12 tourism trends that will shape the future of world tourism

In 1950, world tourism began with 25 million international arrivals according to the UNWTO. In 2019, this reached 1.45 billion. Then COVID-19 arrived, and the world changed. It is forecasted that tourism will lose over one billion international arrivals in 2020. This is a conservative estimate. So, what is the future of global tourism? Micro trends are a subset of the mega drivers of change. These micro trends are focused on how mega drivers reshape and adapt within a specific context, i.e. tourism.

What is the future of global tourism?

In the new special issue of our Journal of Tourism Futures, we highlight 12 contributions from authors who identify a series of micro trends which will be global forces going into the future:

  1. The rise of micromobilities at tourism destinations
  2. The future of tourism destination management
  3. Influence of new cinematographic and television operators
  4. Eco-anxiety and the flight shaming movement
  5. Slow food tourism
  6. Uncovering the potential of urban culture for creative placemaking
  7. E-mindfulness: facilitating tourists’ connections to the present moment
  8. Urban wellness: the space-out moment
  9. Lifestyle developments and the links to solo tourism
  10. Big data and analytics in tourism and hospitality
  11. Demographic change as a driver for tourism automation
  12. Multisided platforms (MSPs) in the travel industry

This special issue is part one of two parts. The second issue will be published later this year.

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