Tourism is one of the sectors that were affected the most by the COVID-19 pandemic. But as the situation is still fluid and scientists expect more mutations to come out, we can only speculate about the future of tourism in 2022.
The situation in 2021 was better than the previous year, but will this positive trend continue? Tourism professionals indeed wish for a better year as the memories of the record-breaking year for tourism in 2019 are still fresh.
What will the trends for tourism in 2022 be? Will they be able to revive tourism to its former glory? As we cannot answer the second question, let us review the trends that are most likely to dominate the industry next year.
Trends for tourism in 2022
As COVID-19 will likely still be around next year, all the expected trends will revolve around making traveling as safe as possible.
1. Physical distancing will be a must.
Even if the most unlikely scenario is that COVID-19 restrictions are lifted next year, people will still want to keep a safe distance and avoid crowded spaces. Therefore, professionals in the sector will need to keep most of the existing safety measures (masks, antiseptic gels etc.). But if they want to stand out, they have the time to become more creative and inventive to make people feel safe.
2. Longer tourism season
Tourist sector professionals should expect to receive tourists earlier or that their tourism season in 2022 is longer than usual. As people will still avoid getting crowded, many will seek to go on vacation earlier or later than usual in the hope of avoiding large crowds.
3. Constant Communication
Traveling during COVID-19 is already too complicated and sometimes risky. What travelers would appreciate in 2022 is to have constant communication with professionals from the sector that would inform them about all the latest changes about COVID-19 requirements.
4. Business Travels
2022 will most likely see the emergence of business traveling once more. Vaccines have turned the table for the recovery of business travels, making them now a viable and safer option than before. Businesses are reluctant to warm client relationships again and try to win more contracts during a period of uncertainty.
5. A combination of business and leisure travelling
That is similar to the digital nomads that we kept hearing about during the pandemic. Digital nomads are typically young freelancers whose line of work allows them to work from anywhere in the world. As flexible working arrangements and work from home have become common, more people can support this type of work and combine business and leisure travel.
Conclusion
The above are just some of the trends that tourist professionals will most likely face in the tourism sector in 2022. Trying to predict the market’s needs and prepare for them is the first step for the much-required sector recovery in 2022.
