It’s no surprise that the travel and tourism industry has seen a direct impact as a result of COVID-19. As travelers are staying at home, plenty are still reminiscing over their most recent trip, whether it be wine tasting in the South of France or learning to surf on the California coast, while they eagerly plan the next. With restrictions starting to lift around the country, we’ll be able to travel again soon, but the landscape will likely look a little different. Here are four travel trends we expect to see in the months ahead:
- Road Trips
With more travelers looking to maintain control of their surroundings, experts expect them to stay closer to home, increasing the number of road trips in the months ahead. People will be taking the time to explore – and support – their home states, or those neighboring, with more wanderlust than ever before. Travelers will embrace the nostalgia of previous generations by packing up the station wagon and hitting the open road. Start planning your road trip mixtape now!
- Going Digital, Even More Digital
Integrations of advanced technologies have increasingly become a major part of the hotel experience, especially among some of the larger hotel brands. As a result of COVID-19, this is shifting to become a standard across the industry. To limit person-to-person contact and for other safety precautions, guests will experience touchless check-in, virtual room keys, contact-free room service, and possibly even robotic cleaning the next time they visit a hotel.
- “Cele-cations”
After spending time distanced from loved ones, plan to see a significant uptick in “cele-cation” travel. While a consistent trend over the recent years, this will pick up even more, especially closer to home. As milestone birthdays and celebratory events like graduation or weddings have been canceled or reimagined, soon travelers will have the opportunity to make up for lost time together.
- Outside State-of-Mind
Being one with nature has always offered peace and tranquility, and after spending a large portion of time in their homes, people are now more ready than ever to get outdoors. Allowing travelers to escape reality while having wide open space to explore, expect to see more people heading for remote destinations over large cities. Bucket lists will begin to fill up with outdoor national treasures – s’mores included.
