According to travel and tourism expert Judy Randall, we are no longer taking our father’s vacations. Today’s vacationers want new experiences, high-end amenities and, often, more adventurous things to do. They also have less time and energy to spend planning their trips – and tend to take vacations that are shorter in duration and – in terms of planning - “hassle-free.”
“I call it a poverty of time,” says Randall, noting that the year 2000 was, in many travel/tourism experts' judgment, a tipping point for the latest tourism/travel trends.
“That’s the pivotal year, when consumers’ habits significantly changed,” said Randall. “The tourism travel providers who understand the new trends, and give customers what they want today, will be the ones who profit best in the next decade or so.”
What are these new trends?
According to Randall, whose Atlanta-based company specializes in travel tourism marketing and consulting, there are at least 4 key things important to the “new” tourist:
- Easy planning - Cruises that take care of everything, from where you sleep, where and what you eat, how you’re entertained, and what side-trips might be arranged for you are very hot today. So are all those internet sites that allow you to quickly compare prices and book travel, lodging and other travel needs online. After a lull in the industry, travel agencies that have gotten onboard with interesting/exciting/upscale pre-packaged tours have also done quite well, says Randall.
- Luxury - According to Randall, lodging, airlines and other tourism vendors who have “upscaled” what they offer have seen their profits “upscale,” as well.“People used to be happy when they had a bed and the hotel was clean,” she explained. “Now they want a big, comfy bed, great food, high speed internet service, cable TV, and a terrific environment. They complain when they don’t get exactly what they asked for – but they are also willing to pay for what they want
- New, more exotic or adventurous things to do - Baby boomers are not so much interested in the old family travel destinations or activities that they experienced growing up, says Randall, pointing to statistics showing that visitation for traditional historic sites, theme parks, museums and places like Niagara Falls, has been on a downward trajectory for years. Today’s tourists want to experience a safari, shoot a rapid, engage in a community development project…things that offer a real departure from their everyday lives.
- The opportunity to do absolutely nothing - Interestingly enough, there is also a big trend towards vacations where stressed-out, worn-out workaholics can relax and do absolutely nothing for a few days at a time. According to Randall, the working world many Boomers live in is so stressful, so hectic, and so energy-sapping that - far from shooting a rapid or scaling a high peak – there is a huge segment of the tourism market that just wants to sit in a pleasant mud bath or be massaged at a spa. And some just want peace and quiet for a few days – with all their basic needs met by attentive resort staff.
