2021 travel trends rising in the name of sustainability

Tourists are ready to travel again, and they dream of it as an unforgettable moment: players of the travel & tourism industry are getting ready to fulfill tourists’ expectations. Recent studies identify the targets of tourists who will be the first to travel again: Hosteltur, in fact, reports that new travel trends are rising and consequently influencing travellers’ habits and destinations’ strategy.

Educational travels: more than studying on books
Last year, students became more and more digital. Now they’re willing to travel again, putting experience first while traveling: experiential learning will become the choice. As vaccination against Covid-19 is proceeding, groups of students are expected to travel together again, preferring off-the-beaten-track tourism destinations where they can try outdoor activities, such as team-building experiences.

Traveling together to create good memories
As we already reported, people are planning to travel with friends or family: since visiting the loved ones during the restrictions was not allowed, traveling together has now become the best way to reunite. So, multi-generational groups are expected to rise as a new strong target, needing accommodations designed for families, large and well-connected common areas as well as experiences aimed at involving the whole family, from children to seniors. As reported by National Geographic, many destinations are proposing sport activities that can be carried out by families, like cycling tours or adventurous Jeep rides.

Outdoor travels to recover body and mind
The pandemic forced people to stay at home, and now tourists are eager to get outside: camping, nature and sport are the keywords, combining coziness, physical exercise and mindfulness. This is the reason why bike tourism is expected to have a great comeback in 2021, as many people started using the bike instead of other means of transport, and it quickly became more than a hobby. Cycling is considered to be the best way to enjoy fresh air, staying fit and having a full immersion in beautiful landscapes. According to EuroBike, Maiorca, Madeira, the Loire Valley and Tuscany appeared to be the dream destination for many bike tourists.
Also film tourism is expected to grow in this trend, as millennials got inspired by recent movies and are now looking for new destinations where to admire beautiful landscapes, spend time in nature and finally visit those “dreamed places” featured in their favorite movies.

Business segment evolving to regain the human interaction
Recently the business travel segment has faced many challenges, as new digital tools are partially replacing physical meetings. However, Hosteltur reports that this segment is expected to recover quickly in Asia and Europe, and almost 40% of European travelers are still expected to go on a business trip in the next 6 months. Business tourism is not expected to disappear, instead, it will experience a strong transformation. Travelers will look for large spaces to meet other professionals, high-quality services and special fares to stay in a destination for a longer period, as people are expected to take more workations.

At Twissen we observed how sustainability represents the guiding thread of new tourists’ behaviour and emerging trends: as the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reports, almost 60% of travelers is concerned by tourism environmental impact after the pandemic, and 73% is looking for a sustainable compromise while on a journey. Thus, tourists are looking for green destinations as well as experiences and accommodations that have a positive impact on the environment and on the locial community. As a consequence, sustainability is once more the prerequisite for the recovery of the travel and tourism industry, especially for those destinations willing to restart tourism by attracting the most valuable – and responsible – segments.

Martina Baldo

She graduated in Intercultural Development of Tourism Systems and she has a passion for foreign languages and cultures. Since 2016 she works as administration and tourism project manager at Twissen.