Are you a ‘simplicity searcher’ or a ‘social capital seeker’? New studyreveals how and why we will travel by 2030

By 2030 more than 1.8 billion of us will travel internationally every year, and what motivates us as well as how we behave will be radically different to today.

By the end of the next decade, some people will purchase and consume travel experiences almost entirely on the basis of how shareable they are, or how much ‘capital’ they generate, via social networks. Another group of travellers will demand total simplicity and freedom from having to arrange their own travel by 2030, wanting as much as possible to be done remotely, by third parties. At the same time, a dedicated group will emerge with a desire for only the most hedonistic, indulgent and must-have experiences.

These are just some of the forecasts made in Future Traveller Tribes 2030: understanding tomorrow’s traveller, a major new report which launches today identifying the different traveller personalities and segments the industry can expect to emerge and become prominent over the next fifteen years.

The research process involved interviews and workshops with industry experts as well as trend-spotting research with consumers in the relevant travel markets including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea. Taking a psychographic rather than demographic approach, the report draws on Future Foundation’s proprietary consumer research forecasts to identify the six distinct traveller personalities as:

• Social Capital Seekers will structure their holidays almost exclusively with online audiences in mind, relying heavily on peer reviews and recommendations to validate their decisions. A whole new market may open up based on “profile-boosting breaks”, filled with consciously feed-friendly moments  

• Cultural Purists will look at holiday-making as a chance to immerse oneself in an alien - even uncomfortably so - culture, where enjoyment of the break depends on the authenticity of the experience
  

• Ethical Travellers will make travel plans based on moral grounds, for example, decreasing their carbon footprint or improving the lives of others. They will often improvise or add some element of volunteering, community development or eco-sustainable activity to their holidays

• Simplicity Searchers will prefer bundled offers, seeking to avoid managing too many trip details themselves. Holidays for this tribe represent a rare time in life to pamper oneself with the assurance of their safety and enjoyment
  

• Obligation Meeters will be driven by a specific purpose for travel, whether business or leisure, and thus have constraints on time and budget; they will seek smart algorithm based technology that is able to remove the hassle of travel
  

• Reward Hunters are only interested in indulgent travel. Many have come to crave something that represents an extraordinary reward or ‘must have’ premium experience, a return on their hard earned investment of time and energy in their working lives 

“The traveller today has more power than ever before. They are increasingly complex, empowered, and no longer want to be siloed into demographic groups of age, nationality and income. By 2030, hyper-customisation will be the default expectation among many customers. With Asia Pacific set to lead global travel growth through to 2030, it is particularly critical for all providers, buyers and sellers of travel in the region to truly understand these emerging ‘traveller tribes’ and make the right investment decisions now to gear towards future traveller preferences. Amadeus is playing a leading role in driving the travel industry forward is are working closely with our customers and partners to deliver a future travel experience that is more personalised, connected and sustainable,” commented Angel Gallego, President, Amadeus Asia Pacific

 

Nick Chiarelli, Director, Future Foundation commented: “Our research shows not just that the type of experience demanded by travellers in 2030 will be different to 2015 but that the way travellers buy and engage with the industry is also set to change. Over the next 15 years the desire to share travel experiences will be profound, and so too the impact of sharing on inspiration and purchase trends will grow. As consumers in developed markets approach a post-material era we expect a much greater focus on, first of all, experience, and second of all, ethics, both environmental and social, to significantly influence people’s travel choices and behaviours.”

 

To download the report and to see which tribe you belong to, please visit www.amadeus.com/tribes2030. You can also download icons of the six traveller tribes via this link.

In June, you will be able to download a second complementary report, written by Frost & Sullivan, examining how the travel industry can specifically cater to the needs and individual purchasing habits of the six tribes identified in Future Traveller Tribes 2030: understanding tomorrow’s traveller.