Post-Pandemic Trends in the Global Travel Industry

Introduction

The travel industry is constantly evolving and the pace of change is faster than ever. New technologies and demographic changes affect expectations and standard practices. This was exacerbated by COVID-19, which affects almost every aspect of travel. Of course, there is a real opportunity for companies to keep up with the latest travel trends and break new ground in doing business.

Importance to Keep Up with Travel Trends

Staying on top of travel trends is important for any business in the travel industry, including hospitality, transportation and entertainment service providers. Customers expect the latest innovations from the companies that provide them. Fashion trends can come and go, but some travel trends set the direction for the industry as a whole. Recognizing and considering these travel trends is important for maintaining future relevance.

General Travel Trends Post-Pandemic

Current and new travel trends can be broadly divided into those associated with the occurrence of COVID-19 and those that are always relevant. To keep up with the evolution of the travel industry, it is important to understand the trends in these two categories.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the major travel trends associated with the coronavirus pandemic and the different ways they affect travel and change the behavior of travelers. 

1. Prioritize Hygiene and Safety

Since the outbreak of COVID, the focus has been on reducing the spread of infection through hygiene and safety measures. Depending on environmental and local regulations, these measures may require travel agencies to provide hand sanitizers, increase social distance, use masks and or improve overall cleanliness. Of course, both hygiene and safety measures have always been needed, but these have become one of the major travel trends as they are an important focus for customers when making purchase decisions against the backdrop of COVID-19. With this in mind, it’s important for businesses to emphasize hygiene and safety measures in their marketing content and take the necessary steps to actually keep people safe and avoid negative advertising. 

2. Focus More on Leisure Travel

One of the top travel trends to watch out for is related to business events. Due to international travel restrictions and regional lockdowns in certain countries and because of the emphasis on working from home, many of these events will be canceled and fewer will be booked. This encourages certain travel agencies to adapt. In some cases, people working in travel management may want to shift their focus from business customers to leisure segments. Leisure transportation is also  affected by the pandemic, but the need for travel remains great. People in the same household can travel more easily and vacation time can continue to attract customers. In these situations, you may need to change your overall travel marketing strategy to focus more on family, friends’ groups, couples and other demographics that you may want to continue booking with you. 

3. Focus Locally

Given the travel restrictions and quarantine requirements enforced in certain countries and the more common fear of traveling abroad, another important travel trend associated with COVID-19 is the shift in focus on domestic customers. Local in this context may mean a traveller from your own country or a neighbouring country. Focusing on the domestic market segment can mean changing your marketing message to appeal to different audiences, including promoting features that may appeal to  more  locals. It will be. For hotels,  this may mean promoting facilities and features such as fitness studios, saunas, WLAN access and rooms as temporary  offices. Of course, this does not mean turning away from overseas customers, but simply shifting focus. 

4. Wide Acceptance of Contactless Payments

Contactless payments have been a major trend in travel technology for some time, but the COVID-19 situation made it even more important. Accepting contactless payments is a great way to convince  customers that they are taking the necessary steps to protect them by minimizing the number of shared surfaces they need to touch. In addition to the hygienic benefits of paying with as few contacts as possible, this technology can also provide travellers with a more convenient and faster payment process. This also helps drive impulse purchases and helps travel agencies maximize sales.

Conclusion

The travel and tourism industry has been severely and directly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Now that the industry is gaining momentum in many countries and in domestic markets, it is ideal to learn and observe the new trends in the industry. Service providers can utilize this time to get equipped, adapt and change to position and serve a futuristic travel and tourism industry in the post-pandemic times.