PHOTO: Young Asian travelers are traveling all over the globe, and grabbing the attention of the travel industry in the process (Courtesy of Singapore Airlines)
Trends are like travelers: constantly moving. For leisure travelers, trends can help you find the next cool thing to explore. For travel professionals, keeping abreast of trends can help you fluidly connect travelers with these trends.
Here are five of the hottest trends in travel right now.
The Young Asian Traveler Is On The Rise
Considering capturing the Asian market is a priority among many hoteliers now (and only becoming more so), it's probably a good idea for those in the travel industry to keep track of which destinations are most appealing to young Asian travelers.
A new report by the Pacific Asia Travel Association entitled "The Rise of the Young Asian Traveller" highlights France, the U.S., Australia, Italy and Japan as dream destinations for this demographic. Not only that, the report also analyzes the travel habits and attitudes of Asia's future.
"The Rise of the Young Asian Traveller" is specifically designed to give travel professionals insight on the Asian and younger generations to boost their business.
As part of the report, nearly 3,000 travelers between the ages of 15-34 across 13 countries in Northeast and Southeast Asia were surveyed. Countries included: China, Korea (ROK), Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.
A summary of the report can be viewed here. To order the full report, visit www.patastore.com or contact [email protected].
Baby Boomers Aren't the Only Ones Spending Big
Move over, Baby Boomers.
Millennials not only outnumber you, they are also beginning to spend a pretty penny on accommodations.
Not only does the younger generation (18-34 years old) represent 31 percent of United States rental travelers, more than half of private accommodation renters in the U.S. are under 35 years of age, according to Share This! Private Accommodation & the Rise of the New Gen Renter, a new study/publication by global travel market research company PhoCusWright.
The study, available for purchase at www.phocuswright.com, delves into the attitudes, aspirations, expectations and behaviors of U.S. renters and non-renters, as well as examining why some travelers choose rentals over hotels. PhoCusWright surveyed nearly 2,000 travelers in the study.
Hotel Prices in Europe Are Soaring
If you are a hotelier in Europe this summer, chances are you and ADR have become really good friends.
And if you are a hotelier in Spain, you are as popular as Enrique Iglesias, Rafael Nadal and Antonio Banderas…combined.
Hotel rates have been astronomical in Europe this summer, led by Spain. Seven of the top eight European summer destinations of UK travelers are located within Spain, and the top summer destination-Albufeira, Portugal-is just to the left of Spain.
But the award of "Most Improved" has to go to Playa d'en Bossa in Ibiza, Spain. Hotel rates have risen 308 percent from April to August (£79 per night to £322 per night), via trivago's Hotel Price Index.
Other top price hikers include Protaras in Cyprus (up 259 percent to £323 per night), Ibiza's Santa Eulalia (up 191 percent to £268), Ibiza's San Antonio (up 157 percent to £126), Majorca's Cala d'Or (up 145 percent to £142) and Majorca's Magaluf (up 129 percent to £165).
Protaras, Playa d'en Bossa, Santa Eulalia, Marbella and Ayia Napa are the most expensive Europeans destinations this month.
Demand for U.S. Hotels Projected to Increase
European hoteliers aren't the only ones happy these days.
The demand for U.S. hotels is expected to increase by 3.6 percent during the rest of 2014, according to a revised forecast by STR and Tourism Economics.
On top of that, there are projected increases in occupancy (up 2.6 percent to 63.8 percent), ADR (up 4.2 percent to $115.02) and revenue per available room or RevPAR (up 6.9 percent to $73.37).
Jan Freitag, senior VP of strategic development at STR, said, via a press release, "It is a great sign for the industry that group bookings have returned."
Freitag noted that the strong RevPAR growth was a bit unexpected, but it shows the interest from both business and leisure travelers.
It doesn't stop there, though. In 2015, STR and Tourism Economics predicts demand is expected to increase 2.1 percent, occupancy to increase 0.7 percent to 64.2 percent, ADR to grow 4.4 percent to $120.13 and RevPAR to rise 5.2 percent to $77.17.
Travelers Are Turning To Gadgets In Favor of Family Time
Family travel is supposed to be about spending time with your family…right?
Well, according to a recent survey by Carrentals.co.uk, British travelers are turning to gadgets to intentionally spend less time with their families during long trips.
About 75 percent of British respondents of 900-plus surveyed said they hand gadgets off to their children for a less distracting drive. This is despite 6 percent of all respondents admitting they have been involved in an accident due to a mobile device was the cause or an influencing factor (that number rose to 13 percent for those 18-25 years of age).
There may be a solution, however.
Gareth Robinson, managing director or Carrentals.co.uk, noted that 41 percent of British respondents liked playing "I Spy" during their travels, and it might be a good alternative to gadgets in the car.
Who would have thought that I Spy could be a helpful aid in preventing car accidents?
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