Six travel tribes for the next decade
A report by Amadeus and consumer trend consultancy The Future Foundation defines six traveler tribes that will emerge in the next decade and will have a significant influence on travel-related services.
In 2030, more than 1.8 billion people will travel abroad annually, and their motivations and habits will be radically different from those of today. By this time, some people will acquire and live their travel experiences based almost exclusively on the ability to share them on social networks and the social capital they can generate.
Others will demand the maximum comfort in the management of the trip and the freedom of not having to organize anything, to do everything possible remotely or delegating to third parties. At the same time, another group will be strongly marked by the desire to live the most luxurious and exclusive experiences.
These are some of the predictions contained in the report Future Traveller Tribes 2030: Tomorrow's travelers, a pioneering study prepared by Amadeus and The Future Foundation that identifies which traveler profiles or tribes will emerge over the next fifteen years.
The analysis process, which prioritizes the psychographic approach over sociodemographic criteria, is based on the consumer trends developed by the specialized consultancy and reveals six distinct traveler profiles:
• Social capital seekers: will structure their vacations taking into account, almost exclusively, their contacts in the network, to rely on their opinions and recommendations and justify their decisions, as well as on the possibilities offered to increase and enrich their social capital, understood in this context as the level of collaboration of the consumer within a collective, the value he contributes and the value he receives. This will give rise to a whole new market of trips specifically conceived to increase online relevance, rife with opportunities to exchange experiences on social networks.
The cultural purists view vacations as an opportunity to immerse themselves in a foreign culture —even if it entails certain discomforts— and the enjoyment of their travels will dependá on the authenticity of the experience.They plan their trips according to ethical criteria, such as reducing their environmental footprint or contributing to improving the lives of others. They will often assess what the impact of their travel dollars might be on a setting and improvise or incorporate some element of volunteerism, social development or environmental sustainability into their itineraries.
• The comfort lovers will prefer a package of products and services to avoid managing different aspects of the trip. For this tribe, vacations are an exceptional time to pamper themselves, confident that their safety and enjoyment are guaranteed.
• The must-travelers will orient their trips to achieve a specific goal. Whether for business or leisure, they will suffer from time and budget constraints; and they will demand a technology —based on advanced algorithms— capable of eliminating or resolving travel incidents, such as cancellations or flight changes.
• The luxury hunters will be exclusively interested in luxury travel in its most extreme sense. Travel is an extraordinary reward, an experience that is essential to compensate for the sacrifice of time and effort that their work and daily lives demand.
According to Alex Luzarraga, vice president of Corporate Strategy at Amadeus, “if we look back 15 years, it is difficult to underestimate how far the travel industry has come in terms of innovation, cost and options for travelers. And yet, as we look to the future 15 years from now, in 2030, it is clear that change will only accelerate. With this in mind, understanding the emerging travel tribes will be vital for suppliers, travel product distributors and users in the coming years to ensure that the right investment decisions are made now to respond to a clear industry trend: the increased personalization of services at all stages of travel, unprecedented to date.