Tourism in a Post-Pandemic World: Trends and Predictions for 2025
The covid situation has affected life in deep and profound ways. As we head towards 2025, various trends are coming up which will change the way we travel around the globe. For this purpose, we seek to discuss with industry players and travellers the possible trends and disposition of the tourism sector after the situation improves.
In the last decade, sustainable travel has become the new normal as caring for the environment has proven to be an additional motivation in tourism. After the covid pandemic, more and more people are being concerned about their carbon footprint. In fact, we expect to see a lot more according to what we expect to see in 2025; there should be a lot of initiatives which go green such as carbon offsetting, green hotels and locally produced hotels and materials. As such, there is a shortage of tourism destinations which do not consider such values which millions of people hold dear.
Simultaneously with sustainability, wellbeing tourism seems to be on the rise as well. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of mental and physical health, and so now, tourists are looking for experiences that help them relax, relieve stress, and practice self care. Be it wellness vacations at tranquil locales or wellness vacations incorporating all aspects of one’s being, at its core it will be all about looking after oneself. By 2025, look also for other travel types aimed at the particular needs and requirements of the individual, like meditation retreats, spa holidays, or itineraries with health, wellbeing and diet tourism destinations.
New technologies greatly change the experience of travel as well. Using technology in tourism is nothing new, but, due to the pandemic, its implementation was significantly speeded up. By 2025, probably, there will be more contactless forms of travel such as mobile check-ins, health digital passports or AR at attractions. Such developments do not only improve the security of travelling but also simplify the travelling, enabling the tourists to travel faster and more comfortably.
A trend that is worth watching is the movement towards traveling domestically as well as regionally. While international travel is still shrouded in some uncertainty, there are a lot of people who have started looking into their backyards. Such a shift has enabled the public to re-appreciate domestic tourism and attractions changing our entire outlook towards tourism. Defintely, by 2025, we will continue to witness this trend of domestic tourism where people will be more inclined towards their local economies and looking for local based tourism experiences. This trend is good not only for the tourists but also for the local businesses that were impacted due to the pandemic.
Also, when it comes to the phrase ‘slow travel’ it seems to be gaining traction as well. In an era that has often favored speed and convenience, travel used to be ‘more is better’ but not anymore. According to slow travel, there is more to tourism than a thousand destinations. Travelers love a city, country, or state if they can feel it. If people would allow themselves to take their time understanding a culture, ensuring deep connections with its kitchen and the locals, appreciating every contribution they receive, it changes a person's perception and feelings focusing on the reality of the places he or she visits. This trend should be picking steam come 2025, when the tourism industry is expected to be more mindful.
Working remotely has become a popular trend today thus, allowing employees to go for a vacation while working. The pandemic truly changed our engagements as it opened up a new perspective—a place where work vacations can coexist. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if the future has multiple "workation" offers as they are quite plausible. One thing is for sure, as a remote worker, you'll have plenty of vacation spots that ensure you're admires plenty of sights while working.
Now moving forward, it is crucial to comprehend that health and safety are paramount within the tourism industry. With traveling restrictions easing is one thing but we must be further realistic as fun now comes with evolutionary booking strategies. Tough guides require stronger hygiene, simpler booking policies and upfront contact to reassure travelers. In the future only those businesses and areas that consider and cater to such travel safety policies will succeed in appealing new visitors.
Work from home, thermal scanners, protective face masks and sanitizers – these will be worn not only by your average office worker but three million hotel employees around the globe too. Yes, a new world means new rules. It goes without saying that the way people embrace the key elements of traveling would be significantly different. The prospects don't seem very bright either, with the travel industry likely suffering from the ripple effects of the pandemic for years to come. Global tourism is bound to change because of Covid 19, travelers’ psychology will be altered forever says Archana Singh. Singh adds there is also a growing mindset realisation among a substantial proportion of the population to travel less.
The way people conduct business will also evolve as employees are likely to work from anywhere, preferably home, rather than make a long commute to the office. This is perhaps the only upside coming from the unprecedented effects of covid. The pandemic utterly changed the world, now businesses should analyse the efficacy of each element. One of the essential elements in the hotel business, interactive entertainment too needs a revamp. The industry is set to change in its fundamentals, how people visit places, what their purpose for visiting a location is going to be different forever. One needs to open their eyes to the fact. There is a typical diastema between what was envisaged regarding travel and what the future holds. All of this ultimately comes down to a balanced relationship between supply and demand.
