
Predicting future trends in any industry is challenging; when that industry is increasingly reliant on the latest technology and shifting consumer behavior for its success, the challenge becomes even greater.
The 2009 Manitoba Tourism Conference drew over 300 tourism industry professionals to the Winnipeg Convention Centre this past weekend for a series of discussions and workshops, highlighted by the insights of two of North America's foremost innovative thinkers.
Peter Yesawich, Chairman & CEO of YPartnership, spoke on "Emerging Lifestyles and Travel Trends: Implications for Marketing Manitoba". Yesawich, a frequent commentator on travel trends in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and others, discussed the three main forces impacting travel today: technology, social values and demography.
Citing surveys of 2,500 American adults, and 2,600 "Nextgen" technology users, Yesawich said that today the internet directs two out of every three hotel reservations, and eight out of ten airline ticket purchases.
He spoke of the next era being one of price transparency, as meta search engines provide consumers with the ability to not only comparison shop, but also, to know when a price is a good deal, and be notified when a price is about to be lowered.
Yesawich also spoke about "The Third Screen", a reference to mobile devices that follow the first and second screens of televisions and computers. With meta search now available on mobile, he encouraged tourism operators to engage in "intercept marketing": pushing out offers to mobile users when they are in a location ideally suited for the sale.
"We can now get information in front of people at the time they want to buy", he said.
Some of the social values that will drive future travel include a renewed interest in family, a trend that will see the growth of multi-generational travel. "Here is an organic market that is going to grow as far as the eye can see", he predicted. He coined the term "Celebration Vacations", as over 70 per cent of leisure travelers have taken a vacation to celebrate a special occasion, typically birthdays or anniversaries. These travelers typically plan their holiday further in advance, stay longer and spend more, he said.
Amongst the challenges for the Canadian tourism industry in attracting American visitors is that only 13 per cent of U.S. travelers want to visit Canada in the next two years, down from 17% in 2003. Their increasing interest in cruising – 44% want to take a cruise in the next two years – also poses a challenge for land based destinations.
The winners over the next two years may be those who address consumers' feelings of "time poverty"; four out of ten adults don't feel they have enough time. Yesawich spoke about "Speed Vacations", which offer consumers a means to "hurry up and relax".