Travel predictions 2020

As we enter not just a new year but a new decade, our travel needs, behaviours and wants continue to evolve. From looking to lesser known destinations and prioritising pet-centric holidays, we’re changing the way, and where we travel.

A new global report from Booking.com predicts the top travel trends for 2020 which looks not only at the places we’ll be travelling to next year, but also the new trends that will influence the places we choose including environmental impact and “techommendations”.

SECOND CITY TRAVEL

We fancy ourselves as alternative explorers it seems, as “second-city travel”, the exploration of lesser known destinations, looks set to increase in popularity next year. Over half (54%) of global travellers want to play a part in reducing over-tourism, while half (51%) would swap their original destination for a lesser known but similar alternative if they knew it would leave less of an environmental impact.

PET PRIORITY With more than half (55%) of global pet owners saying that their pet is as important to them as their children it’s no surprise that 2020 looks set to herald a new era in petcentric vacations. In fact, two in five (42%) say they would choose holiday destinations based on whether they can take their pets and half (49%) would be willing to pay more to stay at an accommodation that’s pet-friendly.

TECH-SPECT THE UNEXPECTED 2020 will also see travellers trusting tech to make all the calls when it comes to their holiday. Britons will be using tech-led recommendations to do away with the overwhelming decision-making process. Three in five (59%) say that want tech to offer them ‘wildcard’ and surprise options that would introduce them to something entirely new and unexpected.

SLO-MO IS THE NEW #FOMO Travel in 2020 will be all about taking it slow. Almost half of travellers plan to take slower modes of transport to reduce their environmental impact (48%). Almost three in five would prefer to take a longer route to experience more of the journey itself (59%).

TRENDING DESTINATIONS FOR 2020 The research also shows that Zabljak in Montenegro, Salta, Argentina and San Juan in Puerto Rico are just some of next year’s trending travel hotspots for Wanderlust Britons.