Reopening the world to globetrotters post-pandemic has been a long journey. In 2020 Americans were locked down, with flights grounded, cruises docked, and all non-essential travel halted. In the months that followed, passengers slowly returned to once-empty airports, navigating social distancing, masks mandates, and staffing shortages. Now, as travel continues to bounce back, Stacey Barber, Vice President of Travel at AAA, notes, “What we’re seeing is people are taking the trip. They’re not postponing it. They’re not waiting for kids to be off school. And they’re not only taking one trip, they’re taking multiple trips.”
One emerging trend, Americans are now traveling year-round, rather than during peak seasons. This shift is partly due to the growing flexibility for many people have to work from anywhere. Barber highlights, “They want to enjoy these beautiful destinations and activities and, you know, work from home. And that remote availability has really increased that opportunity.”
Tourists are also shifting what they want in a destination, favoring less crowded locations, personalized experiences, and an increased focus on mental health and well-being. Starlight Williams, Digital Editor at National Geographic, explains, “Everyone is thinking about they’re stressed out, they’re tired, they’re burnt out. ‘How can I go travel and experience that I’m creating a healing moment?'”
Across the industry, these new demands mean big changes. According to Barber, “Suppliers are really putting a strong emphasis on health. They’re putting it on cleaning, and they have great insurance opportunities available to help protect the those consumers.”
The pandemic was not smooth sailing for the cruise industry, But, it has since bounced back in a big way. “They were the last industry to really rebound from COVID,” Barber says, “Post-pandemic, they are really creating an experience. They are enhanced their ships during covid. They created more inventory as well.”
Air travel, however, has been slower to get off the ground. “The global airline capacity is only 2.4% above 2019 levels,” Williams notes, “That’s been hindered by aircraft shortages having train crew deficits. There’s not enough staff.”
Despite any turbulence, experts agree travel continues to evolve. Barber points out, “We’re going to start understanding how technology can help anticipate needs of consumers better, how we can provide more time saving services.” That’s not the only way travel could change five years from now. Williams predicts, “Supersonic flights are going to make a full dramatic return, cold destinations are going to be the biggest trend, with global temperatures rising, [and] global wellness is going to go even more insane.”
Another potential shift in the coming years is a resurgence in travelers turning to travel agents, particularly among younger generations.
