After years of travel restrictions and staying in, 2023 is sure to be a big year for getting out to explore the natural world and reconnect, or simply experience some joy and excitement again. 2023 is just around the corner and travel experts are already making predictions about the hottest travel trends for the new year.
So what can we expect? Here are some of the top predictions for 2023 tourism trends
In 2023 more people will be interested in experiential travel – visiting places to learn about the local culture and history
Experience travel is still a huge trend within the travel industry. This trend is being driven by a growing desire to experience new cultures and understand the world from a different perspective. As global citizens become more connected, they are also becoming more curious about the lives of others. Experiential travel allows travellers to immerse themselves in the local way of life, whether learning about traditional cuisine, participating in religious ceremonies or learning the local history.
This type of travel is often seen as more rewarding than simply visiting tourist sites, as it provides a deeper understanding of the people and their culture. With the world becoming increasingly small, experiential travel will continue to grow in popularity as people seek to explore and learn about new cultures.
Sustainable tourism will continue to grow in popularity, with more people wanting to visit sustainable and responsible destinations
The tourism industry has long been criticized for its environmental impact, with air travel and hotel stays often leading to a large carbon footprint. However, there is a growing trend of eco-friendly tourism, with more people wanting to visit sustainable and responsible destinations. This type of tourism typically involves environmentally conscious activities, such as using public transport, staying in eco-lodges, and supporting local businesses. Environmental tourism also often includes educational components, such as learning about the local ecosystem or indigenous culture. As awareness of the impact of tourism grows, sustainable travel will likely continue to grow in popularity, and be a travel trend well beyond 2023.
Staycations will remain popular as people look to save money and reduce their carbon footprint by travelling more locally
As the cost of living and the environmental impact of flying become increasingly important considerations, more and more people are opting to take staycations (short for stay vacation) instead of travel intensive vacations.
A staycation is a vacation that is spent close to home, which can save both time and money. It’s also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. And with so many amazing places to explore right on our doorstep, there’s no need to go far to find a wonderful place to spend a few days or weeks. From stunning coastal walks to cozy mountain retreats, there is something for everyone.
In 2021, the South Australian government conducted multiple rounds of The Great State Voucher Program to stimulate tourism within the state encouraging locals to experience tourism at home. A limited number of vouchers were available to all state residents via a ballot and post-experience surveys conducted found that 55% of voucher winners took part in an experience they didn’t know existed.
The South Australian government engaged with an Australian-owned company Nabooki and the system provided also automatically collected positive verified reviews, with the outcome for participating tourism businesses forecasted to be ongoing business thanks to friends and relatives visiting from interstate or overseas.
Unplugged travel trend
An amazing 55% of people said they wanted to spend their vacations off-grid, according to a recent survey.
The survey, conducted by the travel website Expedia, found that respondents were interested in disconnecting from technology and spending time in nature.
“I think people are just craving that simplicity and that ability to reset, “Expedia’s director of brand marketing, Nisreene Atassi, told CNBC.
Atassi said that the company had seen an increase in searches for “unplugged” vacation spots. She added that the trend is likely to continue as people look for ways to de-stress and disconnect from their hectic lives.
Budget-conscious travel trends
As the world economy continues to struggle, travellers are becoming more mindful of their budget-conscious. 70% of respondents in a recent survey by booking.com said that they were more budget concious when shopping for travel and looking to get more bang for their buck.
However, despite the ongoing economic and energy crises, 50% say investing in a vacation is still a top priority.
This suggests that people are increasingly valuing experiences over material possessions. In a time when many are feeling anxious and stressed, the opportunity to explore new places and create lasting memories is more important than ever.
As the world economy gradually improves, we can expect to see even more people taking advantage of this trend and making travel a priority.
So what does this mean for the travel industry? Well, businesses will need to adjust their offerings to appeal to value-conscious consumers. Discounts and special deals will become more common. But if businesses can adapt, there should still be plenty of opportunities for growth in the budget travel market.
Technology will place an increasingly important role in travel, with travellers expecting websites to be more user-friendly and playing a more significant role in trip planning
Technology has revolutionized the travel industry, making it easier than ever to plan and book a trip. Travellers now expect to have the ability to easily compare prices, read reviews, and find the best deals on flights, hotels, and rental cars with just a few clicks.
In addition, technology has also made it possible to track flight delays, map out routes, and even find the best restaurants and experiences in your destination.
As travellers become more reliant on technology, it is clear that it will play an increasingly important role in travel. Even now, websites are becoming more user-friendly and are playing a more significant role in trip planning. In the future, technology will continue to make travel more convenient and accessible for everyone.
As a result of these user experience trend predictions, to stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on what will be popular with web users in 2023, here at Nabooki we ensure our niche travel and destination marketplaces offer:
- short, more/easily digestible content;
- easy/simple search functionality – including the ability to filter by location, style of travel, availability, features and more to find the perfect experience;
- Easy access to user-generated and verified reviews to aid the decision-making process;
- Deals to entice the budget-conscious traveller
By implementing these features across your travel marketplace, you’ll be able to give your site visitors a better experience. This will lead to more bookings, which means more revenue. If your website currently provides an exceptional user-friendly experience with all of these features and more, you’re ahead of most of the competition. If not, your visitors will leave and find something better.
Nabooki offers turnkey marketplace solutions with all the features travellers are looking for so you can keep your visitors on your destination website or niche travel marketplace engaged and transacting. The travel industry is constantly evolving and as we move into 2023, there are several trends that we expect to see continue to grow in popularity.
Travel trends conclusion
Experiential travel, eco-friendly tourism and health and wellness retreats will all become more popular as travellers seek out new experiences and look for ways to improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Micro-trips and staycations will also be on the rise as people look to save money and reduce their carbon footprint. Technology will play an increasingly important role in trip planning, and booking and expectations are high.
The team at Nabooki are experienced in stimulating tourism business across a wide range of applications at all scales. We’re happy to help discuss your ideas for a specific target market you wish to pursue if you need to enhance your existing site or if there is a large-scale solution you are seeking.
We can help with monetisation options and we have a team that can do all of the heavy lifting, including front-line support (they’re also amazingly good at what they do). In fact, you might be surprised to find out how easy it is to plug in a marketplace to your existing site.
