A new report by Intercontinental Hotels Group and The Futures Company has identified strong growth in outbound Asian travel and city breaks to “unknown cities" as key to the growth in travel over the next decade.
The report – “The new kinship economy: from travel experiences to travel relationships” highlights that Asian travellers alone will account for one third of the world’s travel spend by 2020. These "new global explorers" as the report terms them, come from high-growth countries such as China and India, as well as CIVET countries – Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt and Turkey. These travellers want to visit “must-see” destinations, and are looking for experiences that will “enhance their status.” Examples given include: “a photo of a superb meal at a top restaurant is a source of pride as much as a memento or souvenir.”
As well as outbound travel, the report also cites the likely increase in city breaks to as yet "unknown" cities. Some 400 largely unknown midsize cities in emerging markets – predominantly in China and India – will generate 40 per cent of global economic growth over the next decade and beyond, it predicts. IHG says it is responding to this demand, not only by adding Chinese menus, Mandarin-speaking concierges and in-room amenities such as Chinese tea and slippers, but also by launching its Hualuxe brand designed for Chinese travellers (see story here).
In addition to new family groups travelling, the report describes a new breed of business traveller as: “Often young,” for whom “the typical 9-5 working environment and business centre atmosphere .. alien to them.” These new business travellers (termed “laptop and latte”)
“…prefer creative coffeehouse-style environments where they can be inspired by meeting other travellers while they work on their own laptops and smart phones.”
From an industry point of view, IHG identifies the challenge of “…paradoxically balancing an increased guest preference for independence on the one hand with a desire for hyper-personalisation for other guests”
An example given is of “The Invisible Traveller”, which describes a guest
“…who could potentially travel without touching the sides, and may never interact with hotel staff. From planning to booking, check-in at the airport to check-in at the hotel, room service and even concierge services.”
The report says that these travellers are already opting for an entirely independent, human-free travel experience.
The report was introduced by IHG’s CEO Richard Solomon at the new Intercontinental Westminster, and can be viewed here.
For more information, visit www.ihg.com
Tom Otley
