Rethinking travel for the future

Though it may not seem like it now, we will travel again.

But it’s becoming clear that it won’t be the same. We will look at the future of travel post-COVID more in the next issue of LuxNews, but for now we have identified three key elements that we believe will shape the industry.

• Tourism optimisation – not all tourists have the same value or the same impact. Coming from a world where mass tourism was bringing new challenges to many parts of the world, destinations may want to rethink their strategies in future. Environmental impact, visitor spend and dispersion within a destination will become key.
• Domestic holidays – while it’s not yet clear when travel restrictions will be lifted, it is almost certain that domestic travel will come first. Many tourism boards (even those that generally focus only on international visitors) have pivoted and are now encouraging their citizens to holiday at home.
• Holistic approach – the current crisis has made it clear that tourism is everybody’s business. Governments, tourism boards, destination marketers and operators will need to collaborate to ensure that the industry remains strong and that all players are working towards the same goal. Issues of safety, responsibility and awareness will come to the fore and require a universal approach.