The year is 2023. The year where the world of travel creeps towards a new normal. In this article I have researched 10 articles from leading travel journalists who share their research and views on the tourism travel trends that will shape 2023. The following summary captures what I believe to be the top ten most relevant trends in travel for Tasmania. You can download the full 50 using the link at the end of this article. Enjoy.
Off the Beaten Track Trips
TRAVELLER INSIGHT: "The Intrepid Travel Index found 35% of their travellers are seeking off-the-beaten-track holidays."
OPPORTUNITY: For many, Tasmania is already off the beaten track… but even for those travellers who are more familiar with our island, your local knowledge and experiences can connect travellers with some of those lesser known destinations. Prepare a Plan that embraces blogs, email, website, social media and face to face interactions to share your 'off the beaten track' destinations and experiences.
Solo Travel
TRAVELLER INSIGHT: "According to Skyscanner, 45% of Australian travellers are considering a solo escape this year."
OPPORTUNITY: Solo travellers have very specific needs and your business should be catering to these needs at every turn. I believe that every website should present pages for various traveller types such as Solo travellers. These website pages share content specifically tailored to the needs of, in this case example the solo traveller. This personalised approach will make the solo traveller feel at home with your experience offer and grow your share of this high yield travel segment.
“Work from roam” is the new “work from home.”
TRAVELLER INSIGHT: "Flexible working environments and technology are fuelling this trend. The traditional thinking was work, potentially paired with a holiday; now, it’s an intentional holiday-first mindset with work in and around it."
OPPORTUNITY: Consider how your accommodation or experience offer can cater for this growing, often long stay traveller. Add a specific page to your website for the working traveller, speaking directly to their needs and your offer.
Transformation Retreats; Wellness Travel; Digital Detox; The Sound of Silence
TRAVELLER INSIGHT: "These organized retreats allow participants to connect with the world around them by disconnecting from technology. Choices vary from dance retreats, art workshops, and female empowerment events, to fitness and adventure getaways, plant medicine therapies, and emotional detox. Silent retreats, of course, date back millennia but the idea that silence is golden is at the heart of a growing trend in transformational travel."
OPPORTUNITY: Not every accommodation experience can deliver on the promise of a transformative retreat, but those looking to re-position or expand their footprint should consider targeting this high yield traveller.
Artist Hotels
TRAVELLER INSIGHT: "Catering to travellers looking beyond cookie-cutter hotels for more personal, immersive experiences that touch on their creative spirits. Artists are anyone with artistic and creative pursuits."
OPPORTUNITY: Tasmania is bursting with artisan creatives who can either shape their own accommodation offer or partner with other operators to fuse their creative skills and work within a visitor experience. This can not only differentiate the accommodation offer but increase brand profile and sales for the artist.
Luxury Travel Is Here To Stay
TRAVELLER INSIGHT: "A survey by Booking.com found that 49% of its respondents selected that they are likely to spend more on their next trip to make up for lost time."
OPPORTUNITY: While the cost of living is rising, the recent Tasmanian travel data shows that spend in Tasmania from the domestic traveller is on the rise. You may seek to position your brand exclusively to the luxury traveller or create more luxurious offers within your broader product range.
Responsible Travel Is No Longer Niche
TRAVELLER INSIGHT: "Hand in hand with a desire to see a destination as locals do, travelers are putting more emphasis on traveling responsibly."
OPPORTUNITY: Tasmania is committed from every angle to responsible travel with political and organisation support for Tasmania to take a leadership position in this space. Consider not only what actions you can take to improve your business as a responsible travel offer, but also how you can share the story with travellers both as they consider your offer during decision making and in person while on holiday.
Off Season Travel
TRAVELLER INSIGHT: "Off-season travel is all about avoiding big crowds during peak travel times for tourist destinations, like holidays and summertime, according to Forbes Advisor."
OPPORTUNITY: We have all witnessed the off-season growth during 2022 and with peak visitation periods filling up quicker than ever before. Make sure you embrace the Tourism Tasmania campaign ‘OFF SEASON’ on your communications and explore how you can shape your off season experience offer to differentiate from competitors and support off season initiatives within your region.
Van life, glamping, and staycation
TRAVELLER INSIGHT: "Travel Daily Media report that demand for “SUV camping ideas” increased by 76%, and searches for the term “van life” have risen by 216% since 2018.
The term “glamping” has increased 777% over the past 10 years."
OPPORTUNITY: Glamping is still in its early states of development across Tasmania with pods and experiential tents popping up across our island. While glamping may not suit every region of Tasmania, I see growth potential on our NE, East and SE coastlines.
Culture Shock
TRAVELLER INSIGHT: "Travellers want to embrace the unfamiliar in 2023 – through extreme immersion and radical itineraries. There’s a growing appetite for new locations and wacky experiences, like hunting UFOs or seeking out the hottest chilli pepper. Booking.com reports that 50% of travellers want to experience a culture shock in 2023."
OPPORTUNITY: Tasmania, largely lead by MONA, events and festivals have embraced this desire for culture shock experiences within the Tasmania DNA. Consider if your brand DNA is open to culture shock experiences or at a minimum, make sure your website and social media connect priority traveller with shock culture moments and opportunities.
The Top 50
The following provides a summary of my top 50 including all sources links. The above top 10 can all be linked back to sources from the top 50 below.