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8 good tourism trends for 2024.

• January 2, 2024
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The future of tourism in 2024

The start of a new year is a great time to look towards the future. What’s happening and what’s changing? What are the most relevant trends and which ones are worth following?

The travel industry is thriving after the pandemic and exciting trends and developments are on the way. In this article you’ll find a selection of 8 trends that we believe are here to stay and are worth tapping into as a travel business.

8 key good tourism trends in 2024

To help you achieve a successful year, we listed 8 key good tourism trends that we find worth following. Be inspired and informed on how to respond and benefit.

In this article

• Cool weather summer vacations
• Increased growth for shoulder seasons
• Low-carbon adventure travel
• Long distance train travel
• Culinary tourism
• Passion focused niche travel
• Responsible revenge travel

Good tourism trends in 2023

Good tourism trends in 2022, trend 1: cool weather summer vacations.

The most popular destinations for the summer holiday were mainly those where the sun was shining brightest. In Europe, travellers would usually travel south to visit Spain, France, Greece and Italy and enjoy the Mediterranean climate. However, with the rising temperatures caused by climate change, we’ve seen extreme hot weather with temperatures rising over 40 degrees (104 °F). Resulting in a boiling hot summer in Europe but also in North America and China.

Travellers now think twice about visiting the same areas and are looking for summer destinations with moderate weather. In Europe, Northern destinations such as Norway, Finland and Iceland are gaining popularity. Also, in other parts of the world travellers are looking for cool weather summer vacations. In the US, they are promoting summer destinations with an average temperature of 80 °F (26 degrees).

How to respond to this trend

If you have the opportunity to expand to more destinations, focus on those that have cooler weather in the summer season and promote the benefits to your customers. This is also your chance to explore new destinations. Make sure to not simply follow the competition but to look closely at what fits your business and ideal customer best.

Travelling in shoulder seasons has many advantages for travellers.

Trend 2: Increased growth for shoulder seasons

Very much linked to the rising temperatures worldwide, there is an increased growth for travelling in the shoulder seasons, off-peak season. Instead of visiting destinations in their high seasons, travellers are looking to travel off-season more and more. Destinations that are usually in high demand in the high season are now gaining momentum for the shoulder seasons. The months before and after the peak.

Travelling in shoulder seasons has many advantages for travellers. Besides avoiding the extreme heat that some destinations experience in high season, they’ll also escape the crowds of tourists flooding every city, beach and landmark. And on top of this, the shoulder seasons are cheaper to travel in.

To follow this development and encourage your travellers to travel in shoulder and low season , you need to start adapting your itineraries. Develop brand new itineraries specifically for these shoulder seasons and excite your travellers for travelling off-season.

Read our article: “How to develop low-season travel experiences”

Trend 3: Low-carbon adventure travel

Now that more travellers opt for cooler summer destinations there is a growing increase in low-carbon adventure travel. These destinations are perfect for spending more time outdoors and enjoying nature . The global adventure tourism market size is projected to reach $2 trillion by 2032 and is expected to continue to grow steadily!

With the increase of awareness of climate change, there is also a growing focus to reduce emissions while travelling. Travellers seek more immersive travel experiences that don’t produce emissions while being outdoors. Low carbon adventure travel experiences are the answer, where travellers engage in outdoor adventure experiences, but without the emissions.

Great examples of low-carbon adventures are:

• Mountain climbing
• Paddleboarding
• Rock climbing
• Scuba diving

Adventure travel experiences have always been popular, and they are in high demand from travellers in varied travel segments. Focus on adding more low-carbon adventure experiences to your itineraries. Thereby, reduce emissions in existing travel products to respond to this trend and also look into develop new low-carbon adventure experiences.

Read our article “Benefits of carbon-free travel experiences”

70% of travellers are craving a sense of calm and relaxation on their trips in 2024.

Trend 4: Calmcation

According to a study by Campspot , 70% of travellers are craving a sense of calm and relaxation on their trips in 2024. Travellers are feeling stressed in the post-pandemic phase and with the unpredictable global economic landscape, people are looking for a way to truly unwind. Calmcations have emerged as the ideal solution, offering a break away from complexities and uncertainties of daily life.

Travellers are looking for experiences closer to home, more affordable and immersed in nature. This means that in 2024, we’re back to nature driven travel but with a comfortable twist. Not only the committed camper is interested, so are many other travellers. They’re looking for beautiful destinations with facilities for a comfortable outdoor experience. Camping trips in nature where they can breath in fresh air, enjoy amazing views, and water-themed.

Travellers are looking for nature driven travel, but with a comfortable twist. Depending on your ideal target group , offer (luxurious) camping adventures combined with low-carbon travel experiences. Besides tents, cabins and ecolodges also fit well into this trend. Focus on developing experiences or complete holidays that allow travellers to take a break from their own life and reconnect and enjoy nature.

Trend 5: Long distance train travel

Rail travel is predicted to be one of the fastest growing travel categories worldwide in 2024. With a new wave of rail lines, itineraries and new train travel booking platforms, there is a growing demand for long distance and luxury train travel. According to the Euromonitor’s travel survey , one third (33%) of travellers prefer alternatives to air travel such as rail for their trips. There is a growing climate consciousness of both travellers as travel businesses, looking to travel more responsibly.

In Europe, new connections are being announced and it’s more attractive than ever to hop on a nightjet train to comfortably explore European cities such as Berlin and Prague or to Alpine ski resorts for a winter holiday. In Asia, the Eastern & Oriental Express is making a comeback in February and let’s not forget about the extensive rail network in Japan, India and Canada. With more and more rail lines (re)opening, train travel is the solution for those that want to traveller slower, travel off the beaten path and reduce their emissions.

Train travel is more popular than ever among travellers so make sure to follow this trend. You can offer train travel as main transport mode to replace flights and reduce emissions or include train travel as a local mode of transport in the destination. You can also offer complete railway itineraries where the experience is the train ride, and not just the mode of transport.

Trend 6: Culinary tourism

For many people, food is one of the main reasons for travelling somewhere. Travellers are eager to explore a destination through its restaurants, farms, traditional ingredients and local dishes. Trends observed for next year are travelling with chefs, unpretentious wine-tasting and dining with locals. Travellers not only want to eat locally during their trip, but they also want to cook and eat with locals.

According to Food & Wine , there is also an increase in Foodie Field trips, where travellers have the opportunity to participate in classes such as bread baking and coffee roasting.

Social media also has a large influence on this trend, especially on younger travellers. Influencers are highlighting certain destinations and restaurants with special food that people will want to taste, sometimes even resulting in the so-called TikTok queues.

As we mentioned, food is one of the main reasons for travelling somewhere. Review your existing (or new) destinations and highlight the food experiences. What’s the destination known culinarily and what’s there to explore? Include local food experiences such as cooking classes and ensure the traveller actively participates in the food scene.

Looking to have your travellers explore the local cuisine? Social enterprise Resirest connects local families and travellers in food experiences. They empower local families long-term, while providing travellers with a unique, cultural and local food experience.

Trend 7: Passion focused niche travel

Culinary tourism is a very specific trend, based on the travellers passion for culinary experiences. In 2024, passion focused niche travel is booming. We’ve already seen that travellers are choosing experiences over specific destinations, and this year they’re more passion-led than ever. Passion focused travel is all about customisiation and personalisation based on your ideal customers.

The better you know your customer, the more insights you have in their passions and travel wishes. The thing with passion focused travel is that it’s very niche specific. It’s about being hyper-focused on what desires travellers have in experiencing and developing new itineraries around it.

Examples of passion focused niche travel:

• Passion for horses: spending a week in the African bush on horse-back
• Passion for dinosaurs: visiting dinosaur museums and learning about their history
• Passion for wine: touring a wine area, tasting and learning about the process
• Passion for birds: visiting designated areas to go bird spotting with experts

To actively follow this trend, you need to have in-depth insights in your ideal customer. Tailoring your travel experiences to their passions or even creating entirely new products for them, requires you to know their passions. Dig deep into your buyer-persona and determine the best combination of passion, destination and experience and turn this into a passion focused niche experience.

Read our article “How to identify your buyer persona”

This year, we’re looking at responsible revenge travel.

Trend 8: Responsible revenge travel

Revenge travel is a trend from last year and it’s the type of travel where people make up for missed adventures due to the pandemic. These trips are often fast-paced, bucket-list-ticking trips and focused on travelling as much as possible. It’s leaving travellers exhausted, they’re not truly connecting to a destination and are not taking sustainability into account that much.

This year, we’re looking at responsible revenge travel. Travellers are still looking to explore the world and make up for the time it was impossible to travel. But they’re doing it more consciously. They’re looking to travel to cool(er) weather destinations, travel in the shoulder seasons, go on low-carbon adventures, spend time outdoors calmcationing, travel by train, enjoy the local cuisine and simply love travel!

Travellers are looking for ‘the experience of a lifetime’ trip and grand adventures, but in a responsible way. Make sure to develop and promote travel itineraries that maximise positive impact and have travellers use their money as a force for good. Lead them off the beaten path, support the locals, celebrate local culture, ensure animal welfare , protect nature and reduce emissions.

Read our practical Good Tourism guide

What does your future look like?

We’re excited for the coming year and looking at the trends, there are great sustainable developments taking place. When responding to the good tourism trends, make sure to always apply the principles of people, planet and profit. Follow trends, improve your travel experiences and grow your business; but focus on creating positive impact.

Don’t forget that trends can also be combined. Think about low-carbon adventures or culinary tourism in shoulder season or calmcations in cool weather destinations. Be creative and use these developments to stand out from the competition, distinguish your travel experiences and be on your way towards travel success. Travel is a force for good, maximise its impact!

2023 was our second year we published an article with trends for the future of tourism. Are you interested to see if our predictions came true? Read our 8 key good tourism trends for 2023 below.

• Good tourism
• Excellent customer experience
• Strong online visibility
• Outdoor nature experiences
• Travelling off-season
• Remote working
• Local travel market
• Spontaneous travel

Trend 1: Good tourism

Travellers are looking for experiences that benefit the destination they’re travelling to. Good tourism is the concept of creating positive impact on people and planet, while offering great travel experiences.

This has always been a movement, but travel behaviour has shown it’s becoming more important. Travellers are looking to:

• Reduce their negative environmental impact
• Support local economies
• Support local cultures and communities
• Visit lesser-known destinations
• Contribute to nature and wildlife protection
• Reduce their carbon footprint

“90% of consumers look for sustainable options when travelling” – Expedia Group

Trend 2: Excellent customer experience

Travellers expect a personal and efficient customer experience (CX) at all times. They judge every interaction they have with your business and each of these interactions are evaluated. From the first up until the last contact moment, businesses and employees need to be on their best behaviour. Both offline and online.

The expectations of excellent customer experiences (CX) are changing , and loyalty and speed are more important than ever. So, it’s key you know what you stand for, and who you want to attract and to offer fast and personalised services.

“Being able to serve relevant information at the right moment in the customer journey often determines success” – Evolv Al

Trend 3: Strong online visibility

Travellers spend a significant time online searching for travel inspiration and tips. They’re absolutely doing so again in 2023. The importance of being visible online is still growing every year. We’re expecting for video to take over even more (look at the rise of TikTok).

With these travellers going online to find their next dream destination you need to be prepared. Make sure to have a fast and user-friendly website , your Google Business profile up to date, focus on content marketing , be active on social media channels where your target group is active and don’t underestimate influencer marketing .

Trend 4: Outdoor nature experiences

Travellers are looking to experience and explore the outdoors more often. The pandemic has made a lot of people realise how much they love the outdoors and how much they appreciate it. Travellers want to go out, breathe in fresh air and go back to basic . Think about multi-day trekking or camping trips.

Important to remember when looking at this growth in outdoor nature experiences, is to always develop travel experiences that are good for the planet too. Therefore, focus on carbon-free travel experiences where possible to truly connect travellers with nature.

Trend 5: Travelling off-season

Travellers are looking to avoid crowds and overtourism and go for a different experience instead. Travelling off-season is cheaper due to less demand, there are less people around so no crowds, and travellers are able to experience a completely different side and feeling of the destination.

Trend 6: Remote working

Travellers realised they can make the world their office and work remotely. The ‘work from anywhere’ trend has changed the tourism industry. The number of remote workers is growing rapidly and opening a new market for long-stays. Remote workers are usually very flexible, travelling to new destinations to work while exploring new surroundings.

The interesting factor here is that remote workers don’t need 24/7 entertainment while travelling. They’re working after all. What they are looking for, is a structure or plan of how to travel, where to stay and where to (co-)work.

Trend 7: Local travel market

Travellers have the desire to stay closer to home for ease, comfort, and local connection. Again, pandemic times have shown them there is a lot to explore close to home. They’ll be exploring lesser-known cities, going to the highlights they ignored before or rewinding in their own unexplored nature.

Be aware that people staying in their own country are looking for different experiences. This means they won’t be triggered by the same marketing messages you’re sharing to attract inbound travellers. Adapt your marketing efforts to their needs to ensure interest and bookings from locals.

Trend 8: Spontaneous travel

Travellers want to turn their ideas into travel plans quickly, easily, and last-minute. Planning proved to be difficult and unpredictable during pandemic times. People got used to not making plans at all or making them very last-minute.

They’ll most likely continue this behaviour and decide when and where to travel only shortly before departure. As a tour operator, you can expect more last-minute bookings and also less time between travel request and booking.

2022 was the first year we published an article with trends for the future of tourism. Are you interested to see if our predictions came true? Read our 6 key good tourism trends for 2022 below.

• Online preparation
• Loyal customers
• Philantourism
• Minimum carbon footprint
• Continued care for health and safety
• Experience of a lifetime

Trend 1: Online preparation

According to Google research, travellers who took a large trip in 2021 spent over 70% of their time researching their trip online. It’s expected this will grow in 2022 as well. When travellers are spending this much time online, they’re searching for inspiration, tips, and companies to book their trips with.

How to respond

You can respond this trend by being visible online. Invest time in your online marketing strategy. Make sure your website is found by those researching their next trip. You can achieve this through content marketing. This strategy helps you give potential customers what they are looking for, while they are actively searching for it. This means creating content, such as blogs, photos and videos about your business and everything you offer.

Also make sure to be active on social media for online brand visibility but also to convert followers to clients .

Trend 2: Loyal customers

It’s predicted that in the coming years, travellers will look to remain loyal to brands and businesses that align with their values. Brands that care for the planet and who contribute to a better world. If travellers found a brand they love, they’ll choose to come back again instead of searching for something else.

Earning customer loyalty is not something you can do overnight. Key is to make sure to know and communicate your own value. How can travellers align if you are not certain about yours? Also focus on increasing your customer value. There are no real shortcuts or easy ways to stimulate loyalty. You have to work hard and earn it, as creating loyal customers requires care and devotion.

Lastly, also (re)connect with your customers via email marketing to keep on top of their mind. You’ll benefit from this as soon as they’ll start travelling again.

Trend 3. Philantourism

Philantourism is a trend that originated in COVID-19 times and is a natural evolution of volunteer tourism. It’s tourism where travellers choose off the beaten track destinations to spend their free time and their money. Specifically in those destinations that need it the most. They don’t commit to projects locally, but simply spend their money to benefit the local economy .

Both you as a tour operator and your customers are important for this trend. For tour operators, it’s important to offer trips and travel experiences to lesser-known destinations and create itineraries that support the local economy. You can also increase your impact by developing community-based tourism .

For travellers, it’s important they know where to go and how they can best support the local economy. Do this by adding tips for local restaurants and shops to your itineraries and traveller communication . This stimulates travellers to go out and spend locally!

Trend 4. Minimum carbon footprint

This is already a very familiar trend to most tour operators, but now it’s also a growing factor for travellers. According to research by Ipsos, 50% of travellers claim that carbon emissions and offset options are worth considering when booking a new trip.

First, it’s important to take the goal of a low(er) carbon footprint seriously. Sign the Glasgow declaration and start reducing your emissions. In your office but also in the trips and experiences you develop. Offer destinations closer to home and include train travel. Also focus on slow travel and add carbon-free travel experiences. Hiking, biking, sailing, and kayaking are popular and allow travellers to experience the destination to the fullest.

Thereby, also provide your customers with the option to compensate their trip. Be transparent in your calculations and offsetting program or partner.

Trend 5. Continued care for health and safety

Not surprisingly, research continues to show that health and safety measures regarding COVID-19 make travellers feel safer. Travellers search online for the specific regulations and measures companies take to provide a safe experience. They expect their well-being to be top priority throughout their trip.

COVID-19 is here to stay, at least for now. Most importantly is that you take responsibility for the health and safety of your customers. Update your company health and safety protocol where relevant. And clearly communicate the safety regulations to your customers. Be clear and positive about what’s possible in the destinations you offer. But also manage expectations and prepare customers for changes.

Additionally, also make sure to have fair and flexible cancellation policy available. (Potential) customers require transparency and honesty.

Trend 6. Experience of a lifetime

Flowing from two years of COVID-19, lockdowns and travel restrictions all over the world, travellers are looking for “the experience of a lifetime” trips. They realised they don’t want to postpone their bucket list trips and are looking for grand adventures for when they can finally travel again.

Offer travellers the experience of a lifetime by creating new (and longer) itineraries with the highlights of the destination. Create trips that make travellers travel slower and experience the destination to the fullest. Don’t forget that a highlights trip does not necessarily mean including the most famous tourist attractions. Surprise your customers by going off the beaten track and to offer them something special.

For the best tailored experience, make it easy for travellers to add smaller packages to extend their trip. For example, a few days relaxing on the beach or a mountain trekking .

Keep in mind that not all trends (in this article and overall) are fully relevant for every tour operator. Select those trends that support you in your journey towards the future of tourism. Keep close to your mission and USPs and focus on the trends that make you better in business.

Your business development is subject to the (local) circumstances, niche market , target group and your preferences. Be in charge of your own future but remain open for outside inspiration and influences.

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• According to our Build for the Future survey, a small group of forward-thinking travel businesses have cultivated key attributes that help them thrive.
• Travel leaders have 45% more capabilities in differentiated people advantage than laggards because they upskill existing personnel and attract and retain new talent, which allows them to offer customers a better experience.
• Leaders have 68% more AI capabilities than laggards because they deploy advanced analytics throughout the travel value chain to offer hyper-personalization.

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Travel and Tourism

/ slideshow, building the travel company of the future, key takeaways.

The following insights are part of BCG’s Build for the Future series, based on three years of research conducted on digital transformations at major organizations around the globe.

Planning a trip once meant consulting a guidebook or working with a travel agent. Today, people may plan a getaway based on a TikTok influencer’s recommendation, an online review, or a personalized ad fed to them by an algorithm.

These and other evolving consumer behaviors, coupled with cost pressures, are redefining competition in the travel business and the capabilities needed to succeed. As a result, the travel industry is facing challenges in all sectors, including airlines, hotels, theme parks, and cruise lines. The challenges are especially acute for long-time incumbents playing catch-up with digital natives.

Against this background of change, a handful of travel companies are thriving. According to our Build for the Future survey, the most forward-thinking travel businesses share a number of common attributes. These traits allow them to excel regardless of customer or market pressures and produce financial and nonfinancial outcomes that outshine those of their peers. (See “Build for the Future.”)

Build for the Future

• Five areas that are fundamental to success
• The emphasis of transformation efforts
• How successful transformation efforts have been
• The degree to which each of more than 50 potential influencing capabilities were in place

At a Glance

Our Build for the Future survey identified a small cadre of companies we refer to as “future-built,” with attributes that make them more ready than their peers for what’s on the horizon. These traits include: aligned leadership and purpose, differentiated people advantage, agile operating model, innovation-driven culture, modern technology platforms, and AI .

Future-built travel companies use these attributes as a springboard to improve their performance in four specific areas:

• Customer Experience. They elevate travel experiences by designing seamless, digital-first customer journeys, enhancing touchpoints, and reimagining loyalty to foster lasting connections.
• Commercial Excellence. They sharpen their competitive edge by using dynamic pricing and revenue management strategies, crafting tailored marketing narratives, and accelerating growth through digital sales channels.
• Operational Innovation. They infuse operations with digital agility, they forecast and preempt maintenance needs, and they execute capital projects with precision to redefine operational excellence.
• Cost and Resilience. They employ a holistic view of managing costs, embed zero-based budgeting principles, and streamline procurement to lift efficiency and instill resilience.

Among the 24 industries analyzed in our Build for the Future research, travel is one of the more advanced when it comes to being ready for the future. That’s primarily because of the advanced practices used by digital newcomers. Long-time travel players, however, trail the majority of incumbents in comparable consumer-facing industries when it comes to future readiness. In particular, travel incumbents lag in adopting innovation-driven cultures and cultivating a differentiated people advantage.

Read the slideshow to learn more about the survey findings.

Focusing on People and AI

The difference between travel industry leaders and laggards is particularly acute in two areas:

Differentiated People Advantage. Travel industry leaders have an edge in upskilling existing personnel and attracting and retaining new talent, which allows them to offer customers a better experience booking travel or taking a trip. Leaders in the hospitality sector of the travel business, for example, improve hiring and retention through continuous benchmarking to ensure that compensation is equal to or above that for comparable jobs in other industries, and by offering flexible schedules. Hospitality leaders also support diversity and inclusion. They also target messaging, outreach programs, and other actions to appeal to specific groups of current, past, and prospective employees.

AI. Travel industry leaders deploy advanced analytics and AI throughout the travel value chain. By optimizing their supply chain and offering hyper-personalization, these bionic companies successfully combine human and advanced technology capabilities, gaining a competitive advantage that can take a variety of forms. During severe weather, airlines use these capabilities to minimize customer travel disruptions by selecting the next best flight schedules. Cruise lines use their combined people and advanced technology capabilities to fine-tune pricing during cruise booking periods to maximize occupancy and revenue.

How Travel Industry Incumbents Can Catch Up

To become future-built travel businesses, companies might consider the following moves to foster the six winning attributes we’ve identified:

Aligned Leadership and Purpose. Leadership is central to becoming future-built. Companies in industries of all types with a systematic and well-supported approach to activate leaders see transformation success rates that are three times higher than those of their competitors. Leaders at these companies reimagine and reinvent the business to serve all stakeholders, inspire and enrich the human experience, and execute and innovate through supercharged teams.

Differentiated People Advantage. Combine people and machines for a new model of customer service excellence. Use generative AI’s (GenAI) emerging power to equip frontline staff with behavioral nudges and as support for personalized customer interactions.

Agile Operating Model. Build a minimum viable operating model to support innovation and establish an innovation flywheel . Such a learning loop increases a company’s chances of building the next game-changing product or service and decreases the time needed to bring digital products to market.

Innovation-Driven Culture. Create an innovation-focused culture that embraces risk, fosters collaboration, and grants autonomy to internal teams. Then, use that culture to put customer experience at the heart of everything you do.

Modern Technology Platforms. Ensure that efforts to establish data platforms and modernize core systems start at the top, in the executive suite. Guide modernization initiatives with a rigorous focus on business outcomes. Work backward from the outcome you want to achieve, analyzing the data that has to be liberated and the systems that have to change to accomplish your goals.

AI. Use the excitement generated by GenAI to invigorate AI transformation programs, especially for managing revenue, managing operations, and personalizing customer interactions.

Call it the Instagram effect. People influenced by what they see on social media have higher expectations for travel and the services they get from the travel companies they work with. By cultivating superior people practices and an innovation-based culture, travel laggards can catch up with industry leaders and provide the services that customers want.

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Michael Fraser is a Partner in the Los Angeles office. He joined the Los Angeles office of BCG in 2012 as a consultant. He holds a JD and a Bachelor of Commerce (majors actuarial studies and finance) from the University of New South Wales, Australia. Since joining BCG Michael has focused on Industrial Goods and Financial Services, with casework across a range of functional areas, including Marketing and Sales, People and Organization as well as Transformation. He has recently returned from casework in Brazil - a country he thoroughly enjoyed experiencing. Prior to joining BCG Michael worked for an Australian investment bank in Sydney and in New York where he spent time in equity and credit research, infrastructure a strong area of concentration. In his time away from the office, Michael enjoys the sights and sounds that Los Angeles has to offer, with his knowledge of the town happily increasing with each passing weekend!

Alberto Guerrini joined Boston Consulting Group in 2005. He is a core member of the firm’s Consumer practice; leader of the firm’s travel and tourism sector in IGT (Italy, Greece, and Turkey); and leader of the firm’s People and Organization practice in IGT. Alberto is also a leading member of BCG’s global initiative for pricing and revenue management in travel and tourism.

Lara Koslow is global leader of Boston Consulting Group’s Center for Customer Insight and part of the firm’s global Marketing, Sales & Pricing leadership team. She is the former global co-leader and North American leader of BCG’s marketing topic.

Julia Dhar joined Boston Consulting Group in 2009 and is a core member of the People & Organization , Industrial Goods, Public Sector, and Social Impact practices. She founded and leads BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab and the firm’s behavioral science network BeSmart, and is a member of BCG’s global Change Management leadership team. Trained as a behavioral economist, Julia champions the use of behavioral insights to improve product and service design and delivery to make countries and organizations more inclusive, sustainable, and productive. She is deeply involved in the firm's IP development on the Future of Work and co-leads BCG’s work on deskless workers.

Jason Guggenheim joined Boston Consulting Group in 2001 as a consultant after practicing as an attorney for 3 years in Johannesburg, South Africa. Jason studied at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and received an undergraduate degree in finance and economics and a graduate degree in law from Oliver Schreiner School of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand. After leaving BCG in 2002, Jason took a strategy/corporate development role in the Ventures group at Delta Air Lines. In 2004, Jason joined a 4 person team, led by the then-CFO of Delta Air Lines, who took on the restructuring of the bankrupt independent energy provider Mirant Corporation. Following the emergence from bankruptcy of Mirant Corporation, Jason returned to BCG in 2007 to further his interest in strategy, travel and tourism, and turnaround work. Over the past few years, Jason has focused on cruiseline and airline work, serving clients in both the US and Europe.

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The future of tourism: travel trends for 2021 and beyond

Every year travel trends come and go, however, 2021 is set to be one of tourism’s most significant years to date. As the world slowly recovers from COVID-19 and borders gradually start to open, we expect travel to look a little different than it did pre-pandemic. 

Although nobody knows exactly what will happen, one thing is clear; we won’t be able to travel as freely  (without consideration for our health) as we used to…at least for the foreseeable future. Your position as a tour operator in this rapidly changing industry is an important one as the tourism industry embarks on this next chapter. Governmental regulations, health awareness and the long-lasting attitude effects of a global pandemic will mean changes for the way your business may operate. However, with this comes an exciting opportunity to adapt and innovate, along with the likelihood of travellers being willing to pay more to reduce their COVID-19 exposure. Continue reading to get a glance at what’s in store for the future of tourism in 2021 and beyond. 

Before COVID-19, exploring a crowded city would have been exciting and invigorating. Wandering through bustling markets, enjoying dinner at a bistro brimming with locals and visiting tourist hotspots were often the hallmarks of a fulfilling holiday. Sadly, what once was the source of endless travel memories are now situations that incite fear and anxiety for many.

In a post-COVID-19 world, travellers will be much more cognisant of the need to travel to destinations that make it easy to maintain social distancing practices. Tour operators will need to get creative by designing itineraries that avoid public forms of transportation and crowded tourist areas, as their customers will expect this more considered approach to travel design. This may take the form of itineraries focussing on more remote locations or even the increased popularity of niches such as birding tours and biking tours, where travellers are less likely to come into contact with others.

It’s clear that travel and tourism need to be sustainable ; for the planet, the community, and the industry in general. Taking the principles of sustainable tourism into consideration, socially distant travel is even more important. While promoting safe health practices is, of course, going to be beneficial for the health of the travellers, it is also for the good of the community. Subsequently, these practices will allow tourism to start operating again safely and sustainably, producing economic benefits for those involved as well.

In a post-COVID-19 world, it will be more important than ever for travellers to stay connected as they travel. Gone are the days where people can easily go ‘off-the-grid” as there is now a critical need to stay informed and up to date with the latest travel guidelines. Tour operators that can provide their travellers with detailed online and offline itineraries will be top of the mind for travellers concerned about staying informed. We’ve all seen how quickly situations can change when it comes to COVID-19 so future travellers will likely want to be assured that their expert tour operator will be available to give trustworthy advice at a moments notice while they are in-country. 

Take a look at how Tourwriter’s itinerary chat can help you stay connected with your travellers. 

Tour operators and travel agents who specialise in creating group tours may want to start thinking about how to pivot their business to operate safely and successfully in this new world. One option could be to pivot completely from group travel to 100% FIT travel. Another may involve continuing to offer group travel but only to those groups who already know and trust each other and regularly interact.

In the future, we may see destination popularity being dictated by how well that country or region has controlled the coronavirus. The precautions that are in place, and how the initial outbreak was handled, will reassure travellers that they will be safe while in a particular country or location. This may also, unfortunately, result in hot-spots that were popular prior to the pandemic, disappear due to the crisis and lack of tourism. As a travel designer it will be important to ensure you have a number of locations tucked up your sleeve that you can offer your clients if and when clusters break out elsewhere. 

Not only will popular destinations change, but this mentality is also likely to impact how people travel to and within a destination. The choice of the airline may no longer be solely price driven, rather decisions will be influenced by hygiene standards; e.g. if masks are compulsory or not, seat occupation spacing etc. Within the country, travellers may be more interested in opting for private transport or upgrading to a business class train carriage so that they can stay safe and avoid crowds. 

Take time to keep up to speed with your transportation suppliers and their changing regulations as there will undoubtedly be related questions from your future customers that you will need to answer with confidence. 

With a considerable amount of uncertainty regarding travel safety and contradictory information rife online, travellers will continue to look towards the experts when it comes to planning their trips. Especially in the near future, travel will become increasingly complex, and travellers may engage with agents and tour operators simply to help them manage the complicated airline arrangements and health regulations they must adhere to. 

Putting work in now to align your travel brand as a trustworthy thought leader will put you in good stead to attract customers when travel begins to resume. 

While it is still uncertain as to when the world will be able to freely travel once more, there will be many people worldwide who are already keen to plan a trip to reunite with family and friends as soon as possible. These people are likely to engage a travel expert to coordinate and manage this process for them, due to the complications associated with international travel currently. This emerging trend will likely require less detailed in-country activities, and more focus on providing carefully researched transportation and accommodation plans to and from the reunion destination. 

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The future of tourism & travel – industry trends

By Kevin Tjoe — 16 Nov 2021

COVID-19   future of tourism   tourism

Updated March 2023 – There’s no doubt about it: the past several years have completely transformed the travel and tourism industry across the globe. Tourism operators of every size have adapted amazingly well in the midst of an economic downturn and monumental changes that seemed to happen practically overnight. Fortunately, 2022 saw the tourism and travel industry soar to new heights as travelers eagerly packed two years’ worth of travel into one.

So, what kind of tourism trends are ahead? Can we expect the travel momentum to keep growing in the year ahead? What kind of lessons have we learned from the past several years and will they continue to impact the way we travel? 

To look ahead, we first have to look back at how far we’ve come.

Post-pandemic travel

Travel and tourism had been booming just before the COVID-19 pandemic, but travel restrictions caused a quick shift towards ultra-local tourism experiences. Where travelers could once jet-set across the world instantly, travel options were almost instantly limited to neighborhoods and local areas.

With vaccination rates high and most countries lifting travel restrictions, the world has officially opened back up. And the great news is that there’s a healthy appetite for travel. 

COVID restrictions are slowly becoming a thing of the past

Most countries and regions have had some level of social restrictions in place over the course of the pandemic. It’s realistic to expect that varying levels of restrictions may still be used to manage public health risks. Fortunately, as risks subside through vaccination and rapid testing, these restrictions have become much less limiting for travelers. Almost all countries have lifted travel restrictions, welcoming in international tourists who are excited to finally explore beyond their home town for the first time in two years. 

Hygiene and safety during travel

As the effects of the pandemic continue, hygiene and safety will continue to be important factors. Nobody wants to fall sick during their travels and growing awareness of how easily diseases can be transmitted has left travelers more cautious of hygiene than ever before. Be sure to outline your COVID safety plans and policies clearly on all your booking platforms. This will help to reassure travelers as they plan and prepare to make travel plans.

Sustainable travel is the way forward

68% of modern travel customers agree they’re trying to be more aware and supportive of sustainable travel brands , while close to 70% of travelers say they’re more likely to book travel accommodations if they know the property is environmentally friendly. In a world that is growing increasingly aware of the environmental damage that thoughtless tourism can generate, being an environmentally responsible travel tour operator is a key opportunity to promote green tourism .

Flexibility will make travel accessible to more people

As travelers book their next activity, they’re doing so knowing that these plans could still be interrupted by illness or ever-changing restrictions. Considering this, it’s not surprising that one of the defining tourism trends of the past year has been flexible booking policies. There has been a shift in customer attitudes and many travelers now expect flexible policies around cancelations and postponements. 

Flexibility is key right now for the future of tourism, and flexible booking options are proving popular. For example: 

• Many airlines have cut fees for date and destination changes to encourage bookings. 
• Travel booking apps have seen increased interest in their services that allow people to rebook or cancel free of charge.
• 34% of travelers have had much shorter booking windows since pre-pandemic times, and as much as 80% of bookings have been made within a fortnight of departure.
• Trip.com and Google research shows that for Asian travelers, the most important factors when booking travel are flexible bookings, free cancellation, and insurance coverage.

Travel is all about connection

After two years of not being able to travel freely, many are finally looking to reconnect with the world again.

Reconnecting with family and friends

Many families have been kept apart for two or more years, and reunions are front of mind for many. Time apart has led many people to reassess the important relationships in their lives and make more of an effort to maintain connections. 

Reconnecting with nature

25% of travelers have recently participated in new outdoor activities, indicating that we’re ready to get outside and reconnect with the natural world around us. Tour and activity operators will ideally be thinking about fresh, new ways to help guests experience the great outdoors.

Reconnecting with self

With burn-out at an all-time high thanks to the pandemic, we can expect plenty of travel to be booked as a form of self-care. 79% of travelers agree that travel helps their emotional and mental well-being more than other forms of self-care. Switching off has also become more important, and 73% of travelers say their holidays will be strictly work-free in the future. Tour and activity operators may want to consider innovative ways to meet the demand for transformational travel, wellness experiences , and the rare chance to switch off devices.

Technology is at the forefront of travel trends

It’s safe to say that the future of the tourism industry will continue to be influenced by modern technology. In fact, if you’re not assessing your booking and business technology, you might be falling behind: McKinsey research indicates that the pandemic has led to companies fast-forwarding their adoption of technology by three to four years. 

Personalizing experiences for guests

One of the key benefits of modern technology for businesses is its ability to dramatically improve customer service processes. AI chatbots, for example, are an essential tool for tour and activity businesses looking for a proactive answer to limited staff availability. By providing quick answers to common questions, AI chatbots cater to your global audience with consistently excellent customer service that’s not condensed into working hours.

Big data is similarly empowering businesses to better understand and respond to customers. By using the insights from hospitality business intelligence , tour companies can more accurately analyze trends, anticipate customer demands and optimize their pricing strategies. This enhanced awareness of the customer pipeline and decision-making process can do wonders for improving your business’s marketing.

Streamlining booking, payment, and communications

The days of struggling to decipher your coworker’s messy handwriting on a printed calendar are well and truly gone. But lots of businesses fail to recognize that all of their processes don’t have to exist in isolation online. Instead, there are plenty of channel manager tools available to tour and activity businesses simplify and automate tedious tasks.

An all-in-one booking software , such as Rezdy, can cut down unnecessary admin time and enhance internal communications by acting as an up-to-date hub for bookings, payment, and reporting.

The future of tourism is bright

The really great news is that the future of the travel industry is looking bright as people can’t wait to travel. Ensure that your business is ready to make the most out of the world’s hunger for travel by setting up systems that enable simple online booking. By utilizing an online booking system , you’ll be able to streamline your admin duties and simplify your customer’s booking experience. For instance, Rezdy’s booking software equips your business with advanced features such as real-time availability viewer, automatic communication, and integration to various payment gateways.

Rezdy also offers a distribution solution that connects you to the largest distribution network in the industry with over 25k active resellers and agents. Rezdy Channel Manager is a powerful tool that ensures your pricing remains consistent across all channels, allowing your business to streamline its pricing strategies for travel agencies and other third-party sellers.

Ready to set your business up with the right technology to support effortless online bookings and distribution management solutions? Sign up for a free trial or book a demo today to see how Rezdy’s advanced software can support your business well into the future.

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to subscribe to the Rezdy newsletter , where you’ll receive weekly updates on topics such as marketing tips, business operation advice, and industry updates straight.

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Reimagining business travel, without all the baggage

Since travel came to a screeching halt in March 2020, many have predicted that business travel might never recover, given the advances of video conferencing and the embrace of work from home policies.

But global business travel spending is expected to surpass 2019 levels this year, according to the Global Business Travel Association’s Business Travel Index released in August — that's two years sooner than GBTA was forecasting the previous year. A Mastercard survey of travel decision-makers , also released in August, found that nine out of 10 believe business travel is still critical for driving growth, and more than half expect to spend more than $1 billion on travel in 2025, up from 11% pre-pandemic.

That’s music to the ears of airlines and convention hotels, but technological advances, changing expectations and new pressures have also altered the business travel landscape in ways that may ease the journey for road warriors and frequent flyers – and the corporate teams who manage their travel. Here are five trends shaping business travel in 2024.

01 'Bleisure' is here to stay

Remote work is here to stay, and some companies have even instituted “work from anywhere” benefits, giving employees the opportunity to stretch out vacations abroad or visits to family. It also means corporate travelers can extend business trips by a few days, giving them a chance to explore more than just the convention hall or hotel amenities. The days of two-day international business trips may soon be in the rear-view mirror, as employees enjoy the perks of flexible office policies. But a distributed workforce can create new challenges when it comes to monitoring spending — a person working from home might have different expenses than a traditional office worker, like buying subscriptions, office furniture and computer equipment, which can make it more difficult for companies to predict and account for spending.

02 Business travel, consumer experience

For companies, combining business and travel is not always smooth sailing — managing expenses and reimbursements can get complicated. And for employees, the ease of paying with a tap or a click in their daily lives is missing from travel and entertainment payments, as anyone who labored over an expense report can attest. That’s why many companies are moving to virtual cards for travel expenses. These cards are created instantly for specific purposes — a business trip, a client dinner at a conference, travel arrangements for a promising recruit — with customized spend controls, such as the amount, time period and type of purchase where the cards can be used, producing detailed data for tracking, reporting and automated reconciliation. They can even be issued directly to mobile wallets, creating contactless travel experiences.

These heightened consumer expectations could also make companies expand the benefits on their commercial and corporate T&E cards — better travel insurance, concierge support, telemedicine offerings and access to airport lounges, for example.

03 AI at your service

Another extension of the “consumerization” of business travel? The AI tools taking hold in the leisure travel sector, including virtual travel agents that can customize itineraries and lock in low fares, are likely to make waves in corporate travel as well. These bots can tailor travel based on T&E policy, budget and employee preferences. And with the cost of business travel rising – CWT’s Global Business Travel Forecast for 2024 shows a 3% rise in average cost per attendee per day for meetings and events, and a 3.6% increase in hotel rates — corporate travel teams can use AI for better price predictions, more proactively managing their budgets. It can also help these teams build more dynamic policies and even adjust spending limits by analyzing past spend on a much more granular level. AI tools can simplify the arduous expense report process for both employees and finance teams by automating the capture and review of repetitive and predictable expenses. Nine in 10 travel decision-makers plan on investing in AI and machine learning to improve processes and personalize travel for their employees, according to the Mastercard survey.

04 Tracking the impact of travel

Many corporations are making concerted efforts to lower their carbon footprint. Nine in 10 travel decision-makers in Mastercard’s survey said they are more focused on tracking environmental, social and governance efforts — greenhouse gas emissions from company travel, for example. Carbon emissions tracking tools that show carbon footprint of business trips and seat selections can drive more environmentally conscious travel decisions. With sustainability at the top of corporate agendas, we can expect companies to seek out ways to help them achieve their sustainability goals. Mastercard’s T&E Consulting Services, for example, helps corporations re-evaluate their T&E policies and procedures, assess supplier performance and improve for the future.  

05 The rise of the chief travel officer

At many organizations, the responsibility for corporate travel is split between human resources, finance, procurement, technology and even security teams. Even if they’re using the same tools and platforms, there’s often a disconnect when it comes to long-term strategy and decision-making. As business travel becomes more automated, larger companies may benefit from a chief travel officer — someone who can work across the organization to streamline processes, discover efficiencies and make the most of these emerging tools, enterprise solutions and corporate card benefits, including travel risk management services, concierge support and telemedicine offerings.

The resurgence of business travel illustrates the enduring value of in-person interactions — the building of relationships, the sparking of innovation, the deepening of trust that comes from sitting across the table or sharing a meal. Technology may have enabled the rise of virtual work, but technology is also making business travel smarter and more seamless than ever before.

This month, the Mastercard Newsroom is exploring how rapidly evolving technology, heightened consumer expectations and economic and societal pressures are changing how we live, work, shop and innovate.  

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Rising global temperatures are already affecting the tourism industry - here's how

From rising heat to rising seas, holiday hotspots the world over are at risk from climate change. Image:  Gaddafi Rusli on Unsplash

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Ian Shine

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• Tourism is crucial to many economies, but rising global temperatures are putting parts of the industry at risk.
• The climate crisis is changing the face of many tourist destinations and is already making some holidaymakers rethink their plans.
• The World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Sustainable Tourism is working to help the tourism sector build towards a more sustainable future.

Hot weather is what many people go on holiday for. But record global temperatures have been sending people home early from their vacations this July, raising questions about what kind of impact the climate crisis could have on the tourism sector – and on tourism-dependent economies.

Greece – where travel and tourism make up 15% of GDP – has had to evacuate over 2,000 holidaymakers after wildfires broke out on the island of Rhodes. Athens took the unprecedented step of closing its top tourist attraction, the Acropolis, after temperatures reached 45°C .

"The climate crisis is already here ,” said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “It will manifest itself everywhere in the Mediterranean with greater disasters."

Over in Italy, visitors to Rome have been returning home early because of the heatwave, while hospitals have faced a rise in the number of medical emergencies . Admissions at one hospital reached their highest since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soaring temperatures have not just been ending holidays – they’ve even stopped some from getting started. This is because aircraft find it harder to get off the ground in hotter conditions, as it makes the air less dense .

US airlines flying out of Las Vegas – where temperatures hit 46°C – have consequently had to reduce passenger numbers, remove baggage, reduce the level of fuel they are carrying or delay flights until temperatures fall.

The impact of the climate crisis on tourism

The climate crisis has played an "absolutely overwhelming" part in the northern hemisphere heatwave , according to World Weather Attribution. And heatwaves will become hotter and longer unless the world quickly halts its use of fossil fuels, they say.

The tourism sector creates around a tenth of the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the climate crisis , according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. Practically half of all transport emissions stem from global tourism, other studies say. And total emissions from tourism are forecast to rise by a quarter between 2016 and 2030, says the UN World Tourism Organization.

But the tourism industry and tourism-dependent economies are also highly vulnerable to the impacts of rising temperatures.

The Caribbean attracted over 28 million visitors in 2022 and its economy is more reliant on travel and tourism than any other region , according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. Tourism makes up around 90% of GDP in Aruba and the British Virgin Islands .

Yet these low-lying states are seeing sea levels rise almost 10% faster than the global average , according to the World Meteorological Association. The vast majority of holiday resorts in the Caribbean are coastal, leaving 60% of them at risk from sea level rise , according to the University of Cambridge.

Biodiversity damage

Coral bleaching and increasing droughts are already impacting the Caribbean’s tourism potential , the UK government notes.

Meanwhile, South-East Asia’s most popular costal destinations are suffering environmental damage from factors including pollution and overtourism . Thailand’s Maya Bay, Malaysia’s Sipadan Island and the Philippines’ Boraca Island are all being impacted, and some countries in the region are now closing tourist spots to give the most damaged areas time to recover , the Harvard School of Public Health notes.

“As the prime motivation for visitors to come to the region hinges on local landscapes, biodiversity, heritage and cultures, the sector’s survival depends on the ability to retain and preserve as much of these natural resources as possible,” The ASEAN Post reports.

The prospects of African safaris could also be hit by the climate crisis, which is forecast to lead to the loss of over half of the continent’s bird and mammal species by 2100 and trigger huge losses of plant species .

Measures are being taken to protect the continent’s natural bounties. The Seychelles islands off East Africa have added conservation guidlines to the national constitution – the first time a country has done so.

Sustainable, nature-based tourism is a potentially huge economic driver for Africa , and could create 40% more full-time jobs than agricutlure, the UN Environment Programme says.

High temperatures will change tourism patterns

Rising temperatures are likely to result in tourists travelling in spring and autumn rather than the summer , as well as opting for cooler destinations, Italy’s environment ministry says.

There has already been a 10% drop in the number of people planning to visit the Mediterranean in June-November this year following last year’s high temperatures, according to the European Travel Commission. It says tourists are considering trips to the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland and Bulgaria instead.

On top of this, “ large-scale land loss” is already eating into the Mediterranean’s beaches , according to Germany’s federal environment agency. One beach in Mallorca now has space for half the amount of huts it used to have, as well as fewer sun loungers, DW News reports.

The Global Risks Report 2023 ranked failure to mitigate climate change as one of the most severe threats in the next two years, while climate- and nature- related risks lead the rankings by severity over the long term.

The World Economic Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate is a multistakeholder platform that seeks to safeguard our global commons and drive systems transformation. It is accelerating action on climate change towards a net-zero, nature-positive future.

Learn more about our impact:

• Scaling up green technologies: Through a partnership with the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, and over 65 global businesses, the First Movers Coalition has committed $12 billion in purchase commitments for green technologies to decarbonize the cement and concrete industry.
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• Circular economy: Our SCALE 360 initiative is reducing the environmental impacts of value chains within the fashion, food, plastics and electronics industries, positively impacting over 100,000 people in 60 circular economy interventions globally.

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The spike in temperatures is also worrying the organizers of the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris . They are closely monitoring long-term weather models, with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach saying the climate crisis is affecting how sporting events – a major driver of tourism – will be organized around the globe.

Colder climates are suffering, too

The Alps region attracts around 120 million tourists a year , and tourism is critical to the economies of many local towns. Skiing and snowboarding are top of many visitor lists, but rising global temperatures have reduced seasonal snow cover in the Alps by 8.4% per decade in the past 50 years.

Canada’s Whistler ski resort has responded to this by offering more snow-free activities – so much so that it now makes more money in summer, according to TIME magazine.

But adapting in this way is not an option for all tourism destinations, such as coastal resorts. With coastal tourism accounting for more than 60% of European holidays and more than 80% of US tourism revenues, the tourism industry and the countries that rely on it may need to urgently rethink the way they operate.

“In the coming years, the success of travel and tourism businesses and destinations will be increasingly tied to their ability to manage and operate under ever greater ecological and environmental threats,” says the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index .

Have you read?

Is 2023 going to be the hottest year on record, what is sustainable aviation fuel and why are only 0.1% of flights powered by it, how global tourism can become more sustainable, inclusive and resilient, how tourism can change.

Sustainable tourism is one way to help protect countries and economies at risk from the climate crisis. It is also one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals .

The UN World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities".

This could include limiting tourist numbers (as is being done in Southern France to help protect ecosystems ), banning polluting forms of transports (as the Dutch capital Amsterdam is doing with cruise ships and the Spanish city of Barcelona is trying to do ).

Staying only in environmentally friendly resorts is another option. Some are ensuring they run on renewable power, harvest rainwater and cut waste.

Avoiding flying is another option. British eco-charity Possible is promoting this through its Climate Perks initiative . UK companies who sign up agree to give staff increased paid leave to cover the time needed for slower, greener modes of transport such as trains or coaches when they go on holiday.

Ditching planes is also part of the “slow travel” trend . It advocates dropping the “bucket list” approach of ticking off as many destinations as possible, with travellers instead staying in one place and experiencing a local culture more fully.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Sustainable Tourism is working to help the tourism sector create pathways towards net-zero, nature-positive tourism that benefits local communities.

“Diversifying tourism strategies and activities is essential for countries to build resilience against economic fluctuations, mitigate overreliance on a single industry, and foster sustainable development that benefits both the local communities and the environment,” says Topaz Smith, Community Lead for Aviation, Travel and Tourism at the World Economic Forum.

“Long-term planning is crucial for a more risk-resilient travel and tourism sector that anticipates and plans for future headwinds while maximizing development potential.”

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PMG Digital Made for Humans

The four trends defining summer travel in 2024.

June 14, 2024 | 3 min read

WHAT'S TRENDING

• 1 July 2024 U.S. State of Retail Report: Consumer Behavior & Market Shifts
• 2 Guidance for Advertisers Navigating the U.S. Political Landscape
• 3 What We Can Expect at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics

Abby manages PMG's editorial & thought leadership program. As a writer, editor, and marketing communications strategist with nearly a decade of experience, Abby's work in showcasing PMG’s unique expertise through POVs, research reports, and thought leadership regularly informs business strategy and media investments for some of the most iconic brands in the world. Named among the AAF Dallas 32 Under 32, her expertise in advertising, media strategy, and consumer trends has been featured in Ad Age , Business Insider , and Digiday .

Summer travel is in full swing, with airports bustling, hotel groups reporting high demand, and popular travel destinations witnessing a surge in foot traffic. While economic pressures have dampened growth in ‌ domestic travel in the U.S., global travel demand remains strong, supporting PMG’s findings earlier this year that over half (61 percent) of travelers planned to spend more on travel this year compared to 2023. After the revenge travel boom and years of pandemic-era restrictions, several key trends have emerged to define summer travel in 2024, signifying a paradigm shift in how individuals and families are now choosing to spend their vacation time. 

A new report from Mastercard reveals that Americans are embarking on international travel at an unprecedented rate this year, undeterred by inflationary concerns and instead placing greater emphasis on "meaningful experiences over material possessions." This shift in priorities is reflected in their willingness to allocate substantial funds toward unique and meaningful experiences.

Our custom research reports similar findings. PMG’s The New Traveler Report found that a surge in international travel will define 2024, with 52 percent of survey respondents expressing interest in both domestic and foreign destinations in 2024. Based on PMG data, Western Europe will be the most sought-after global leisure destination in 2024. At an individual country level, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, and Japan take the lead as the most coveted countries to visit.

Mastercard notes that a staggering "nine out of the last ten record-setting spending days in the global cruise and airline industry occurred in 2024," underscoring the soaring demand for experiential travel among American consumers. American Express found that 89 percent of travelers surveyed want to visit destinations they’ve never visited before this year. Travel frequency is also up significantly from last summer, according to TripAdvisor, with 96 percent of travelers planning as much travel, if not more, than in 2023. Cultural sightseeing ranks as the top summer travel plan, followed by beach trips and road trips, with most people planning one to two trips this summer, TripAdvisor reports.

Adventure travel is experiencing a surge in popularity as travelers are now seeking not just destinations but immersive experiences that deeply connect with local culture, cuisine, and the landscape. This exciting shift towards experiential travel is marked by a rise in activities such as scuba diving, hiking, and unique water sports, blending physical challenges with the allure of nature. Companies like Backroads, a pioneer in active travel, have seen a significant increase in bookings for biking, walking and hiking, and multi-adventure tours, particularly in Europe. 

On Pinterest, “Euro summer” has witnessed a staggering +295% surge in search volume within the last 90 days, reflecting the growing interest in these unique travel experiences. Backroads also reported a notable rise in the popularity of e-bike tours and women-only trips, which indicates a broader range of travelers are seeking tailored experiences that align with their lifestyle or provide a sense of community and exclusivity.

Solo travel is on the rise, particularly among millennials and Gen Z travelers. Travel + Leisure reports that 76 percent of millennials and Gen Z (compared to 69 percent of all survey respondents) say they plan to take a solo trip this year. Skyscanner reported similar trends, with 54 percent of U.S. travelers looking to venture solo in 2024. This shift reflects a deeper desire for self-discovery and personalized travel experiences as these travelers prioritize destinations that offer safety, welcoming communities, and opportunities for personal enrichment and self-care. These younger travelers are drawn to unique accommodations and activities that align with their individual tastes and interests, whether that’s boutique hotels, quirky Airbnb bookings, or immersive local experiences. 

However, older generations aren't sitting out on solo travel. Travel companies are seeing an increase in older, married women going on solo trips as well. Road Scholar, a Boston-based tour operator, reports that roughly 60 percent of the company’s solo travel customers were married women traveling without their partners. Backroads reports similar trends, listing women-only trips as one of the top travel trends of the season. Some travel companies are doubling down on solo travel experiences, with Norwegian Cruise Lines announcing last October that it would introduce nearly 1,000 staterooms across its fleet of 19 ships for single passengers, joining the likes of Oceania Cruises and Celebrity Cruises in offering activities and specialized accommodations for solo travelers.

2024 is shaping up to be a banner year for sports tourism, whether it’s for the 2024 Copa América tournament across the U.S. in Houston, Texas, Miami Gardens, Florida, or Santa Clara, California, or Paris, France, for the 2024 Summer Olympics Games. Cities hosting these events are seeing a boom in tourism, with fans flocking not only to watch the competitions but also to soak in the vibrant, festive atmosphere. This surge is particularly pronounced among younger travelers, who are keen to blend their enthusiasm for sports with adventures in new places. In its annual travel trends report, American Express reported that 67 percent of millennial and Gen Z respondents are interested in traveling for sports in 2024. Paris, Miami, and New York City are among the top destinations for sports travel (Paris for the Summer Olympics, Miami for Formula 1, and New York City for the tennis U.S. Open). 

While Paris is the most searched city worldwide on Airbnb this summer, cities like Lyon, Lille, and Versailles are trending thanks to Olympic competitions being hosted throughout all of France. Three of the host cities in Germany for the European Football Championship (Dortmund, Munich, and Stuttgart) have also emerged as trending destinations this summer on Airbnb.

Across these trends, it’s clear that travelers are increasingly prioritizing personal value, seeking enriching experiences that resonate with their preferences and lifestyles. As travel demand surges and consumers face a plethora of choices, travel companies must differentiate themselves by clearly articulating their unique value propositions. This involves adapting offerings to align with evolving customer preferences, prioritizing personalization to build brand trust and loyalty, and adeptly navigating the diverse channels through which travelers seek information, inspiration, and recommendations.

Marketers can capitalize on current travel trends by,

Showcasing unique and immersive experiences that connect travelers with local culture, cuisine, and nature.

Developing creative content that features solo travelers and their unique journeys and experiences.

Leveraging precise audience targeting to reach individuals planning to travel to marquee events throughout the summer, like the Paris Olympics or Copa América tournament.

For a deeper understanding of these shifts and how to capitalize on them, explore PMG’s The New Traveler Report , which offers comprehensive insights into the current state and future of travel.

Related Insights

Africa Tourism Leadership Forum 2024: Empowering African Tourism And Unleashing Global Opportunities

The African Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF) 2024 is set to be an unprecedented convergence of tourism leaders, policymakers, and industry innovators from across the globe. Hosted in the vibrant city of Gaborone, Botswana, this year’s forum promises to redefine the future of African tourism, with a spotlight on the highly anticipated Masterclass and Business-to-Business (B2B) Event.

The ATLF 2024 Masterclass is designed to equip participants with cutting-edge insights, strategies, and skills required to navigate the evolving landscape of the tourism industry. The Masterclass will feature distinguished speakers who are shaping the future of global tourism:

Hon. Mark Okraku-Mantey, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Republic of Ghana will share his visionary approach to driving cultural and tourism growth in Ghana.

Senthil Gopinath, CEO, International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Netherlands – A global authority on conventions and events, will bring his vast expertise on how Africa can position itself as a leading destination for international meetings and events.

Emily Mburu-Ndoria, Director, Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights, and Digital Trade, AFCFTA Secretariat, will explore the role of trade in services and digital transformation in boosting tourism across the continent.

Lasse Ristolainen, Development Principal, Kasada Capital Management – With extensive experience in hotel development and investment, Lasse will explore innovative approaches to tourism infrastructure in Africa.

Olayinka Bandele, Chief of Inclusive Industrialization Section, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Sub-regional Office for Southern Africa – Olayinka will discuss sustainable tourism as a driver for inclusive industrialization in Africa.

Shatha Al Kaud, Founder of Emportality Sustainability Consultancy, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – A leading voice in sustainability, will offer strategies on embedding sustainable practices in tourism development.

The B2B Event at ATLF 2024 will be a dynamic platform where tourism professionals can forge new partnerships, explore investment opportunities, and engage in high-level networking. This event is engineered to create an environment where business deals are not just discussed but realized, ensuring long-term growth and collaboration within the African tourism sector.

Prominent leaders and industry figures will participate in this event, including:

Keitumetse Setlang, CEO, Botswana Tourism Organisation – A champion for Botswana’s tourism industry, Keitumetse will highlight the country’s strategies for attracting global travelers.

Nombulelo Guliwe, Chief Executive Officer, South African Tourism – Nombulelo will delve into the innovative approaches South Africa is taking to maintain its position as a leading tourism destination in Africa.

June Chepkemei, Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) – June will share Kenya’s success stories in tourism and discuss future-plans to further elevate the nation’s tourism offerings.

Hamza Farooqui, Chief Executive Officer, Millat Investments, South Africa – A leading entrepreneur, Hamza will discuss investment opportunities in Africa’s tourism sector and the importance of building resilient tourism economies.

Kamil Al-Awadhi, Regional Vice President, Africa and the Middle East, IATA – Kamil will provide insights on the future of air travel in Africa and how the continent can enhance its connectivity to boost tourism.

ATLF 2024 will serve as a catalyst for innovation and growth in the African tourism industry. By bringing together an elite group of speakers and attendees, the forum will not only showcase the potential of African tourism but also provide actionable solutions to the challenges facing the sector.

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Travel Agency Giant Flight Centre Notches Record Revenue

Sean O'Neill , Skift

August 28th, 2024 at 11:43 AM EDT

For Flight Centre, key risks to continued growth include the pace of business travel recovery and the execution of productivity initiatives. If airfares drop in price, it will be crucial to shift to a higher-margin product mix.

Sean O'Neill

Flight Centre Travel Group reported financial results Wednesday, with executives expressing optimism about future growth despite some headwinds.

Why it matters : As a major agency group, Flight Centre’s performance and outlook provide insights into the broader travel market recovery in its key markets of Asia Pacific and Europe.

What they’re saying: “The result pointed to a company that has emerged from the pandemic a stronger yet leaner business,” said John O’Shea, senior research analyst at Ord Minnett, in a flash report.

By the numbers:

The Brisbane-based agency group reported results for the year through the end of June.

• It processed a record $16 billion ($23.7 billion Australian) in travel bookings, up 8% year-over-year.
• It generated an underlying profit after tax that was twice as much as last year, about $155 million ($229 million Australian dollars).
• The group’s global corporate travel business delivered a 44% rise in its underlying profit before tax to $143 million ($211 million Australian), with its Corporate Traveller brand contributing a record profit.
• Flight Centre’s leisure travel agencies saw profit more than double to about $127 million ($188 million Australian). Cost discipline remains a focus, with the operating cost base 15% below the 2019 level.

Key takeaways

• A deflation in airfares after a post-pandemic spike is seen as a positive, potentially stimulating volume growth.
• Flight Centre is investing heavily in technology and AI to improve productivity and customer experience.
• Executives said they successfully navigated the adoption of NDC, or the new distribution capability , agreements with Qantas and Singapore Airlines. These airlines believe they’ll sell more using a more modern form of data exchange, NDC, instead of decades-old methods.
• “Our priority throughout that period was to make sure our customers had access to content and got the best pricing, so we did need some efficiency gains in Northern U.S.A. corporate during the last 6 months,” said Chris Galanty, CEO of Corporate Travel at Flight Centre. “The good news is, by the end of the fiscal year, we rectified most of that situation.”
• Management expects 4-5% market growth in the next year, which would be in line with historical trends. Initial bookings pointed to ongoing resilience in travel spending.

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Make it better, not just safer: The opportunity to reinvent travel

We remember the first time we jumped in a cold lake on a hot summer day with our siblings. The first time we ate street food walking the streets of a new country with college roommates. We even remember the first business trip we took—straight out of college, and too nervous to enjoy the ride.

This desire to build memories, to connect with people, and to see new places drove 1.4 billion of us to travel internationally in 2019. 1 International tourism highlights: 2019 edition, World Tourism Organization, 2019, e-unwto.org. Creating safer travel experiences is now paramount to protect this privilege.

Now is clearly a moment of crisis for the travel industry. Available seat miles on US airlines were down 71 percent in April 2020 from the previous year. 2 Andrew Curley, Alex Dichter, Vik Krishnan, Robin Riedel, and Steve Saxon, “ Coronavirus: Airlines brace for severe turbulence ,” April 2020. Globally, hotels are at 29 percent occupancy, compared with 72 percent over the same period in 2019. 3 STR occupancy data for May 17 through May 23, 2020. However, we are seeing green shoots of demand in areas that are opening up, highlighting an enduring desire to travel; our April survey of Chinese leisure travelers shows that many people are already planning their next trip. 4 Xiang Mi, “Big data from Tongcheng: The average room rate of domestic hotels during the ‘May Day’ rose by about 42% year-on-year,” DoNews , April 27, 2020, donews.com; Kay Chen, Will Enger, Jackey Yu, and Cherie Zhang, “ Hitting the road again: How Chinese travelers are thinking about their first trip after COVID-19 ,” May 2020.

But the future of the travel industry will depend on more than just travelers’ pent-up demand. For some, the romance that travel used to inspire was already wearing thin even before the crisis. We spoke to people across multiple geographies who have traveled in the last two months, 5 Recent traveler interviews conducted May 4 to May 15, 2020, with travelers aged 25–55 from China, Germany, Sweden, and the United States. and the one constant across their experiences was added stress—whether due to limited entry points, multiple new checkpoints, or fellow travelers’ inconsistent compliance with published safety measures.

Safety must be the first priority. Wherever possible, however, intensified health and hygiene protocols should be implemented in ways that avoid making journeys more difficult in the aftermath of the pandemic—for example, the way that travel became logistically more complex after 9/11 because of additional security measures. The imperative to move fast has often meant unilateral decision making, rather than solutions developed through quick, iterative feedback. Any further advance of cold or sterile experiences as a result of the (appropriate) pursuit of safety could radically shift behaviors toward simpler experiences, such as choosing to drive instead fly, or could even dampen the overall recovery.

Travel companies need to excite and attract customers as well as reassure them. To achieve this, leaders should focus on making travel better—not just safer—which means giving travelers more control, offering greater authenticity and personalization, and taking a customer-centric, agile approach.

Moving beyond table-stakes safety initiatives

Many travel companies have already announced a series of health and hygiene measures, often promoted with well-known cleaning brands or health experts. But not all of these measures will survive in their current forms: some won’t be effective, some won’t resonate with travelers, and some will prove impossible to deliver consistently and at scale. Constant one-upmanship on cleanliness, though well-intentioned, can be problematic for two reasons. First, each new announcement resets the bar on hygiene standards, leaving industry players scrambling to keep up with initiatives—whether or not they actually improve employee or traveler safety. Second, the travelers we interviewed told us that the fragmentation across new cleanliness programs creates anxiety and confusion about what works and who to trust to keep them safe. If one airport claims that its security process is safer than another’s, for example, why would travelers trust that any airport is safe? Travelers should have confidence in the whole system, rather than be anxious about pieces within it (Exhibit 1).

In fact, a focus on health and hygiene only scratches the surface of the changes that are necessary in the aftermath of the current crisis. Companies can consider three types of interventions to reinvent and reinvigorate travel over the coming years (Exhibit 2).

In addition to table-stakes safety initiatives, a second category of actions can reassure and comfort the public. Brands might differentiate themselves and re-engage their travelers with visible, communications-based cues—such as notifications about the health status of the destination city and personalized notes about the importance of testing and other safety measures. Finally, companies need to move beyond reassuring customers to exciting them, perhaps by looking for opportunities to create exceptional travel experiences.

Making travel better, not just safer

As travel companies redesign their traveler experiences to address risks and anxieties related to COVID-19, they should remember that the pain points and trends that existed before the crisis—such as the shift toward a more digital and personalized journey, and an increased emphasis on wellness and sustainability—have not gone away (Exhibit 3). Airports, for example, are going to have to rethink customer experience in the coming years, but many already understood the importance of improved service and contactless operations. 6 For more, read Melissa Dalrymple and Kevin Dolan, “ Beyond contactless operations: Human-centered customer experience ,” May 2020; “ How customer experience takes flight at the Orlando airport ,” February 2017.

Another example is the high-anxiety purchase journey for flights and lodging, meaningful purchases that often cannot be returned. Simplifying these experiences represents a significant opportunity: before the crisis, we estimated (in partnership with the International Air Transport Association) that the value at stake in making airline ticket retail easier might be $40 billion 7 Riccardo Boin, Alex Cosmas, and Nina Wittkamp, “ Airline retailing: The value at stake ,” November 2019. —equivalent to 4 percent of 2019 revenues—by 2030.

Many initiatives can make the travel experience simultaneously better and safer. Housekeeping services, for instance, will need to adjust for safety concerns, but revised protocols can also reduce environmental impact (such as through less-frequent laundering of sheets during each stay), decrease cost, and give guests more flexibility (by letting them choose their own housekeeping schedule).

Companies will also need to look outside the industry to understand changing consumer expectations. Travelers develop preferences and needs based on their interactions with all companies, not only when they’re on airplanes or in hotels. Companies should consider, for example, how travelers interact with grocery-store clerks, food-delivery persons, or virtual-shopping experts.

Admittedly, the current economic context makes it difficult to expect companies to do more. Indeed, not every good idea will be economically feasible, and there’s little slack in the system for big launches that fail. The good news is that some of the necessary changes will require no significant capital outlay but instead a change in mindset toward customer experience–centric behaviors. Where investment is needed, developing a clear perspective on which actions to prioritize will require balancing of the travelers’ needs with consistent delivery (perhaps with a smaller organization) and the business case’s viability.

Travel companies should bear three principles in mind when designing new protocols and experiences.

Give customers more choice and control

Companies should empower customers to build their own itinerary using smarter, connected digital tools and make it easier for them to modify or cancel their plans. In addition, companies must recognize that the factors that promote customer loyalty may now have shifted; near-term uncertainty may mean, for example, that the ability to cancel a reservation matters more than brand choice or price. The moments that matter might mean more digital than ever and in new places within the customer journey. Solutions and policies that provide choice and control will help to build the trust and confidence necessary to get travelers back on the road and in the air.

Be human and genuine, and personalize the experience

Before the crisis, personalized and unique experiences constituted a dominant trend. Boutique hotels, for instance, were the fastest-growing hotel segment in the United States, with supply increasing 10.6 percent between 2018 and 2019, compared with an overall hotel supply growth of 2.0 percent. 8 Kim Bardoul, “Boutiques can give hoteliers rebound opportunities,” Hotel News Now , April 22, 2020, hotelnewsnow.com. Travelers are drawn to those hotels that put a human face on the institution, that can combine the high standards and consistency of a hotel chain with the personality and privacy of a vacation rental. Major hotel chains have recognized these changing preferences and launched new “soft brands” that serve as a collection of boutique hotels.

Travel companies now have an opportunity to take this personalization a step further, but—in a world where formerly welcoming smiles are behind masks—they will need to find new ways to connect. We have heard hotel staff calling first responders who were quarantining in their hotels to check on them and including notes of encouragement in their bagged lunches, and of airline pilots addressing passengers pre-flight to reassure them and answer any questions about safety.

Getting this right is a balance: mass emails from the CEO can only go so far, and consumers are already reporting fatigue around “we’re all in this together” messaging that is beginning to ring hollow. According to a recent Adobe study, brand marketers are 20 percent more likely than consumers to believe that consumers want to see ads on companies’ COVID-19 responses. 9 Adobe Blog , “Navigating advertising strategy during the COVID storm,” blog entry by Keith Eadie, May 21, 2020, theblog.adobe.com. The bar for authenticity in brand communication and behavior across channels (including in person) must remain high. As such, communication should be focused on what a company is doing for the traveler, rather than delivering superficial platitudes.

Frontline staff can also be powerful messengers and are a great source of insight for improvements or opportunities that a home office will not spot as quickly. Travel workers have been through a lot since the start of the crisis, both professionally and personally, and maintaining an open dialogue around their experiences—and acting upon their feedback—will be vital to ensuring that they feel safe and confident.

To move forward, the industry can actually look backward and take inspiration from a time when airline travel was exciting and new, and travel companies went out of their way to solve for traveler needs rather than just optimizing against the competition.

Listen to customers, and take an agile approach

We have found that companies that surpass their peers in customer-experience design tend to share a set of features 10 Benedict Sheppard, Hugo Sarrazin, Garen Kouyoumjian, and Fabricio Dore, “ The business value of design ,” McKinsey Quarterly , October 2018. : they have agile, cross-functional teams that develop and iterate with end users and deliver seamlessly across touchpoints. Companies that deliver at the highest level across those themes recognize real returns, outperforming their peers by nearly 3:1 in revenue and 1.5:1 in return to shareholders. In this time of great uncertainty and fluid demand, it will be more important than ever to listen to travelers and understand their rapidly evolving needs.

While many travel companies have begun to embrace agile principles in IT and digital, these principles are becoming a useful tool across the entire enterprise as we go into the “next normal.” As travel companies manage their new reality, they will need to be nimble. Cross-functional agile squads that break down traditional silos and collaborate more efficiently can help their companies move quickly to address changing traveler needs across the journey. When launching a new initiative, for example, these teams can conduct quick, one-on-one customer interviews—even in the hotel lobby or boarding area—that can be used to cocreate and pilot solutions at a relatively low expense, using metrics like adoption rate and rapid-fire feedback to course correct in real time. 11 For more on agile principles, see Hugo Sarrazin and Belkis Vasquez-McCall, “ Agile with a capital ‘A’: A guide to the principles and pitfalls of agile development ,” February 2018.

Picture yourself in your favorite vacation spot. Perhaps you’re lying on a beach towel, hiking up a mountain, or skiing down one. Your journey there was different, but the new measures gave you more control and flexibility while ensuring your safety.

The companies that thrive after this crisis will likely be those that work with travelers and employees to cocreate distinctive solutions in a rapid and agile manner, that find new ways to enable choice across the customer experience, and that communicate progress in an authentic and transparent way.

No crystal ball can tell us what the future of travel will be, and we will not find the right solutions to today’s fluid situation overnight. This will take time, patience, and probably many attempts as we learn together. But travel companies need to embrace the challenge to come back better.

Melissa Dalrymple is a partner in McKinsey’s Chicago office, where Ryan Mann is an associate partner. Melinda Peters is a consultant in the New Jersey office and Nathan Seitzman is a partner in the Dallas office.

The authors wish to thank Vik Krishnan, Ellen Scully, Nate Lagacy, Kyle Snyder, Andrew Leon Hanna, Anna Obed, and Luis Diego Cabezas for their contributions to this article.

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News    Aug 27, 2024 – 5:12 pm EDT

GN hopes survey will shape future tourism strategy

Deadline to participate is Aug. 28; random prizes will be awarded

The deadline is approaching for Nunavummiut to share their thoughts on tourism and help shape the future of that industry across the territory.

The Department of Economic Development and Transportation initiated a survey on July 16 asking residents, non-residents and visitors to Nunavut to take part anonymously and provide opinions that will help inform the next tourism strategy for the Government of Nunavut.

The deadline to complete it is Aug. 28.

“The GN is hoping to collect any comments, concerns, ideas from Nunavummiut regarding tourism in Nunavut, which will help build the next territorial tourism strategy,” said Weichien Chan, communications manager for the department, in an email to Nunatsiaq News.

The 19 questions in the survey cover a range of topics like the perception of Nunavut tourism, satisfaction with services, and infrastructure, transportation, and accommodation.

Chan said the survey is part of the consultation process being used to develop the renewed strategy, and that people’s responses will help guide its creation.

Did they conduct these surveys in person too? After security at the Iqaluit airport, I was asked to complete a survey about Nunavut Tourism by someone near the gate. I said I would, but after mentioning that I lived here, they said it was for visitors only.

Just say NO to tourism and all be fine

Just say NO to supporting the local economy and teaching Inuit culture to others, and all will be fine.

GN is a dysfunctional government, how do they expect to develop tourism ?

All the GN need do is appear to be supporting tourism.

Problem is , traveling in the north is very expensive.

You arrive in a community that looks like a garbage dump… not appealing

… and all the communities are ugly, trash strewn and dysfunctional. Who wants to spend a small fortune to endure that?

Tourism development in Nunavut remains an expensive joke.

I agree many communities are full of junk and trash, but not all. Baker Lake is a stand out for how clean and well kept the town is! Keep up the great work Baker Lake!

Going to google Baker lake and go to image , better not be picture of broken ATV and Snowmoblies in the picture.

It all comes down to how much the bylaw officers are willing to enforce. All communities could be neat and tidy if they bylaw officers enforced their bylaws. Cambridge Bay is very neat and tidy too.

I hate to say it, but anyone that wants a good authentic arctic /inuit experience will go to greenland before considering nunavut. Their communities are much cleaner, have bars and restaurants, airfare and hotel costs are much less and are in general much more welcoming to tourists.

Nunavut really needs to step it’s game up if they want to be able to compete with the other players in the north. The odd cruise ship full of retired millionaires stopping in a community for a few hours is not a tourism economy.

EDT should clarify its own thoughts on tourism in light of the recent court ruling that showed they erred in declining a license to a well established tourism business and one of the only businesses operating in the high Arctic based solely on unfounded accusations from an HTO.

Quttinirpaaq National Park number of tourists since 2021 = 7 Tourism in space during the same period = 55 The only tourists from outside the territory are adventurers. They will come anyway since they want extreme nature and isolation. We don’t need to advertise for them… Well, to be fair, there are a few cruise ships, but I would not call this an “industry”! Here a strategy: All the money goes to replace broken windows and clean communities. It could be a very good start.

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Aviation to teaching: Executive Education aids career switch

The article at a glance.

Dr Mark Bloomfield attended more than a dozen Executive Education programmes at Cambridge Judge and is now a Fellow teaching new participants on strategy and innovation.

Category: News Student and alumni news

When he was young, Mark dreamed of being a pilot, but colour-blindness put an end to such sky-high aspirations. So he pivoted to a ground-based aviation alternative, earning a PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bristol.

Pivoting is a key part of business education, as students and other participants seek new skills to enable them to do their current roles better and, for many, to pursue careers in new industries, companies and locations. About 43% of the most recent MBA graduating class of Cambridge Judge Business School performed all three pivots: taking a new function in a different industry sector in a new geographic location.

A journey from aviation to travel to media

Following his aerospace doctorate with airplane maker Airbus Mark then pivoted again to a new career in innovation and strategy – including senior roles at travel company Thomas Cook Group, where he focused on pricing and innovation optimisation, and London-based media company Global (owner of Heart, Classic FM and other leading radio stations, and a big player in outdoor advertising), where he led transformation programmes in his role as Director of Commercial Transformation.

While at Global, Mark became a regular visitor to Cambridge Judge Business School, attending more than a dozen courses offered by the Business School’s Executive Education division on topics such as strategy and disruption taught by faculty including Professor Danny Ralph, Professor Kishore Sengupta and Professor Jaideep Prabhu.

Switching to teaching

Pivoting once again, Mark realised from his Executive Education programmes and other insights that being an educator is what he really wanted to do: so he left Global in 2022 to branch out on his own to teach others some of the lessons he has learned over the past couple of decades.

He founded Turbulence Group, which helps organisations design and implement future-facing innovation strategies using foresight capabilities to help identify emerging threats and opportunities. He is now a Fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School in the Marketing Subject Group.

Instructing on Executive Education AI courses

Coming full circle, Mark now regularly teaches on Executive Education programmes at Cambridge Judge, working alongside other instructors on programmes including Venture Creation and more recently, on a 3-day open programme called Generative Artificial Intelligence: From Hype to Business Impact, which will also be offered in September 2024, December 2024, February 2025 and June-July 2025.

The programme, designed for mid-to-senior level executives, features 3 modules:

AI in practice

This module focusses on leadership during times of uncertainly, insights into neural networks, and hands-on experience with AI software.

Ethics, AI and the future of work

A module that includes case law on AI, addresses AI bias, as well as an expert panel on experiences deploying AI in organisations.

AI and business strategy

This module covers tailoring AI to your organisation’s needs and implementing an AI strategy.

“This programme supports participants in honing the skills required to lead AI-driven initiatives in their business,” says Vesselin Popov, Executive Director of the Psychometrics Centre at Cambridge Judge, who is Academic Programme Director for this Executive Education programme. “These include embracing experimentation, distinguishing opportunity from distraction, managing risk and internal resistance, navigating uncertainty and much more.”

Joining Vesselin and Mark as instructors for the programme are Cambridge Judge faculty:

• David Stillwell, Professor of Computational Social Science
• Matthew Grimes, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Futures and Co-Director of the Entrepreneurship Centre
• Stella Pachidi, Assistant Professor in Information Systems,
• Stylianos (Stelios) Kavadias, Margaret Thatcher Professor of Enterprise Studies in Innovation & Growth and Co-Director of the Entrepreneurship Centre.

“It is wonderful to see someone like Mark who embraced our Executive Education programmes as a participant now teaching our programmes and helping the next generations of Executive Education participants,” says Allison Wheeler-Heau, Director (Interim) of Executive Education at Cambridge Judge.

“Mark brings a combination of top-level executive experience and infectious enthusiasm of innovation and business strategy, and his teaching has been warmly received by participants on the programmes he has instructed

A love of golf led to a new adventure

Earlier this year, Mark also launched The Transformation Tour, which uses a golf setting (Mark was a 4-handicap golfer at age 17, and now has a 10 handicap) to teach disruption, innovation and transformation. The golf-and-business sessions have been attended by leaders from organisations including NTT Data, Roche, Unilever, David James Wealth and Adidas.

The sessions include experimenting with situations such as embracing constraints (using only 2 clubs on 3 holes) or teeing off from extreme locations, all designed to stimulate reflection and new perspectives.

“As leaders we have to be comfortable being uncomfortable, to be in unfamiliar circumstances,” Mark told participants in a recent Future Ready day out hosted at Thorpeness golf course on the English coastline in Suffolk. “We need to challenge assumptions: why are there 14 clubs in a golf bag? Why 18 holes on a golf course?”.

Several Cambridge Judge faculty have joined Mark on the golf course, including Professor Danny Ralph, who urged his golfing team to “place small bets and experiments” in tackling the 504-yard Par 5 – which features the course’s widest fairway at Thorpeness to present a rare birdie opportunity on the heather-and-gorse lined back 9. “That’s what we’re asking you to do here today: things you don’t normally do,” said Danny, Professor of Operations Research and Academic Director of the Centre for Risk Studies at the Business School, referring to his team members’ approach to business as reflected in their approach shots to the green and other golf shots.

Challenging assumptions at the core of Mark’s teaching

Among the Transformation Tour’s sponsoring organisations is London-based NeuerEnergy, a firm that helps companies implement net zero plans. The 5-year-old company has participated in the Barclays Scaleup programme at Cambridge Judge, which is also part of the School’s Executive Education division.

“The Transformation Tour is about challenging assumptions, and that’s really important for us as a young business”, says Daniel Taylor, Sales Leader at NeuerEnergy, whose Cambridge Judge instructors last year at the Scaleup programme included Mark Bloomfield and Stelios Kavadias. “Even as a startup you’ve got to challenge the assumptions you’re making, to avoid putting resources into the wrong places. It’s important to challenge the assumptions of yourself as well as your customers.”

Experience an interdisciplinary, interactive learning environment that celebrates and creates real-world impact. At Cambridge Judge Business School, our Executive Education open and custom programmes will test, challenge, encourage and inspire you.

Generative Artificial Intelligence: From Hype to Business Impact

This programme will help you gain a deep understanding of AI and how to effectively integrate it into your organisation, whilst navigating legalities and bias.

Explore the programme

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Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.

If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.

I think we're having fun. I think our customers really like our products. And we're always trying to do better.

If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.

My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That's how I see business: great things in business are never done by one person, they're done by a team of people.

The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work

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Singaporean nuns bring hope to conflict-ridden Myanmar

By Joseph Tulloch

In 2021, a military junta seized power in Myanmar, plunging the country into a state of civil conflict, substantially worsening what was already a difficult humanitarian situation.

For several decades, the Canossian Daughters of Charity, a religious congregation with a strong presence in Singapore, have been at work in the country, aiming to build a brighter future for Myanmar’s youth.

Canossian Sister Janet Wang spoke to Vatican News about her religious congregation’s work in Myanmar.

Training future teachers

Canossian Sisters from Singapore first began making trips to Myanmar in 1996 – a journey of around 2,000 kilometres. They went, says Sr. Wang, in response to a request for help from the late Burmese Archbishop Matthias U Shwe, then Bishop of Taunggyi.

The Archbishop had invited them to educate the country’s young, and to help with the formation of groups of young evangelizers. Volunteers travelled regularly from Singapore to Myanmar on  mission outreach trips for more than a decade, organising everything from leadership camps and English lessons to Bible courses.

Then, in 2008, the Canossians set up their first centre in the country, which became home to a small group of Sisters and lay partners. That community began a programme aimed at the integral formation of educators, with the motto: “Serve With Love.”

In 2012, they opened Canossa Home, which housed residential facilities for the formation of educators, as well as a boarding house for children from poor families living in villages with no schools.

These educators are trained to give quality care to children and teenagers staying in boarding houses run by the local Church – who otherwise would have no access to professional training – by educating them to one day become teachers themselves.

Since the centre was opened in 2008, the Sisters have trained about 350 young women, most of whom have now returned to serve in communities throughout Myanmar.

In 2017, meanwhile, the Sisters opened a preschool for children in the area.

‘Gate of Hope’: training for the tourism industry

In 2017, the Sisters opened another centre – entitled “Gate of Hope” – near the tourist hotspot of Inle Lake. Here, they train small groups of young women for the hospitality industry, allowing them to find work in hotels and restaurants.

The difficult financial situation in Myanmar, Sr. Wang says, makes this work all the more urgent.

She notes that the cost of rice – which Myanmar itself produces in large quantities – has tripled in recent times, and that the collapse of the tourist industry has left many people without work.  

To help combat these difficulties, the Canossians have begun a Food for the Poor Project, distributing 300 packets of food to children and families in need every week. They have also continued their efforts to teach young people English.

“It puts them in contact with the rest of the world,” says Sr. Wang, “and allows them to go abroad and search for jobs.”

As well as working with the communities based near their centres, the Sisters travel to remote areas of the country. “We give material help as well as moral and spiritual support,” says Sr. Wang. “We want to communicate God’s love and care for them in these critical times.”

Keeping hope alive

Since the COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and the military coup in 2021, volunteers from Singapore have not been able to travel to Myanmar.

The Sisters and volunteers in Singapore keep in touch by sending parcels with food and other necessities. The communities in Myanmar, meanwhile, are kept running by six local Canossian Sisters and trained local lay staff, mentored by an experienced Sister from Singapore.

And, on the 13 th day of every month, in honour of Our Lady of Fatima, Sisters, volunteers, educators and children in both Myanmar and Singapore meet on Zoom and to pray the rosary together.

They pray for peace in Myanmar, says Sr. Wang: “What we need above all now is peace and harmony.”

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