For all of us working in tourism, 2023 looks promising! After 2022 tourism started to reach the pre-pandemic levels, helping the industry to rebound after a hard time. Thus, hopefully, 2023 will keep the travel sentiment among people who understand that traveling is the best way to boost energy and maintain mental health.
However, what is the trends that experts have forecasted for 2023? Let’s find it out below.
2023, a year of many trips and longer stays
Nobody would ever think, not even in the darkest dreams, that the world will suddenly stop; yet that’s what we all lived in 2020 and 2021.
At that time, the goal was to be healthy physically and mentally. Indeed, it was the trigger to start to think about how critical mental health is for humanity’s well-being. Then, traveling became one of the best ways to remain mentally well. Therefore, people started thinking about their bucket list trips like there’s no tomorrow.
2023 remains to be a year of travels. According to the Washington Post, travelers are looking to book between two to three trips throughout the year. Another fact they highlight is that people request longer trips ranging from 10 to 32 days. That’s because nowadays, travelers are looking for more trips off the beaten path or their dream trip, which takes longer to organize or are booked with many months in advance.
Four travel approaches are leading travel sentiment among people.
Alisa Cohen, the founder of Luxe Traveler Club, mentioned by the Washington Post, said, “Europe is still very hot.” Travelers seek destinations such as Italy, Portugal, Greece, or the UK.
In the case of Italy, people want to go beyond the traditional touristic destinations, like the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, Venice, or Sicily. However, what do people look to experience when traveling?
We can summarize it in four aspects: people, nature, sport, and gastronomy.
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Approach to local people and communities
Travelers are looking to support the local economy. They seek to experience the local culture through meaningful activities with local chefs, fishermen, or farmers, who can give them a blink of their way of life.
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Approach to nature
Travelers want nowadays to experience nature through different activities. The pandemic helped us be more aware of nature while exacerbating our need to be surrounded by Mother Nature, or “Pachamama,” as Kichwas calls it in Ecuador.
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Approach to sports
Many sports fans want to connect their sports passion with travel experiences. That’s why Italy, a destination well-known for its football/soccer, has developed sports experiences that connect travelers with the sentiment of being an Italian football lover. Thus, travelers can attend local plays or visit the training facilities of specific teams.
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Approach to local gastronomy
Without a doubt, one of the best ways to know and understand a local culture when traveling is through food. The combination of aromas, textures, and flavors helps us connect with our lifetime memories while discovering a new culture. Hence, culinary trips are becoming a trend in some destinations that let embed travelers with their gastronomy while delighting their palates.
Cruises are trendier than ever, but preferably onboard small boats
The pandemic hit cruise tourism very hard. However, the sector is rebounding better than ever. Eric Bowman recently wrote an article in Travel Pulse discussing the increased interest of travelers in booking cruise trips. As he said, many travel advisors have told him they’re booking cruise journeys for their clients in 2024 and 2025.
Nonetheless, megaships are not the first option that comes to travelers’ minds. Instead, they’re looking for an intimate experience such as expeditionary and river cruises as well as luxury voyages.
According to Emma Cakmak, owner of A Passport to Travel, a cruise-focused travel company, from May through September 2023, it’s almost impossible to find availability on some of the top cruise lines.
Additionally, at Galagents Galapagos Cruises, we’ve seen an increasing interest in cruising the Galapagos Islands as well as combining it with land tours within the archipelago. One reason is that cruise guests are curious about other sites they couldn’t visit while cruising. Another reason it’s the curiosity to experience the islander way of life. At the same time, they need some rest after the cruise journey.
Which are the destinations in vogue for 2023?
Up to this point, you may be wondering which top destinations travelers worldwide are looking to, don’t you? If so, don’t worry! The Washington Post highlighted some of the trendiest destinations among globetrotters.
That’s not surprising to see the exotic and pristine Galapagos Islands leading the list. Indeed, it’s one of the ideal destinations to cruise onboard small boats and get personalized and intimate services while discovering the unique ecosystem of this volcanic archipelago.
Moreover, travel experts have seen more frequently how the Galapagos Islands are combined with other natural destinations. Some of them are Machu Picchu in Peru, Eastern Islands or Torres del Paine in Chile, and Patagonia or el Calafate in Argentina.
Would you like to know more about the Galagents Galapagos Cruise fleet and become an expert on this unique destination? If so, please get in touch with us by clicking here.
The other destinations that are catching the attention of global travelers are:
- Japan and South Korea are ideal for those that enjoy exotic destinations with the possibility of doing nature activities such as visiting the Sapporo mountain.
- Thailand, Vietnam, and Bali are blinking the eyes of Digital Nomads
- The Caribbean continues as the predilect destination among North Americans.
- Egypt continues its growth, mainly for the Grand Egyptian Museum and the opportunity to sail across the Nile.
- Mexico continues to be a beach destination but has been catching cultural tourism throughout its cultural capitals.
- Costa Rica is affordable and idyllic among senior travelers, honeymooners, and families.
- African Safaris is getting many multigenerational groups blown away by this massive and culturally rich continent. Some African countries welcoming more travelers are South Africa, Botswana, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Kenia, and Zambia.
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Which of these trends were you aware of? Which one can help you strengthen your tourism business this new year? We hope these four trends allow you to reshape your commercial strategy and make the most of 2023.
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