Introducing… Industry Spotlight. Each month, a TW analyst will put one of our 16 key B2C industries under the spotlight – sharing three ideas they predict will redefine Business As Usual.
Of all the industries to weather a global pandemic, it would be fair to say that travel has had it hard. Things might still feel a little rocky, but the ‘new normal’ presented by Covid continues to provide fertile ground for innovation. I’ve cherry-picked a few ideas spotted while researching for the Travel Industry Update (going out to members of our intelligence platform, TrendWatching Premium, in a couple of months) plus the meaningful business opportunities they’ll unlock. Let’s get going!
Aviation Training Camp for Amateur Astronauts
There’s been much talk of how astro-tourism will reshape travel, but little has been said of the astro-training industry it will spawn. While Orbite’s program targets high-net-worth consumers, similar experiences will trickle down to the remaining 99% – either preparing people for space travel or (for those without the money or inclination) standing in for astro-tourism altogether. You don’t have to be Bezos or Branson to start making inroads here. A gap is already emerging for brands that can offer everyone a flavour of astro-tourism, be that through next-level simulation experiences or inspirational, firsthand advice.
Static caravan gets a millennial-friendly upgrade
Van life is nothing new, but this UK-based caravan project puts forward an exciting proposition. Club Jupiter is less about hitting the open road and more about broadening the appeal of family-oriented holiday parks to younger generations. It touches upon many shifts we’ve noted over the past year – the rise of DIY, repurposed spaces, SYNCHRONOS mentalities – and holds hope for domestic tourism post-pandemic, particularly among the rising tides of anti-flight travellers. For millennials, status doesn’t necessarily lie in expensive flights or five-star luxury, but unusual experiences that don’t cost the earth – in more ways than one.
Lufthansa’s sustainability marketplace
While we’re on the subject of flights, the battle for clean airspace continues. Various airport terminals have made bids at carbon neutrality, blimps hover on the horizon for domestic inter-city travel and France has agreed to ban many domestic flights altogether. These developments might hold promise for a greener future in the long term, but Lufthansa’s new sustainability marketplace feels like a tangible way brands can assuage their consumers’ flygskam. Many of the offsetting schemes sound like regenerative tourism projects themselves: perhaps carbon-offsetting vacations mark the new frontier of voluntourism?
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