Booking.com is right, Responsible Travel is the next big thing for 2019!

Booking.com's recent trend report suggested that more conscious, responsible tourism will be on the up for 2019. That's a trend that we at Responsible Travel can get down with. But as for the rest, it's time to get real...

Overtourism is only going to get worse
Overtourism is not a new problem but the backlash will continue to deepen. Victims of overtourism who have had their soul destroyed by unmanageable tourist numbers will now see the tourists leave, and with them will go the locals and the economy.  As switched on millennials start to abandon destinations like Venice due in part to the influx of cruise liners bombarding the city, we'll start to see more growth in small ship cruises which allow their passengers to reach smaller islands and have a more authentic experience.

Overtourism protests are set to continue as local residents stop asking 'what can we do for tourism?' and start asking 'what can tourism do for us?' As part of the answer to the latter, tourism taxes will begin to be commonplace.

Climate change, electric planes and single-use plastics
Southern Europe will become too hot for some – with temperatures regularly exceeding 40 degrees centigrade which means that families may start to look elsewhere for their summer break. As a result, Scandinavia is set to benefit both as a family destination in summer and an alternative winter destination as ski season in the Alps becomes shorter and less reliable.

Severe water shortages will become much more common, Cape Town will be seen as a canary in the coalmine as more destinations experience extreme drought and the threat of Day Zero.

Norwegian's commitment to fly electric planes to all short haul destinations by 2040, whilst a step in the right direction, will be seen as a date too far ahead in the future and as such, airlines will come under pressure from activists to make it happen much quicker.

Tourists awareness of, and intolerance for, single-use plastics will grow with tourists starting to rebel by pointing out or giving back unnecessary plastics in a more assertive way.

Accessible tourism
On a more positive note, the accessible tourism market will continue to be a growth area, as both tour operators and tourists start to discover that much of the world is much more accessible than first thought. We'll see an increase in Egyptian Nile cruises which are easily adaptable for a range of customer needs.

The 'One for One' idea will have its moment in tourism, challenging the inherent inequality of tourism and making world heritage sites available to the people who's heritage it actually is, no matter their economic status. Our Trip for Trip scheme has been copied and grown by Exodus and Tui Cares Foundation is starting to do similar work in this area  We're pushing for more of this.

Leave the phone at home
Technology will continue to be play a part in overtourism, with the desire to get 'that' famous Instagram photo increasingly placing more pressure on very specific sites.

Having your phone glued to your palm means always being in contact with friends and relatives back home. Tourists will lose the ability to immerse themselves in a destination or have a truly authentic experience where they switch off from home. As a result, the amount of time spent on the phone while on holiday will only continue to increase.

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For more information contact Tom
T:   +44 (0)1273 829271
E:   tom@responsibletravel.com
W:  www.responsibletravel.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Responsible Travel

Responsible Travel is the world's largest activist travel company specialising in responsible tourism. We match our customers with the most suitable holiday providers all of whom are as deeply committed to responsible tourism as we are. Our aim is to create a more caring tourism industry by connecting travellers with an authentic, exciting and alternative holiday experience, which positively impacts and benefits communities, cultures and conservation.

We're an activist travel company that prides itself on raising awareness of controversial and important issues - we're not afraid to campaign and question the tourism industry. One element of this in action is our trip for trip scheme, which has been set up to tackle inequality at the heart of the tourism industry. We offer every customer the chance to give back, where at no extra cost to the customer; they can choose to send a disadvantaged child or young person on a day trip, every time they book a holiday through Responsible Travel. And we're asking the travel industry to follow our lead.

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