BOSTON, USA, 6 January 2021: Travel firms worldwide are hoping for brighter prospects as 2021 unfolds following a travel-challenged 2020.
One of them, Overseas Adventure Travel that specialises in adventure travel targetting Americans 50+ shares its top six emerging travel trends once vaccines are distributed.
OAT chief architect & chief relationship officer Mark Frevert explains: “Many travellers are eagerly awaiting the chance to travel again, with some notable differences in how they’ll travel compared to prior years.”
Top six travel trends to watch
Purposeful travel
Covid-19 revealed our interconnectedness. Post-pandemic, many travellers want to travel more responsibly and with purpose, engaging with and learning from other cultures and making a positive contribution to the local communities they visit. This personal aspect of travel and the chance to change individual lives will be sought after more than ever by many travellers after missing out on these opportunities in 2020.
Women: Solo and sharing
The pent-up demand for the liberating experience of travel will see more women travelling on their own, without the worry of accommodating another person’s schedule or interests. The segment of solo women travellers is an area of growth for the adventure travel firm representing 50% of travellers, with over 30,000 booked for 2021 and 2022 travel. In 2010, just 27% of travellers were solos. Some solo women travellers are single by choice, some are widowed, while many are married and occasionally travel with spouses. Sometimes they travel totally alone, other times exploring with a friend, or even sharing with a roommate.
Revenge travel
Travellers whose 2020 plans were thwarted are intent on catching up on missed opportunities. Looking ahead, they will travel more than they normally would after being deprived due to the pandemic.
Solo travellers
In a recent Solo Traveller survey, presented with the support of OAT, nearly 3,000 respondents shared their views regarding solo travel and the Coronavirus. 46% responded that they would travel more, both domestically and internationally.
Slow travel
Covid-19 lockdowns gave many people a chance to slow down and appreciate life’s small details. Slow travel aims to give travellers a rich understanding of life in their destination. Interactions with local people, including opportunities to learn through frank discussions on timely topics, allow travellers to experience a community on a deeper level.
OAT gives travellers the option to personalize their adventures to arrive earlier or stay longer in a destination to further explore on their own and absorb a new culture.
Private adventures
Private adventures take small group travel, already popular, to another level. More people will seek to travel together as a family or a close group of friends or relatives – and no one else. Private tours limit exposure to other travellers and public transportation, yet still provide a tour operator’s planning, experience, oversight, and standard health and safety approach.
OAT provides travellers over 50 with impactful, intercultural experiences with groups limited to 16 travellers (average of 13) by land and 25 (average of 22) by sea.
Established in 1978, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) is part of Boston-based Grand Circle Corporation’s family of travel companies, which also include Grand Circle Cruise Line and Grand Circle Travel.
SOURCE Overseas Adventure Travel
