Chapter 4 - Tomorrow's Tourist: Scenarios & Trends

Tourism began when time began. Babylonian money-traders travelled for business, the Egyptian Queen Hatshesput took a cruise along the east coast of Africa and the British aristocracy took Grand Tour of Europe with Thomas Cook in the nineteenth century. Tourism is about experiences, whether exploring an unfamiliar culture, shopping, lying on a beach or enjoying sport in far-flung places — or a little nearer home. What has changed is the massive growth in tourism, including both the choice of destinations and the number of tourists. In Chapter 3, many world megatrends were discussed; this chapter places them in the context of consumer behaviour in the first decades of the twenty-first century. What are the drivers and trends that will shape world tourism and the tourist of the future? Two main areas have been identified: Megadrivers, the macro conditions that will shape international tourism, and trends, which shape individuals’ thought processes when they make choices about destination or activity.