Change is constant and continuous. That’s why a listing of the new trends that will be impacting luxury travel during 2020 must, in addition to peering into the future, include a look back in time.
The most interesting thing about the projected industry growth over the next five years is the way that fast casual restaurants continue to influence the future of all businesses.
Given their relative wealth and amount of free time, mid-lifers — otherwise known as the youngest baby boomers and the oldest Gen Xers — don't seem to be getting the proper respect and attention from travel marketers. A new report suggests that luxury marketers that ignore this group do so at their own peril.
It’s clear that there are ways in which luxury brands can differentiate their customer experience using artificial intelligence, but it will require a sophistication that is still unseen in the travel industry.
The luxury market is leaning heavily on emerging markets' growing incomes and aspirational lifestyles, so it must be prepared to weather changes in this demand by keeping personalization and authenticity at the forefront.
There will likely be many changes to this ranking as 2016 numbers are finalized as some of the most-visited cities experienced weaker currencies or violence last year. Keep in mind, however, that some of these cities base their data on airport arrivals who don't actually step foot from the airport and experience the destination.
Online hotel bookings remain much more valuable than online short-term rental bookings and will see larger long-term online growth as more travelers use their devices to book a room and move away from alternative booking methods.
Here are more reasons to prepare for mobile to imminently overtake desktop for online travel bookings, along with more signs that travel can obviously learn something from retail which far surpasses it with mobile sales.