The travel industry is booming. Travel costs are rising. Technology is making travel hassle free. Gone are the days when you have to rely on travel agents. Today, everything from airline tickets, hotel rooms, and rental cars can be booked online with few taps. Now, you have all the information you need at your fingertips. You can also stay at someone else home in a strange city thanks to Airbnb instead of booking a five-star hotel.

If you are working in or associated with the travel industry in one way or another, Anthony Boldin has some great advice for you. He said, “Failure is inevitable in all aspects of life, and entrepreneurship is no exception. The fear of failure makes many potential entrepreneurs sit and wait for the better times -- that will never come. Don’t be afraid to take a risk and try new ideas.”

In this article, you will learn about four interesting things you should know about the evolving face of tourism.

1. Experience Over Service

If you have traveled abroad in the last few years, you might have realized a shift in the approach of travel agencies and businesses. The focus is slowly shifting from service delivery towards delivering an exceptional experience to travelers. Experiences matter more than service. It is the experience that forces people to spend extra money on dhow cruise marina. Travelers wants to capture memorable moments and share them with friends instead of being happy with a souvenir. In fact, more and more travelers are ready to pay the top dollar for premium experiences on their vacations.

When Airbnb CEO announced that they would be organizing events and tours to create unique experiences for travelers, it was quite normal and reflected the direction traveling industry is moving in. It can be anything from a day with reality TV star or a ticket to live music concert. Tour operators will also strive to put together an all-inclusive package combining the best of both worlds to deliver an unparalleled travel experience to travelers.

2. Social Proof Empower Customers

How do you decide where you should go on your next vacation? You search online or read reviews of multiple destinations that are on your list and choose one of them. You spend hours on review websites. Millennials, on the other hand, rely heavily on their friend’s social media posts while making travel destination choices. There are also socially active so you will see them sharing a lot of photos and videos of their travel experiences on social media.

This makes social proof very important as it now serves as a reflection of the trust customers have in your brand. Those associated with travel industry can use it as a testimonial, social proof and endorsement depicting the quality of their service. In an age, where more people trust recommendations from their friends or people they know, social proof can prove to be a big asset for any Dubai desert safari tour company.

3. Say Hello To Tele-Tourism

Tele Tourism is the new kid on the block. Tele-tourism enables differently abled people to travel. Thanks to technology, we have now shrunken our world into a small global village. What’s even better is that now you can roam around this global village in real time and explore it without leaving your room. This was not a possibility for people with such issues before the advent of technology. Now, they can also benefit from travel the same way as most normal travelers do. Interesting in know how the experience feels like? Read this article by Ubiatar CEO, Fulvio Dominici who explains it in detail and you will know exactly what tele tourism is all about.

4. Too Much Tourism

With travel becoming more convenient with each passing day, the number of travelers are skyrocketing every year. This has lead to degradation of tourist hotspots which are flooded with people. Places which are famous for their serenity are losing that very quickly. Visit a popular beach and you will find a huge crowd there. Lines are becoming longer at the airport. All these are the drawbacks of too much tourism. As the saying goes, excess of everything is bad. Companies associated with travel industry needs to take action to fix these issues otherwise, we will see a slow decline in quality of travel experiences overtime to the point where no one would like to travel. No one wants that to happen, right.

Which is the biggest change you will see in future in travel industry? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.