Tourism sector in 2021: tourism trends and changes

Tourism, along with hospitality, has been the sector most hit by the pandemic in 2020. Although in 2021 the forecasts are more encouraging, it will only mean a partial recovery to 2019 levels. According to analysts, the rebound could begin during the third quarter of this year and will be based on three pillars: health security, government aid and the willingness of consumers. This year, tourism trends will be very different.

Tourism in 2021

2021 is emerging as a key year for the recovery of the tourism sector. After a disastrous period due to the pandemic, forecasts for the last quarter of this year are optimistic. However, the new sustainable tourism will be marked by several fundamental pillars.

Health measures

Hotel clients will seek maximum health safety. The return to normality will be gradual and the trauma of the pandemic will still remain latent, which will mark the tourism trends. Therefore, it will be vital to maintain, optimize and adapt health protection measures. In the hypothetical case of a new outbreak of cases or the emergence of a new strain, the focus will be on free mobility, so hotels must be perceived as a safe environment. Some of the measures that must be maintained are social distancing, capacity in common areas and hygiene, which will mark global tourism trends.

Government aid

The tourism sector has been hit hard by the pandemic. In countries like Spain, whose GDP depends to a large extent on national and international tourism, public aid should serve as a springboard to recover pre-covid turnover. Some new players, such as venture capital funds, are already beginning to take positions to help the sector to boost throughout the year.

The willingness of travelers

Undoubtedly, what will mark the recovery of the tourism sector will be people's own willingness to travel. According to CESAE Business & Tourism School, this factor may be more decisive than public aid in recovering pre-crisis levels.

2021 tourism trends

Flexibility

To stimulate demand and confidence when traveling, hotels must be willing to be flexible with reservations. Facilitating free cancellations or refunds are critical aspects that will mark the future of the sector in the medium term.

Luxury tourism

On the other hand, it is believed that luxury tourism will be the first to recover. For this reason, customers will show greater willingness to hire exclusive services, luxury suites and all kinds of activities.

Implementation of new technologies

The 5G will also play an important role in the recovery. This technology will allow exploiting Internet of Things (Internet of Things), a new trend that could be exploited by the hotel sector to offer new services to its customers. In our portal, we already offer locks compatible with this technology.

Moving away from the city

Finally, the pandemic has generated a boom in rural tourism or staycations. Many customers will seek to move away from urban centers to enjoy contact with nature, considered a much safer environment after covid.In summary, the sector faces a difficult recovery throughout 2021, which will be marked by customer will, public aid and health measures. On the other hand, the emergence of new actors will mark the short-term boost of the sector. Above all, hotel establishment owners must be willing to offer maximum flexibility in a scenario of uncertainty, which will mark the trends of tourism in the future.

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