What WILL Travel and Tourism Be in 2050?
I just read an interesting article by Bruce Hodge of Goway Travel about some predictions for what travel and tourism will be like 40 years from now- quite different, no doubt. Think back 40 years ago- no Disney World....Cruise ships were rare, and strictly for the well-heeled - as was going on Safari. Flying overseas was also for the wealthy. All-inclusive resorts were very, very rare. Touring meant spending endless hours on buses with rigid schedules and limited photo opps. Sailing to Antarctica was strictly for the most adventurous scientist - now it is widely available for the leisure traveler!
So what predictions were made? here are a few beauties which may, or may not become a reality
- High-Tech Ceramic Fuselage on planes could make plane transparent for better passenger viewing
- Space Tourism offering both orbital and sub-orbital flights
- High Speed Rail (I think this guy isn't from the U.S.) becomes mainstream
- Airship Hotels will become the new cruise ship offering flights low and slow with breathtaking views
- Space Hotels (ok, thinking probably not the Super 8 chain)
- Beaches and Resorts you know today may need to relocate to higher ground due to rising sea levels
- China will be #1 destination & there will be more Chinese tourists worldwide than any other nationality
- Book Years in Advance for Top Tourism Sites and Monuments (due to increased population growth - very likely)
- Wilderness and Wildlife areas of today largely gone - several huge managed areas available to get back to nature
- Small Ship and Boutique Cruises to Exotic locations much more common
- Virtual Tourism has arrived and you can simulate most any experience
Do I believe that all of these predictions will materialize? Probably not, but many most likely will due to factors such as global climate change and global population growth. Many are inevitable, and as the global economy expands, once poor and remote countries will no longer remain so. Spreading Democracy will mean fewer wars and fewer countries that are inaccessible. Could you have imagined vacationing in Russia or China or Vietnam in 1970? Oh, you will be vacationing in Cuba and Iraq in 2050 - most likely LONG before that!
What does this mean to you? Hang on for the ride! If you want to see The Great Migration in East Africa
or experience certain glaciers you better plan to go soon because 40 years from now they may be a fading memory...
Oh, and the last prediction was for travel agents. They WILL still be around, but may be referred to as "Lifestyle Managers" - I like that.... see you in 2050, when EZTravelpad will still be "Your friends....in the travel business"
