Skift Travel Megatrends 2014

2013 was a year of big stories in travel, and we brought you all of the important ones. But what will drive the world’s largest industry in 2014? How will the megatrends in travel intersect with the ground realities of economies-in-upheaval and technological changes?

At the start of 2013, we connected the dots to bring you the trends that were driving the business of travel last year. During the year, we also started doing a deeper dive into specific trends through our Skift Trends Reports service.

Now at the start of 2014, we’re looking at 14 trends we think will drive travel industry and consumers this year and beyond. Design, user experience, data, and ease of travel will define travel trends in 2014, and our 14 trends reflect that.

These range from the esoteric (Rise of Silent Traveler) to the practical (metasearch’s continued rise). Most of them cut across the sub-sectors in travel, affecting each and every corner of the travel industry.

We believe these 14 trends, by no means exhaustive, will help define travel and many other interconnected sectors in 2014:

» Rise of The Silent Traveler
» Blurring of Business and Leisure Travel
» Curation Is Coming To Travel Listings
» Visuals are the New Language of Marketing in Travel
» The Rise of Smart Design In Travel
» Substandard Travel Startups Abound
» Continued Rise of Chinese Independent Traveler
» Rise of Local in Hospitality
» Low-Cost Carriers Continue to Eat the World
» The Relaxation of Visa Regulations
» Alternative Transportation on the Ascendant
» Sharing Economy Turns from Disruption to Collaboration
» Airlines and Airports Finally Deliver on Self-Serve
» Continued Rise of Metasearch

Check out the 2014 trends below in the presentation, or download them for deeper read. Either way, share them if you like them and think others can benefit from them.

Download the Report