Get the Inside Scoop: 6 Exciting Travel Trends You Can Expect to See in 2017 Suzy Guese January 5, 2017 Travel News, Trending Stories If you have caught the travel bug, a New Year opens up the floodgates on where you will go, what you will do and, perhaps most importantly, what you’ll experience. As we gear up for 2017, we have rounded up some the latest trends and openings you can expect in the New Year. From having more airline options for going to Cuba to a food theme park opening up in Italy, here’s what’s new in travel for 2017. You’ll Have More Options for Getting to Cuba Travel to Cuba from the U.S. is no longer one of jumping through legal loopholes. The first six months of 2016 saw U.S. traveler numbers to Cuba rise by 80% thanks to the lift on the commercial travel ban from the U.S. In 2017, those numbers should increase even more. More airlines will begin regular daily and weekly service to 10 Cuban cities in 2017. You’ll be able to fly Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Frontier, Silver Airways, Spirit Airways, Southwest, Sun Country and United to Cuba in 2017. Airfare Should Stay Low in 2017 Since the cost of airline fuel is continuing to remain flat, 2017 should bring low airfare. While the Global Business Travel Association is expecting airfare to increase on average in 2017, you might score some low airfare in certain regions. The association predicts certain regions will see a decrease in airfare costs, especially to Asia, Latin America and Mexico. Millennials Are Changing The Travel Game It comes as no surprise that Millennials are making their mark on the travel industry. According to Internet Marketing Inc, 85% of Millennials are using several sites before booking travel and they are all about landing the best travel rewards for deals, upgrades and freebies. Thanks to how the Millennials book and look for travel, 2017 could usher in an era of travel brands focusing on creating more competitive apps for booking travel and even offering better travel rewards to secure Millennial loyalty. Also, as Millennials tend to travel on the fly, you might see brands taking advantage of more spontaneous travel deals like flash sales or limited one night hotel offerings. Business Travel Gets Personal Sure, you’ve probably heard of business travel but what about bleisure? It is expected that 2017 will see an onset of more business travelers who extend their business trips by a few days for leisure. This expectation stems from Millennials making up 50% of the global workforce over the next 4 years. In a survey by Hipmunk, 55% of Millennials will extend their business trip for leisure. In many respects, the youth of the workforce is putting the travel back in business travel. The U.S. Is Number One 2017 will be a big year for the U.S. from a travel perspective. In 2017, the U.S. is expecting 677.8 million domestic passengers, making it the largest single market for domestic passengers. Holding the top spot for domestic travelers isn’t the only area the U.S. is taking the lead on in 2017. It is also expected that Germany will have to step aside as the U.S. takes the top spot for international travelers. Your Hotel Check-Ins Are Going Mobile Mobile check-in service and mobile apps from major hotel chains have been gaining momentum in recent years, especially thanks to Millennials transforming the travel industry. Nearly 50% of Millennials use their phones and tablets for booking their travel from flights to hotels to rental cars. According to a polling of the American Hotel Lodging Association members, 35% in the industry use mobile apps and 65% use mobile devices for check-in. In 2017, you just might want to download our app and expedite the check-in process by checking-in on your phone.
