Trends that help us understand 2022

One of the main challenges DMOs face today is keeping track of changes in consumer behaviour. Everything we have experienced over the last few years - the pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, among other events - has been shaping preferences and motivations in tourism very quickly. That is why trends sit at the core of what we do and why we are so passionate about them.

The DTTT team is committed to researching the market dynamics and how they can influence the work of DMOs. We are also focused on looking at the opportunities these may bring because we believe this helps destinations thrive - and that is why we are the best at it.

In this sense, we have been closely following industry trends in particular throughout the pandemic. So far, we've seen huge travel demand, with businesses and destinations working to reach pre-pandemic levels once again. This is great news for those who have seen a major shortfall for almost two consecutive years.

Skyscanner's Horizons report , launched last May with DTTT's collaboration, already stated that 2022 would be a year in which people would travel more and spend more. The report also highlighted that people were planning longer trips.

Nevertheless, there are some new challenges for the industry that have arisen more recently.?

Firstly, the war in Ukraine. Not only does this leaves some visitors uncomfortable travelling, but also prices are significantly rising, especially for the air travel industry with impacts on the final consumer.

Secondly, the significant flux of visitors and the large-scale tourism at some destinations. If we look at Barcelona, we see that demand is rebounding close to pre-pandemic levels, meaning that the over-tourism scenario is a debate once again. The Amalfi Coast, in Italy, faces the same issue and it has already responded by implementing a car ban. During peak hours in the summer, cars travelling on the 35-kilometre stretch of the Amalfi coastline between Positano and Vietri Sul Mare will be subject to an alternate license plate system. On even-numbered days, cars with plates ending in an even number are prohibited from accessing the road, while on odd-numbered days, cars ending in an odd number will be banned.

Third and lastly, the shortage of staff, especially in the airline industry. A lot of jobs were cut during the pandemic and now many aviation-sector employees have moved on to other, less volatile careers. As a result, many airlines are cancelling flights to secure their operations and minimise long queues and delays. Authorities in Germany, for instance, have announced that they will permit entry for workers from other countries to fill in the gap noted at the country’s airports.

In the DTTT’s 2022 Trends Report, launched in March 2022, we pointed out that the industry must become more flexible, more cooperative, more inclusive and more sustainable to address today’s challenges. This still holds true a few days later, yet in the backdrop of these significant management challenges.

Tourism organisations today need to be agile and responsive to address this need for flexibility. The dynamic use of data is one of the ways that destinations can prioritise amongst growing complexity and challenges, to start becoming more flexible. At the same time, the industry should look at partnerships as a way to broaden their perspective (by working within tourism’s supply chain) and get access to unlimited opportunities for transformative value creation. Then there is accessibility. Including everybody in the picture is a prerequisite for everything destinations and businesses do. Those who believe in this approach will be able to deliver personalised experiences because we all have different needs. Lastly, beyond all, there is the importance of adopting sustainable practices - especially at a business level.

We thought it would be worthwhile highlighting two destinations that are taking this approach and succeeding in implementing transformational strategies, starting at home.

The first is the Azores , in Portugal. This is the first archipelago in the world to achieve international certification of sustainable destination by an entity accredited by the GSTC. Carolina Mendon?a, the Azores DMO coordinator, shared some of the reasons behind the destination's success during the X Design Week.

Accessibility is one - this has been one of the key elements of the DMO - by including everyone (government, stakeholders, businesses and local community) into the process to adjust the strategy, redefine the action plan, and discuss the main challenges for sustainability in the Azores). According to her, “Azores focus on people and work with them and involves them to make sure everyone rows in the same direction”.

The second is Benidorm , the first Smart Tourist Destination in Spain. Lucho Pérez, Social Media Manager at Visit Benidorm, explained at the X Design Week about Benidorm’s journey to becoming a smart destination with five pillars: Innovation, Technology, Sustainability, Governance and Accessibility.

In the field of security, for example, they applied a drone policy to oversee the situation at different locations in the destination. In the case of accessibility, Benidorm employed a strategy to ensure the destination is accessible to all (initiatives such as the PERDIF accessibility guide, accessible tourism guides, and Navilens, an evolution of QR codes that can be read from a long distance and on the move without requiring focus).

Trust is another relevant issue to bear in mind. If during the pandemic, everybody in the industry was trying to communicate in a way to get their customers’ trust (with a focus on health & safety mostly), now things have changed. Visitors are less concerned about covid and its implications, but on the other hand, they are more concerned about uncertainty related to flights and personal income, the cost of living and the impact on the cost of tourism.?

To conclude, it is key that organisations understand how volatile and dynamic the tourism sector is. The past few years have taught us that we need to be agile and flexible to answer the needs of the market, whilst looking for a sustainable approach to development. These are key issues to address today when we discuss digital & consumer trends in tourism.

Lastly, Design Thinking is a method applied day-in, day-out with its work and is an innovative approach which can tackle specific challenges and identify brilliant ideas, which can be prototyped rapidly to instantly evaluate the merits. When we see strains, such as long-queues at Schiphol Airport and the enormous frustration that tarnishes the industry's image, we believe those who adopt such methods in their workflow will be better positioned to quickly adapt and come up with innovative solutions to what sometimes seems like insurmountable challenges.