As one of the world’s largest growing industries, the travel industry is ever-changing. Every new season brings in a new change. Be it new technology, trends, demands, or anything you can explore your mind about. We all know that when it comes to trends, different factors are fundamental in influencing them. But the question is, does that make any difference to your travel business? Yes, in fact, a massive one.
Since people travel for various reasons, be it business, medical emergencies, or even a peaceful getaway, tourism comes in all shapes and sizes. There are several types of tourism, but because the world has been changing rapidly post-lockdown, a few emerging types of tourism in 2023 are naturally anticipated. Although it is impossible to foresee the future, we can definitely predict a few based on the crowd’s overall inclination towards the lifestyle they prefer now.
Being updated with trends and upcoming changes in the travel industry can play a crucial role in driving your travel business toward success. Because crowd demands massively influence these new trends, coordinating your business with these changes can boost your sales. So, as we bid goodbye to 2022 and welcome a new year, are there any types of tourism in 2023 that travel agencies should look out for? Let us find out!
Types of Tourism
Tourism has been a profitable business right from the start. Over the years, it has evolved in many aspects. And though a new year will surely bring in new types of tourism, initially, it was only divided into three types. So, jumping into the new types of tourism in 2023, let us first check out some of the initial types of tourism.
Domestic Tourism
Domestic tourism, as the name suggests, refers to the kind of tourism where a tourist goes on a vacation in their own country. So, suppose you are a resident of Delhi and have just booked a trip to Goa with your friends. Now because both the departure, as well as arrival destinations belong to India, this is an example of domestic tourism.
Inbound Tourism
The term ’inbound tourism’’ is often used to refer to people coming into a country from a foreign land. For example, for American people, inbound tourism would mean tourists traveling from a different country to the US.
Outbound Tourism
Judging by the term, outbound tourism is, obviously, the exact opposite of what inbound tourism means. Outbound tourism refers to the kind of tourism where a tourist travels outside their country. For instance, outbound tourism, for the people of the US, would mean traveling to lands outside the US.
Upcoming Types of Tourism in 2023
Now that you have an idea about the three main types that tourism is divided into Let us take a look at the upcoming types of tourism in 2023.
Ecotourism
Although ecotourism was born around the 1980s, it only recently started gaining much-deserved popularity. The concept of ecotourism refers to responsible travel to natural areas, conservation of the environment, and improvement of local well-being. To understand better, there are three characteristics of ecotourism. First is ecotourism being all about nature. The second, ecotourism, promotes being environmentally educated. And the third is being sustainable while on trips.
Why do we see that coming in full force in the new year? The rapid shift in people’s lifestyle choices. Today’s crowd is becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, meaning more tourists are opting for ecotourism.
Wildlife Tourism
Wildlife tourism is an important part of several countries’ travel industries. It focuses on the local flora and fauna and their life in their natural habitat. Wildlife tourism promotes acquiring knowledge about wildlife and understanding how everything in the world is connected to one another. In recent years, wildlife tourism has gained immense popularity worldwide.
Wildlife tourism has also successfully made a go-to option for many travelers seeking adventure amongst the wildlife. And although wildlife tourism has been a hit since it was first made official, it might be one of the most popular upcoming types of tourism in 2023 because of the better travel and accommodation facilities that travel agencies have been offering to their wildlife tourists.
Sustainable Tourism
In simple terms, sustainability in tourism can be defined as tourism that has more positive impacts on communities, the economy, and the environment and minimizes negative impacts. Sustainable tourism takes into account the needs of travelers while also ensuring the needs of host communities, local businesses, and the environment is also met.
Sustainable tourism is another type of tourism that has gained a lot of fame in recent years for its contribution to nature. Being environmentally aware, tourists these days have been looking for sustainable vacations. This has made travel agencies add sustainable travel packages to their services, where they would add different sustainable options, ranging from transportation to accommodation.
Off-the-Beat Tourism
As the term defines, offbeat tourism means going beyond tourist attractions and leaving the beaten path. This has become a popular tourism category in recent years, especially post-lockdown. Because the lockdown had us all imprisoned within the concrete cells for almost two years, the idea of vacation or freedom conceived after lockdown is more towards untrodden places with closer proximity to nature.
Since 2023 will be the first year after 2020 without any travel restrictions, tourists would highly prefer booking trips to offbeat places. This is a great opportunity for travel agencies to offer special ‘‘offbeat’’ travel packages to expand their customer sphere.
Virtual Tourism
Virtual tourism is one of the only solutions to the ‘‘new normal’’. So, what exactly does virtual tourism mean? As the name suggests, Virtual tours are digital solutions that allow you to go on a vacation, or any place for that matter, without actually visiting it.
Although it might sound sad, virtual tourism can be a huge thing in the future that would completely transform the travel industry. Sure, it is far away in the future. Still, considering current technological advancements, we might actually be lucky enough in 2023 to get a glimpse of what virtual reality has in store for us.
Bleisure Tourism
Firstly, to understand what bleisure tourism means, let us first understand what the term ‘‘bleisure’’ stands for. The term ‘‘bleisure’’ is a portmanteau of “business’’ and ‘‘leisure’’. So, what does bleisure tourism mean? Bleisure is the act of extending business trips for leisure purposes.
With more and more companies setting up their offices in hybrid mode, business travelers today prefer to opt-in for a bleisure vacation. Travel agencies can use this opportunity to make their travel business profitable through special bleisure packages, where a business trip can be converted into a bleisure trip at a discounted amount.
Geotourism
Tourism that enhances a place’s distinctive geographical character, such as its environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture, and residents’ well-being, is called geotourism. In simple terms, geotourism refers to trips to places with geological value.
To understand geotourism better, let’s take the example of the Undara Lava Tubes located in Australia. Because the Undara Lava Tubes were formed naturally from hardened lava, a trip to this geological site gives a better understanding of the impacts of lava on our ecosystem.
Bicycle Tourism
Simply put, bicycle tourism is any kind of tourism that includes a bicycle. It is a travel activity where bikers choose to travel to their chosen destination on a bicycle for adventure. Bicycle tourism is also beneficial because of its environment-friendly nature and is a huge bonus for a healthy lifestyle.
With an increasing number of people moving toward a healthy lifestyle and bicycles being one of the fastest-growing recreational activities, it would not be a surprise if bicycle tourism becomes a hit in the new year.
Culinary Tourism
Lastly, we have our favorite newbie – culinary tourism. As you can already guess by the name, culinary tourism is the type of tourism where a person explores a place and its culture through its local food and drinks. This type of tourism is also known as ‘‘food tourism’’.
Now, why is this on our list for upcoming types of tourism in 2023? Because why not? Food has always brought people together across the world. Another reason culinary tourism can be seen as an upcoming trend in 2023 is the ease of sharing through social media. Thanks to platforms like Youtube, people can finally live their dream of being food vlogging.
Change is the Only Constant
Nothing in this world is forever; the same goes for the travel industry. Because change is the only constant, it is often challenging for a business owner to keep up with trends. Although no one knows what the future holds for us, staying updated with the crowd’s demand is essential for a successful business. We hope our shortlisted upcoming types of tourism in 2023 have helped you understand the travel market for 2023 better.
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