Travellers will look for safer options in the coming year: study

Worried about the possible terror threats, around 41 per cent of international travellers might change their travel plans for 2018, with 33 per cent considering shifting to an alternative destination they see as safer, says World Travel Monitor figures.

Overtourism has become a major problem not just in various high profile cities but also on other kinds of trips, including winter sport holidays and cruises. Nearly 1 international trip in 10 was affected by overcrowding this year, says the World Travel Monitor report. The international travel and tourism industry needs to find solutions to better manage visitor numbers without restricting growth.

In future, one new international growth market could be “Muslim Millennials” who are xpected to travel in much greater over the coming decade. A ‘seismic transformation’ is under way in the luxury hospitality business where customer demands are changing dramatically. And, digital assistants and robots could change the look and sound of the travel industry in years to come.

The outlook for 2018 is also promising. IPK International is forecasting that 2018 will be yet another year with positive growth rates in worldwide outboud trips. The consultancy is estimating an increase of around 5 per cent worldwide, with the strongest growth for outbound trips coming from Asia as well as Latin America with increases of 6 per cent, followed by a 4 per cent rise from both North America and Europe. The forecasts are based on IPK’s Worlds Travel Confidence Index, which is complied annually based on the views of the survey participants about their travel intentions for the coming 12 months.