- Uncertainty is the New Certainty – No one has the precise answers right now, but companies are taking uncertainty into more of their future forecasting.
- Climate Resilience is the New Return on Investment – There will be more crossover between climate change action and advertising, but investors are demanding more than greenwashing.
- Travel’s Super Mobility Collides with Deepening Social Divide – The travel evolution will come and heightened global inequalities post-pandemic that will point to travel’s ability, or failure, to narrow the social rift.
- The Financialization of Travel – Making purchases easier for travellers is a wonderful development but burdening them with consumer debt is a drag.
- The Great Upskilling of Labour – The divide between available workers and open positions in travel is too great to overcome. Educating a smaller labour pool with new skills is the only way to overcome the labour shortage crisis.
- Communities Move Beyond Spectator Role for Travel’s Future – Tourism boards embracing a “locals first” approach post-pandemic is here to stay, as is the imperative of having residents’ input on tourism management to ensure the industry’s future success.
- Travel’s Last Mile Sparks a New Wave of Innovation – A new consciousness about green travel is making the last mile of travel fertile territory for new investment and innovations. Airlines, in particular, are seeing it finally as a boost to the top line.
- Corporate Travel is Now in the Firm Grip of the CFOs – Many organizations experienced a revelation in the pandemic—yes, it is possible to function a viable business without traveling. Now travel managers have to prove its worth again.
- Unbundling of Services Spreads Across All of Travel – Travellers may balk at another sector of travel unbundling services and amenities. But if can provide struggling travel companies with revenue during the recover.
- New Booking Patterns Create Novel Opportunities – Volatile booking patterns will give fits to travel demand forecasters and revenue managers, but the slice of remote working that endures could expand the addressable travel market and provide plenty of upside.
- Remote Work is Defining a New Socialization for Business Travel – It’s the beginning of an entirely new industry, based around places and space that turbocharge employee gatherings.
- The Rapid Ruralization of Travel Set Stage for New Overtourism – The ongoing urge for nature and for rural escapes post-pandemic has created a new kind of overcrowding. The need to craft innovative solutions to manage the impact on communities and the environment is now urgent.
- The Resizing of Global Events – The mid-sized marketing may lose out to the biggest players. Companies will prioritize the events they can’t afford to miss and skip the rest. Smaller, community-based events will also survive.
- The Rise of Premium Leisure Air Travel – More vacationers are flying in the front of the place, and these “premium leisure” travellers are prompting airlines to make some big investments to make a buck.
See the full Megatrends 2022 package at www.skift.com/megatrends-2022.