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2020 is definitely history! The economy and the tourism sector with all their professionals were the most affected by the closure of borders and the total stop of world trade. In order to improve tourism, and give life to the New Year, we are looking forward to modifying the current trends, to come up with the new ones that will hopefully give 2021 a new blast in this sector.

We present to you the trends evaluated for 2021 by professionals and researchers in the tourism sector.

1. Close bookings

Source: Skyscanner , 2020

Reports from Skyscanner, Tripadvisor and Expedia show a trend in last minute booking, with a booking window ranging from 7 to 30 days and mainly in the first 6 months of 2020. Mostly at the beginning of the block and during the summer.

Trends towards close booking are expected to increase in the fall season!

2. Social Distancing & Hygiene

Source: Expedia Group

The fear that has characterized this period will not disappear overnight, especially in the countries that have suffered the greatest restrictions during this global pandemic, such as China, India, South Korea, etc … Travelers in 2021 will certainly pay attention particular to hygiene and social distances. Precisely for this reason, operators will have to find innovative solutions capable of maintaining high levels of safety, hygiene and at the same time entertaining their customers. On the other hand, countries with less restrictions will not overly care about the security protocol unless they visit the countries mentioned above!

What it means to travel safely – Travel Trends Report, Arival & TrekkSoft 2020 – 2021

What it means to travel safely – Travel Trends Report, Arival & TrekkSoft 2020 – 2021

3. Proximity tourism

Source: TripAdvisor White Paper, November 2020

Proximity tourism will likely be the deadline of 2021. As the days and capital spent on holidays will be reduced, the economy will not improve all of a sudden. More than half of travelers are expected to opt for short breaks in 2021. Unsure of the freedom they will be given to travel around the world, they could reduce the risk of last-minute ticket cancellations by traveling to nearby areas. Airbnb has launched a campaign to support domestic travel and local economic growth. This will have an impact not only on Italy, but certainly on a global level.

Source: Expedia Group

4. Outdoor tourism and activities

Outdoor tourism is the best example of an activity that can be carried out safely.

Source: TripAdvisor White Paper, November 2020

Outdoor tourism is the best example of an activity that can be done safely. Most Italians chose outdoor tourism in this period.

Everyone tries to continue their normal activities, but the intention to go on vacation is clearly lower than a year ago. On the other hand, we can say that the intention to choose an outdoor holiday in a road trip, village or campsite has increased more than last year and will grow even more during 2021.

5. Remote escapes

Source: TripAdvisor White Paper, November 2020

2021 will be a year of social distancing for travelers, choosing “private” destinations such as mountains or countryside with a list of selected people rather than random tourists as usual.
Travelers are still looking forward to traveling, but firstly, they will have to look for the available options that are given.

6. Offline travel and online experiences dematerializations

Travel is one of the most publicized trends in social engineering. As we all know, tourists document their travels with images and videos on all social media, and this can be used as a strong tool for developing tourism around the world. Can I also travel from home? This is the bet that Italian guides, companions, tour operators and also international players such as Amazon (with Amazon Explore) and Airbnb (with online experiences) are making to offer their users online travel experiences.

myTour does not believe that online activities can be a risk for tour operators, we believe that such initiatives can only further increase the desire to really experience the sensations shown online.

7. Support for local communities

By supporting domestic tourism and the local economy as much as possible, travelers support communities that have suffered losses during this period by helping them get back up for the next year,

8. New opportunities: South Working and other solutions

With all the changes experienced in 2020, during the blockade and chaos, professionals seem to get along better and better with smart working. Working remotely has been very common, using video conferencing and webinar tools. This has apparently cut back on business travel promotions, in fact most of the work is done remotely. Workers can now choose workstations, rather than working from home they can opt for a different location in order to increase their skills and motivation to work.

During the “first wave”, Skyscanner saw an increase in searches for one-way or one-way flights. People have somehow chosen where to go through the impending lockdown

Source: Booking, 2020

9. Regeneration

In order to maintain the peace of mind along with the body, tourists will be looking forward to doing relaxing activities such as Yoga, meditation, mountain walks, etc, which will be a growing trend in 2021.

10. Welcome to the sustainability of tourism

The tourism crisis will not immediately end, but it is predicted to grow much more at the end of this global pandemic. The positive thing about this sector, is the interruption of overcrowds in tourism, which will give time to all the art cities to recover from the tourists flow during years and make it more sustainable.

It is predicted to:
· Approximately half of the tourists want sustainable travel
· The majority of tourists are expecting sustainable travel options

The tourism industry is looking forward to:
· Offering attractive travel packages
· Offering different alternatives to prevent overcrowding
· Helping the community to recover.