What drivers will shape Travel Tribes by 2030?

Demographic and economic landscapes

The next decades will see dramatic population growth in certain emerging nations that will dramatically impact the number of people in the global travel system. Strong fundamentals in emerging markets, combined with slowing growth and low fertility rates in developed economies mean that the maps of economic power, political influence, consumer spending, airline travel flows, and cultural ‘hotpots’ will be redrawn. Future generations of immigrants and travellers will also self-identify more fluidly, and will not have fixed ideas about the characteristics which define this or that national, ethnic, or religious group.

Consumer landscape

As social reaches deeper into the lives of billions of people, we will see online networking more thoroughly assert its professional importance. Consumers will invest more time and energy in building for themselves lucrative online brands, and reap new kinds of commercial returns on this investment. The emerging peer-to-peer economy will also be fuelled by the breadth of expertise available from social networks. As the same time, big data will allow brands to tell ever more focused and compelling stories about our lives, personalising services not only efficiently, but imaginatively.

Technological Landscape

Devices not significantly more advanced than those at today’s leading edge will become affordable and accessible to billions, amplifying the amount of data open to commercial use and propelling new efficiencies. Many roles once filled by human workers will be staffed by search algorithms, robotic bellhops, cashless payment systems, and virtual customer service avatars. Biometric facilities will be built into airport security, payments and tracking systems. Finally, virtual reality will be used to create previews to help consumers understand their options and hedge against the risk of disappointment.

Have a look at the full Future Traveller Tribes 2030 report to find out more about the drivers that will shape the six tribes of the future and be sure to fill out our questionnaire to see which tribe you belong to.