Tourism faces disruption with shifting markets and demand for personalized, luxury experiences, emphasizing the importance of local travel and strategic adaptation according to the McKinsey report.
Tourism and hospitality are on a journey of disruption. Shifting source markets and destinations, growing demand for experiential and luxury travel, and innovative business strategies are all combining to dramatically alter the industry landscape, reveals a recent McKinsey report. Given this momentous change, it’s important for stakeholders to consider and strategize on four major themes:
- The bulk of travel is close to home. Although international travel might draw headlines, stakeholders shouldn’t neglect the big opportunities in their backyards. Domestic travel still represents the bulk of travel spending, and intraregional tourism is on the rise.
- Consumers increasingly prioritize travel – when it’s on their own terms. Interest in travel is booming, but travelers are no longer content with a one-size-fits-all experience. Individual personalization might not always be practical, but savvy industry players can use segmentation and hypothesis-driven testing to improve their value propositions. Those that fail to articulate
target customer segments and adapt their offerings accordingly risk getting left behind. - The face of luxury travel is changing. Demand for luxury tourism and hospitality is expected to grow faster than any other travel segment today – particularly in Asia. It’s crucial to understand that luxury travelers don’t make up a monolith. Segmenting by age, nationality, and net worth can reveal varied and evolving preferences and behaviors.
- As tourism grows, destinations will need to prepare to mitigate overcrowding. Destinations need to be ready to handle the large tourist flows of tomorrow. Now is the time for stakeholders to plan, develop, and invest in mitigation strategies. Equipped with accurate assessments of carrying capacities and enhanced abilities to gather and analyze data, destinations can improve
their transportation and infrastructure, build tourism-ready workforces, and preserve their natural and cultural heritages.
