TRAVEL UPDATES Travel Age West
Travel Trend Forecasts for 2022
Forecasting the future is always tricky, and 2022 is no normal year. So, in our effort to look ahead, we recruited the help of several tourism industry veterans with longtime expertise in the airline, hotel, cruise, and tour operator sectors. Perhaps not surprisingly, those conversations focused frequently on the wide-ranging impact of COVID-19, along with the pandemic’s remarkable propensity to accelerate change. In an era of so many ever-shifting challenges, however, one prediction appears to be certain for the tourism industry in 2022: It’s shaping up to be a year unlike any other. Flight Costs Are Set to Fly “Given the rise in fuel and the fact that fares were extremely low in 2020 and even up to now [in 2021], I think there will be a significant price increase in 2022,” said Peter Vlitas, executive vice president of Internova Travel Group. “What will a consumer do? Will they stay with the mainline carriers? Will they look to connect where it’s cheaper? Will they go to a low-cost carrier? No one really knows,” said Vlitas.
Business Travel May Boost Premium Economy Although corporate travel is a long way from a full recovery, Internova’s Vlitas said the airline industry is seeing indications that many more people are now flying for work, and he expects that momentum to build next year. That uptick is likely to help spur an increased number of premium economy cabins on planes in 2022, according to Vlitas, who expects the higher-end seats and value proposition to be popular among both vacationers and corporate travelers. “I think the premium economy cabin is going to be very popular among leisure travelers, who want to spend a little more to get more space because we’re now accustomed to that due to the pandemic,” he said. “I also think it’s going to be very popular for businesses that want to send somebody on a trip, but because of the pandemic don’t necessarily want to spend the money for www.rotoworldmag.com 27
