around these fees. 13 Trends That Will Define Travel in 2013 | 2 3. LAST-MINUTE MOBILE HOTEL BOOKING HotelTonight is a very well-funded click to book using your stored Further Reading: app built to do one thing and your credit card info. The app HotelTonight expands in Europe one thing only: Book last-minute, fills a real need in the market, and Mexico with localized same-day hotels in the city you especially for business travelers, language capabilities via Skift are in. Every day at noon local and no wonder it is growing like a time the app gives you deeply weed. Expect more such curated Hotel Tonight lets users add discounted rates at five hotels single-function startups to crop whimsy back into their urban available in your chosen city. up. In reaction to HotelTonight, escapes via Skift The innovation is not just on the Priceline already launched simple curation concept, but Tonight-Only hotel deals, and HotelTonight adds personalized also on UI and design: gorgeous expect further challenges from offers and user ratings for greater dark tones and a simple one- other established players. choice via Skift 13 Trends That Will Define Travel in 2013 | 3 4. THE RISE OF PRICE TRANSPARENCY Tingo, part of the giant Long term, the macro trends are Further Reading: TripAdvisor family, is intent clear: price transparency will Save money even after you book on bringing transparency to become norm, and expect it to come via BBC Travel hotel travel pricing. With Tingo, to airlines and other parts of travel consumers book a hotel room at ecosystem as well. While it’s a real TripAdvisor’s Tingo refunds if the lowest available refundable benefit to travelers, hotels can use rates drop before your stay rate and the service automatically the fluctuation in their prices to via USA Today re-books the reservation in the upsell consumers on goods like a future if the rate drops. No extra room upgrade, a drink at the bar, or Will the Hospitality Industry work is involved from the user’s spa services (see “Ancillary fees are Tango with Tingo? via Hotel side, and they get notified about the new normal”). News Resource the new lower price until 24 or 48 hours before check-in, when the final price is set. 13 Trends That Will Define Travel in 2013 | 4 5. TRAVELERS ARE HUNGRY FOR FOOD TOURISM Food tourism is one of the already has a massive following Further Reading: fastest growing sectors for the of dedicated, wealthy, and Foodies’ dreams come true with discerning traveler, and now discerning consumers who are launch of a new travel venture by Whole Foods has launched a new likely to salivate at the news Whole Foods via Skift venture to capitalize on the trend. and become the venture’s first Called Whole Journeys, it offers customers. Expect more such Whole Journeys: Whole Foods worldwide tours focused on the efforts from larger consumer Market’s New Travel Venture production and consumption of brands as they try to build on via The Adventure Post food. It’s a clever brand extension their “authentic” cred in various for Whole Foods: The company sectors, especially retail. Gastronomy and the hunt for authentic experiences: the future of food tourism via Skift 13 Trends That Will Define Travel in 2013 | 5 6. AIRPORTS AS DESTINATIONS As the airline experience continues signage, solutions to satiate our Further Reading: to deteriorate and fragment—at need to be connected (free Wi-Fi!), The Airport Of The Future Is About least in the Western world— and more shopping and dining More Than Takeoff And Landing airports are seeing a buzz of activity options near gates. The more via Fast Company Co.Exist and are reinventing themselves successful ones have become around user experience and design. places where people want to spend Are airports the new malls for The new normal as exemplified by time and have experiences and not holiday shopping? via Skift Incheon International Airport in just pass through. Whether it is Seoul, Madrid’s Barajas Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare newly launched Airports are becoming activity or Singapore’s Changi Airport, are farmer’s market inside the terminal, hubs to take advantage of listless centered around innovations like or Munich’s onsite brewery, the flyers via Skift airy, light-filled primary spaces, airports are becoming more less-intimidating security and inspirational, aspirational, and baggage claim areas, simple nurturing. Imagine that. 13 Trends That Will Define Travel in 2013 | 6 7. DESTINATION BRANDING THROUGH MOVIES Starring in a film has become Virginia began touting itself as Further Reading: a surefire way to boost tourism the site of Lincoln’s filming and James Bond and his latest movie for a destination. Tourism in North Carolina turned Hunger lends a helping hand to UK New Zealand boomed following Games into an advertisement tourism via Skift the Lord of Rings trilogy and the for its outdoors.