Richard Turen
In 2014, we crossed a border into a new era in which you
have to ensure your website is properly formatted for a client’s smartphone.
Even the most diehard traditionalist among us has to acknowledge it’s a
different world out there.
Let’s continue our look at some changes we can anticipate as
we enter this new year, appliances fully charged, ready to do battle with the
swirling forces around us as we endeavor to send people on their way
successfully. Here are some of the trends you might want to watch:
• Demand for “last chance” destinations will soar in the
coming year. More than 1 billion tourists crossed the world’s borders in 2014.
Most of them want to see the Mona Lisa, the Colosseum or Machu Picchu, but
climate change is driving demand for vulnerable environments like the Galapagos
Islands, the Maldives and the glaciers in Patagonia.
• England will have an impressive 2015, with the Rugby World
Cup taking center stage. No longer a backburner option after the exotics have
been seen, look for increased interest in the British Isles from travelers in
every price category.
Savvy sellers are going to approach summer sales to the
Continent with prepared materials and online content that address the question:
“What can I do outside of London for four or five days?” Some retailers will
stock their private collection of the “world’s best itineraries,” a valuable
agency asset. The best FITs will be stored like valuable wines, available only
to preselected consumers.
• The braggie will replace the selfie as the latest
bring-home travel prize. Now that clients approach travel as a collection of
braggies, our job is to try to suggest, set up and assist with collating enough
of these proofs of travel to impress friends and neighbors. Travelers now need
to photograph themselves in the foreground of every experience. This is, of
course, the highest form of travel narcissism. It is less important to see the
pyramids than to see Joel’s face in front of a pyramid. Smart tour operators
will train guides to enable guests to take frequent braggies and download them
before they depart for home.
• Look for the “poshtel” to cross the Atlantic. Already
popular in Britain, the poshtel combines shared-facilities accommodations with
a high-end appearance and available extra services, combining a traditional
hostel stay with some trappings of luxury. This concept appeals to
budget-minded travelers who have had it with hotel nonessentials but still
enjoy an upscale environment.
• Overseas travelers will increasingly expect to eat meals in
homes of locals. Dining with other tourists is less interesting than being able
to return to the States with stories of sharing a table with a destination’s
natives. In 2013, a new website, EatWith.com, started matching travelers from
Spain and Israel with local families willing to cook them a traditional meal.
The service now operates in 21 cities and is growing. Add “dining in local
home” to the list of savvy traveler expectations.
• Space tourism is only in its infancy. Yes, the Virgin
Galactic accident was awful, but the occasional loss of life has not imperiled
commercial air travel, and it is naive to think that space travel will be
deferred for long. It is just too enticing as both an ego-boosting and
commercial enterprise.
I’m betting on Virgin Galactic, but that’s not the end of
the story. Very little publicity has been given to other ventures in the
tourism realm involving space travel. In the coming year, we will hear more
about Boeing’s development plans for passenger aircraft in space, and in China,
a company named Space Vision has been working on a commercial balloon powered
by helium that can take tourists into the stratosphere.
• The gap between rich and poor will widen at 33,000 feet as
it has on land. Airlines in the U.S. made more money than even they could have
envisioned by essentially widening the gap between services and amenities in
the front and rear portions of the aircraft. This trend will continue in the
new year with the assumption that price dictates all for the economy passenger,
while passenger expectations in first and business class have increased as a
result of foreign competition.
For example, the industry standard for minimum seat pitch
was always 31 to 32 inches. We now have seat pitches of 28 inches standard on
some major U.S. carriers. At the other end of the spectrum, Etihad now features
three-room residences in first class, with butler service.
• Bigger is actually financially better in the cruise
sector: Royal Caribbean’s daring commitment to megaship construction will
continue to pay off in 2015. Polls show that high-end cruisers love small,
intimate ships, while first-time cruisers, family groups and activity-seeking
adults have embraced the new brand of megaship, which I like to call
“small-town sailings.” The Oasis of the Seas and her sister, the Allure of the
Seas, each carry 6,360 guests. Statistically, that approximates the standard
definition of a small town in America. The Norwegian Epic, at 4,100 passengers,
is the world’s third-largest passenger vessel.
The amenity and dining options available on ships of this
size have clear appeal and offer strong financial rewards. I see little reason
that demand for this type of floating small town will do anything but increase.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the small-town ship concept is the
level of advancement made in boarding and disembarking so many guests, as a
result overcoming one of their major perceptual challenges.
• River cruises in Southeast Asia will set the standard for
luxury in a crowded field. When looking for inspiration to enhance their
onboard services and cabin designs, European river cruise operators will look
closely at newly placed luxury vessels in Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. This
year will see the Belmond Oracella, the Sanctuary Ananda and the Aqua Mekong
setting the bar higher than ever on the world’s great rivers, and guests
seeking a true five-star river cruise will find themselves flying beyond Europe
to experience best-in-class river experiences.
• Enterprising travel consultants will create
second-honeymoon options that incorporate all the other trends peaking in 2015.
No one I’m aware of yet owns the concept of the second-honeymoon specialist.
Look for this trend to take off this year. This is a special vacation that
celebrates the children leaving home, a uniquely joyous circumstance for many
couples that merits special celebration.
It isn’t enough to have the income to afford high-end
travel. In our country, time to travel is an equally precious commodity. Smart
consultants will specialize in these celebratory times, and hotels will create
truly unique programs that cater to newly freed empty-nesters.
• In 2015, the trusted travel adviser will need to know the
world as never before, to have access to the best technological developments,
to know the best nonchain luxury hotels, to have the connections to book
restaurants of merit worldwide, to be up to date on the weather and political
stability of destinations, enabling them to offer every client pretrip
briefings, and to create 24/7 access for clients while they travel, absolving
them of the need to resort to apps for advice and counsel.
• While mere bookers will continue to die a slow death,
advisers and lifestyle planners can expect a rather bright future. I am really
looking forward to joining you as we see how this all plays out in 2015. We
know it won’t be boring.