Tracey Poggio, chairman of Antor, gives an overview of the organisations? Annual Review event, which outlined major trends for 2020 and updated participants on Brexit.
This year's Antor Annual Review took place on February 26 at JCDecaux?s London offices.
More than 60 representatives from over 32 Antor member destinations gathered to hear a wrap-up of the previous year and learn more about the latest travel insights and tourism trends from industry experts.
Dale Keller, chief executive of the Board of Airline Representatives, opened the event with the views and predictions of the airline industry for the year ahead.
Although some challenges due to global and regional issues including Brexit and the coronavirus are expected, the airline industry is showing a positive outlook for the next year including taking a large step forward to more sustainable aviation.
An ambitious new industry carbon commitment was introduced on February 4 called ?NetZero Roadmap?. This aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The event continued with a panel discussion on 2020 trends and predictions by Cat Jordan, communications director of Travelzoo; Josh Peckham, senior director of media solutions, Kayak; Kelly Cookes, leisure director of Advantage Travel Partnership; and Samantha Mandel-Dallal, head of financial planning, analysis and marketplaces for Secret Escapes.
When it comes to 2020 travel predictions, adventure and foodie escapes are leading the way, according to the panel, with more and more travellers opting for package deals focusing on a mix of cultural and foodie scenes of destinations.
Agents need to be aware that technology will continue to affect bookings, with one-third of travellers using mobile apps to book their holidays, according to research.
Unsurprisingly, Instagrammable destinations will remain at the top of the list for many travellers, with events and TV influencing people?s tourism choices. Japan with the upcoming Olympics and South Africa, due to the most recent series of Love Island are examples of influential events and TV programmes when it comes to making bookings.
There has also been an increase in lead times, with many travellers planning long-haul holidays well in advance. Additionally, last minute impulse buys, due to unmissable social media offers, are growing in popularity.
Not forgetting about the important silver travellers? market, Gill Haynes, partnership director of Silver Travel Advisor, discussed 2019 industry findings and upcoming travel trends for the over-50s.
Similar to the younger generations, many silver travellers are seeking adventurous holidays, with a rising number becoming more and more tech- and social-media savvy.
Last but not least, Kurt Janson, director of the Tourism Alliance, wrapped up the event by discussing what the tourism industry can expect post-Brexit.
Although it is still unclear what the exact impact will be overall, travel to the EU will become slightly more complex with new travel insurance and driving license regulations adding to the to-do list for people travelling from the UK into Europe, and the government?s plan to end the use of EU national identity cards set to affect inbound travel.
On a more positive note, the UK?s aviation agreement, coach services, and non-EU travel will most likely remain unaffected.
