For years, the travel industry has been inundated with the message, "the boomers are coming, the boomers are coming." Painted as a marketer's dream, the importance of today's biggest and wealthiest generation has been placed front and center by demographers and analysts across industries. Companies hoping to tap into their sensationalized spending power have long been setting their focus—and marketing dollars—on the "graying wave." New and impactful research from PhoCusWright's Consumer Travel Report shows that this strategy and this segment may not live up to expectations.

 Urlaub in Krisenzeiten
Acht Prognosen für das Reisejahr 2009

Die Tourismusexperten wissen nicht genau, wohin die Reise im Krisenjahr geht. Doch sie verbreiten Optimismus und Trends wie "Luxese" und "Dreifach-Sparen".

 The environmental cost of travel has been well debated and tourism has taken a battering. Consequently the industry and those who work within it feel deflated. Many travellers are left wondering whether they can and should continue to travel. 

I approached Geographical magazine earlier this year with the idea of producing dedicated editorial on the sustainable future of travel and tourism. I wanted to start a positive and forward thinking debate around the future of our industry. Geographical’s Publisher Graeme Gourlay and Editor Geordie Torr were inspired to dedicate their entire December 2008 issue to the topic. 

You can read the editorial from our collaboration below. We look at the future of hotel architecture with visualisations by Jeremy Blake, a leading eco-architect; the innovations in aviation; developments in travel technology; and ‘geotourism’ as a growing trend. I also share my thoughts and suggestions for the future based on my own experience in the industry. I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers but I hope you’ll use this site as a place to tell us what you think and to share ideas. 
http://www.futureoftourism.com
 

There are many future challenges for tourism and tourists – from climate change to changing customer expectations and new markets. These are challenges for the outbound industry and for the destinations that customers visit. 

Tourism 2023 is a project that aims to help the UK outbound industry and some of its key destinations understand more about their future and be able to plan for it. It will explore questions like how to deal with climate change, pressure on resources like water and what the UK customer might be looking for in 15 years' time. Forum for the Future will deliver this crucial piece of work for the industry. It is supported by a number of key players – TUI Travel, Thomas Cook, ABTA, The Travel Foundation, Carnival UK, The Co-operative Travel, British Airways, The Spanish Tourist Office and The Mexico Tourism Board. 
 

The world is swallowing a dangerous cocktail of economic recession, financial malaise, credit crunch, stock market turmoil and crumbling business/consumer confidence. Corporations and countries are being bailed out. Warren Buffet, says he can’t predict the next six months except headlines will be nasty and severe but in 4 years time markets and the economy will be just dandy. Given Mr Buffet’s track record, I’ll defer to his wisdom and offer my take on key issues for tourism.

Current estimates of 2008/2009 performance of the sector, globally, regionally and nationally will be revised downwards for the next 6 months as rapidly worsening macroeconomic structures progressively unfold. And as business and consumer confidence follows suit. The situation will only change with coordinated widespread stimulus packages, a global trade deal and nationally coordinated initiatives to shore up failing structures and sectors - which will bite over time.

All markets will be affected – but not equally, as business and consumers cut back on budgets, postpone or cancel travel plans, go closer to home, trade down in price/quality options while reducing stay and spend. We will see major consolidation across the sector – transport, accommodation and related services. It will be vertical and horizontal. Job losses will be significant with bankruptcies, mergers and takeovers all too familiar. The big losers will be in the world’s poorest countries, where tourism is an economic lifeline and development imperative. We must advocate for their support now – not when it is too late.

 Every day at responsibletravel.com, we talk to tourists and people within the tourism industry who are passionate about travel. They recognize the benefits that responsible tourism can bring to destinations in terms of employment and the preservation of cultural and natural heritage. At the same time, however, we're all acutely aware of the growing contribution that aviation makes to global warming.

Consequently, we face a dilemma. How can we align a desire to visit other cultures in a thoughtful way alongside a conscience that calls for the reduction in our everyday carbon emissions? It is this dilemma that inspired us to start a debate around the future of tourism. If we're serious about pursuing a sustainable future for travel, it's essential that we have a vision to which we can aspire.

Ferienfreuden in Krisenzeiten.
Deutsche reisen weniger ins Ausland:
Comeback des Inlandstourismus

Inlandsreisen 2008.
Bayern baut Spitzenposition aus

Auslandsreisen 2008.
Die Türkei überholt Österreich

Reiseverkehrsmittel 2008.
Mobilitätswende im Urlaub: Das Auto kommt wieder.
Spürbarer Einbruch im Flugtourismus

Folgen der Finanzkrise.
Sparen auf breiter Ebene: Auch Urlaubsreisen betroffen

656 Euro kostet eine Deutschlandreise.
Fernreisen um ein Vielfaches teurer

Tennis. Tauchen. Trekking.
Aktivurlaub bleibt im Trend

Reiseabsichten 2009.
Urlauber im Wartestand: Das Lager der „Unentschlossenen“ als touristische Herausforderung

 By eTN Staff Writer | Jan 12, 2009 

At the annual Prospects meeting organized by the Tourism Society on Thursday, January 8, a panel of industry experts and tourism professionals came together to discuss the prospects for tourism in 2009. Gloomy predictions included a downturn in global tourism arrivals and in UK outbound travel and spend, reduced budgets from the corporate market, a reduction in hotel occupancy and room rates, and threats from increased APD and VISA costs, which could deter inbound visitors to Britain. However, on a positive note, predictions included an increase in UK domestic tourism (both the Caravan Club and Hoseasons reported substantial increases in bookings to date compared to January 2008), a wake-up call for hoteliers to offer better value for money, new renewable energy technology, and the possibility of more visitors from the USA and China now that the Beijing Olympics and US presidential election are over. 

Die multi-optionale Urlaubswelt von morgen, 09. Juni - 12. Juni 2008, OE 1

In den kommenden Jahren wird die Zahl der Reisenden drastisch ansteigen. Bis 2020 prognostiziert die UNWTO, die Welt-Tourismusorganisation der UNO, einen weiteren enormen Anstieg für die internationalen Anküfte (bei denen mindestens eine Nacht in einem anderen Land verbracht wird).

Von 1,6 Milliarden ist da die Rede. Von rund 3,2 Milliarden „Bewegungen” also. Gegenüber dem Jahr 1995 sind das mehr als doppelt so viele.

Nicht zuletzt angesichts solcher Zahlen drängen sich für die Zukunft des Tourismus entscheidende Fragen auf.

 Vier  Audiobeiträge auf der Website von Zukunftsforscher Matthias Horx (externer Link)

 Die Reiseindustrie gilt als das "Global Business" der Zukunft. In den nächsten
10 bis 15 Jahren tritt ein neuer Typus von Weltenbummler aufs Tapet, der sich
auf der Reise gern in "Kontrastwelten" bewegt, prognostizieren die
Trendforscher des deutschen Zukunftsinstituts in ihrer aktuellen Studie
"Tourismus. Die neuen Sehnsuchtsmärkte". Kommunikativ und auf Komfort
bedacht, sucht er das Authentische in der Flucht aus dem Alltag.
Aber auch der Heimaturlaub erhält in den Reisetrends der Zukunft einen
neuen Anstrich. Selbst der Pauschaltourismus zeigt sich, allen Unkenrufen
zum Trotz, in abgewandelter Form quicklebendig. Mit der demografischen
Veränderung fächern sich die Bedürfnisse der Kunden auf, klassische
altersspezifische Zuordnungen greifen nicht mehr und selbst unter der 50-Plus
-Generation gibt es abenteuerlustige Individualisten. Eine Herausforderung an
die Vertreter der Tourismusindustrie im Geschäft um die neuen
"Sehnsuchtsmärkte".