How #EverydayHeroes are powering global travel!

Travel is central to discovery, both of the self and the world outside. This seeking of self-discovery and knowledge in us has made people travel for centuries, however in the last few years, more people than ever before are travelling for new experiences. The result of this has been nine straight years of growth of the global tourism industry outpacing the growth rate of the world’s GDP. In 2018, travel & tourism contributed a staggering $8.8 trillion to the economy, a 3.9% rise from 2017.

The growth in the travel industry has not only helped in creating physical assets in far-flung places but also generated technological innovation and provided employment to millions of hard working hospitality professionals around the world, in both formal and informal sectors. Today, Tourism accounts for 1 out of every 10 jobs in the world creating a substantial impact on the socio-economic fabric of almost all 200 countries in the world.

How Tourism is providing a better future for all?

The idea of staid summer vacations and a spring break planned months in advance is on its way out. Today, international borders are rapidly becoming blurred as millennials' are increasingly travelling on impulse eager to explore new experiences, sights, and sounds, beyond the ordinary. For them every experience has to top the previous one, increasing expectations from every stay and every flight they take. According to a study, 72% of millennials would rather spend on experiences than on material possessions. This makes their affinity for travel perfectly clear. Between 2007 and 2014, the contribution of millennial tourists traveling across countries jumped by 30%. And to address this demand, Travel & Tourism providers are rethinking their offerings from an experiential vantage point.

From seamless customer journeys (across booking, flights, accommodation, and F&B) to packages built around exotic, far-flung destinations, “experience” is the new driver for industry growth. Hand-in-hand with this penchant for the new, there is also increasing awareness around responsible tourism. Compared to the 3.9 figure for overall travel & tourism, responsible or sustainable tourism is expected to register a 10% growth CAGR by 2023.

Tourists are now not only eager to find (and document) new places, but they are also conscious of the need to leave its terrain, flora, and fauna undisturbed after a visit. Another key part of sustainable tourism is the support that it provides to local businesses – and this brings us to the next element in this discussion.

The Role of Tourism in Economic and Social Upliftment

As I mentioned earlier the tourism industry is responsible for one out of every ten jobs! This means that among all the people you interact with on a daily basis, a significant portion directly contributes to the tourism sector. And this trend becomes even more interesting when we consider the average employee demographics in tourism. Despite a visible gender gap in most horizontals and verticals, tourism has steadily employed female workers and continues to empower in marginalized areas. In many cases, women outnumber male workers in tourism-related roles – for example, over half of the hotels, catering & tourism (HCT) workforce comprise women.

Tourism has also given voice to indigenous artists, regional F&B industries, and non-profit groups responsible for heritage sites. In several developing countries, tourism makes up a sizable portion of the global GDP. For example, in a popular destination like Singapore, tourism employs more people than industries such as banking and manufacturing – working as a vital lifeline for the country’s economy. In Africa, Travel & Tourism, is growing faster than in any other region in the world and represents nearly 10% of the continent's export.

Given this massive scope and scale, innovators are eager to deliver new ways to experience locations and ancillary services. There’s a growing cottage industry of influencer marketing built around tourism, with Instagrammers regularly bringing lesser-known destinations to our notice. Advancements such as virtual reality have also taken the sector by storm, redefining the very definition of travel.

But all of this growth in tourism is not driven by CEOs, Leaders, Automation or just interesting marketing campaigns. Yes, strategy plays the role in giving direction but it is the #EverydayHeroes that bring that strategy to life across formal and informal sectors ensuring every experience is accessible, engaging, and absolutely unforgettable.

A sustainable experience: How #EverydayHeroes are making a difference

While there is no contest to impact that the tourism sector is creating today, there is a conscious effort into taking concrete steps to safeguard and invest into the social, economic and environmental impact of tourism keeping in mind addressing the needs of future generation of visitors, industry environment and communities.

A few innovators are already making strides into making sustainable tourism a reality. Twentytú Hi-tech Hostel, became the first to obtain the BIOSPHERE RESPONSIBLE TOURISM certificate globally, is a unique new generation hostel giving priority to creating a sociable environment with fellow travelers.

The recently announced Travalyst initiative by the HRH The Duke of Sussex is a step in the right direction bringing together the giants like Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and Visa, pivoting a vast workforce towards transforming the future of travel. This is one of many stories of people tirelessly behind the scenes to make travel experiences unique, and sustain profitability on an over-arching industry level.

The travel and tourism industry will continue to sustain and scale in the future, however it is not the advent of next-gen technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) or initiatives backed by decision makers and influencers that will make the difference. It is the people on ground, the #EverydayHeroes, who will be the catalyst for this change by working relentlessly to deliver unparalleled experiences and redefining the guest experience, as we know it.

So before you set out for your next business trip or plan your next adventure, think of everyone in travel and hospitality that works towards a single goal of making your dreams come true. Let’s take a moment and salute these #everydayheroes by sharing your experiences in the comment...