According to the World Tourism Organization, it is forecasted that by 2023, the number of tourists will reach about 1.5-1.6 billion. Of which, Southeast Asia will become the 4th largest international tourist attraction region in the world with 187 million arrivals. It is also predicted that tourists traveling for sightseeing, relaxation, and entertainment purposes account for 54% of the total number of international tourists. In particular, the need for tourists to experience new values are attracted by traditional cultural values, natural values, creative values, applications of science, high technology, etc.
In 2022, the tastes and trends of Vietnamese tourists will not only change in terms of destinations and distances, but also in terms of the types of trips. Not just simply having fun and taking photos, the travel trends chosen this year have brought more meaning, experiences or more relaxation. And these trends are forecasted to continue to develop in 2023.
Survival tourism
According to a survey by Booking.com, pitching a tent, cooking over a campfire and following a compass will be the main travel trends in the coming year. Experiences without utilities, without electricity and social media isolation have never been more sought after than in 2023. 44% of travelers say they want to go back to basics and are looking for a no-utility vacation to escape reality, disconnect and live with the essentials, simple. Although this survival travel trend is not too new, its popularity reflects people's growing concern about facing the harshest conditions. This trend has grown from the anxiety when they were unprepared for the Covid pandemic before.
More eco-tours are expected to cater to the needs of city dwellers who lack a connection with nature, and accommodations will also offer experiences that help visitors adapt to nature better. Wilderness survival courses are also expected to increase alongside tourism services, where visitors will learn the skills needed to survive in the wild.
44% of travelers say they want to get back to basics and are looking for a no-frills vacation to escape reality, disconnect and live with simple, essentials
Solo travel
The trend of traveling alone is expected to continue to grow stronger in the coming time, not only in Vietnam but also around the world. According to Booking.com data during the recent pandemic, 29% of Vietnamese tourists will plan to travel alone in the future (this rate in the world is 30%). In addition, 52% of Vietnamese tourists revealed that they do not want to miss the opportunity to travel because of anxiety about the future. This mentality encourages many people to choose "solo" trips to proactively and freely explore new lands with many interesting experiences.
The trend of traveling alone is expected to continue to grow stronger in the coming time, not only in Vietnam but also around the world.
Travel "out of your comfort zone"
More and more travelers are looking to experience and immerse themselves in a new culture while traveling. Half of the travelers surveyed said they wanted to experience a completely new “culture shock.”
In 2023, instead of resort-based services, travelers will look for unique, surprising, and exciting vacations. This travel trend will also develop into unique forms such as 47% of travelers want to try the most exotic foods in the world, while 38% want to use their vacation to travel to the most ancient heritage. Even 28% want to buy a single travel ticket and follow their instincts wherever they go.
More and more trips are being made to harsh and prejudiced lands like Pakistan. Photo: Mai Huong
Green tourism
After the pandemic, tourists, especially the younger generation, are more aware of their impact on the environment. Nearly 94% of tourists surveyed by Vietnam Report said they are willing to pay more for tourism services, especially food and beverage services, for an eco-friendly vacation compared to the traditional one. They accept traveling by means of transport that emit less emissions such as electric cars and bicycles during their vacation, minimizing fast food, plastic cups, plastic bottles and prioritizing the use of recycled materials.
Traveling by bicycle is one of the highly supported activities of a homestay in Ben Tre.
Medical tourism
Pressure from lifestyle changes after the Covid-19 pandemic, along with climate change, environmental pollution, negative media and increasing epidemics, has made many tourists expected to continue to seek holidays and healing experiences in 2023.
Healing tourism is simply understood as the activity of combining healthy therapies to care for the body (spa, yoga, sports, vegan diet, ...) and the spirit (meditation, sound, painting, ...) during a vacation or travel, to comprehensively support the health of body - mind - spirit. Currently, health (Wellness) and healing products and services in tourism have gradually expanded and become more diverse since the end of 2021. Many people living in large cities, middle-class or higher, or late generation Y - early generation Z are willing to spend money to have a true healing trip.
In addition, the aging population trend has made the demand for quality of life, travel, relaxation, medical treatment, and health care increasingly focused and required to be met more in terms of quality and quantity, gradually becoming more popular and having market segmentation to meet those needs. Many tourists are expected to seek vacations and healing experiences in 2023.
Healing tourism, which focuses on inner experiences, has become popular and will continue to be a travel trend in the coming years.
Local discovery tours
This format benefits all parties involved. Tourists can have an authentic experience, staying at a local’s home, away from crowded places, experiencing new and unique things from culture, cuisine to new lifestyles while immersing themselves in the lives of local people. These experiences are designed in collaboration with local communities, helping them earn revenue from tourism and, if the activities are designed properly, will strengthen the cultural heritage of that community.
Vietnam Report's survey shows that domestic tourists consider community tourism as a part of promoting sustainable tourism development: Avoiding traveling during peak season helps reduce capacity at tourist destinations (81.5%); Buying local specialties from local people (60.0%); Buying food from local restaurants instead of restaurant chains (53.9%)...
Community-based tourism helps strengthen and expand sustainable tourism locally while providing unique experiences for visitors.
Travel combined with remote work
"Workation", a combination of work and vacation, will be the trend of combining travel with remote work for office workers in the coming years.
According to Microsoft's 2021 Work Trends Index Report, 73% of surveyed workers expressed their desire to maintain a flexible remote working method. In Vietnam, a survey conducted by the Travel Advisory Board (TAB) with more than 10,000 participants showed that 90% are willing to travel within the next 10 months. The increased need to move and innovate workspaces has promoted the desire to "migrate" work locations away from office space of a large part of office workers. If previously, working from home limited us to working in our own homes, now, you can work from another city, even another country, as long as there is Internet so you can... attend meetings on time and complete deadlines.
