COMCEC Tourism Outlook-2018
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Conclusions with respect to the consumer profile and the trends of the next 20 years reached by
assessing results of various studies conducted by the World Tourism Organization can be
summed up as follows:
 Long-haul travel and overseas travel will increase and new destinations in relevant
regions will gain importance.
 Electronic media (interactive maps, Internet, web sites, etc.) will be increasingly more
important for choosing destinations and making reservations.
 In line with the increasing education and welfare level of individuals, the number of
experienced traveler groups will increase.
 Preferences of tourists will become diverse and demand for innovation and variety will
rise; the emphasis will be on comfort and adventure. For product development, 3S (i.e.,
sun-sand-sea) will be replaced by 3E (i.e., excitement-education-entertainment).
 In parallel with an increase in average human life expectancy, retirement period will be
longer and people will have more time for vacation.
 Singles, and couples without children, and 65+ (“the third age”) groups are anticipated
to constitute the larger percentage of the world population with more resource
allocated to travel and entertainment. By the year 2030, the fastest increases are in
those 65 and older group, which will see a jump in developing countries by 140 percent.
By 2040, the global population is projected to reach 1.3 billion and older people
accounting for 14 percent of the total (Hammond, 2011).
 Average working time will decrease and people will have more time for vacation.
 Consumers will be informed and protected within the framework of universal systems,
and the influence of campaigns addressed to consumers for a sustainable and balanced
development of tourism will be stronger.
Horwart HTL (2015) has also identified 10 global trends which will influence mid- and long-
term tourism development. Among these, first five of trends will have a major influence on
demand in the tourism sector but will also impact the second set of trends, which concerns
changing supply. Together, they represent forces which will shape the future of tourism.
According to this report, global population is aging and as a result silver hair tourists’ segment is
emerging -– with specific desires and needs in terms of customization, service consumption,
security and desired products. The share of world’s population over the age of 60 increased from
8% in 1950 to 17% in 2017. According to forecasts, this segment’s share will reach 22%by 2050.
Silver hair tourists are an important tourist segment and are expected to spend more than all
other age groups on travels with a satisfactory disposable income, less home responsibilities
and empty nests, more time to travel and relatively good health. They require tailor-made
services and prefer to build trust through face-to-face interaction with providers. They also have
different preferences and interests, expectations and needs, and their focus is often based on
special interest. Health and wellness travel is popular among silver hair tourists (Horwart
HTL,2015; UN, 2017).