Three Trends Shaping Tourism & Lifestyle Brand Communications in 2023
Photo courtesy of Pexels
Gen Z and Millennial consumers now dominate the luxury industry as a whole, so much so that, according to a Bain & Co. luxury trends report, it will be recession-proof in 2023, thanks in large part to the group’s current and forecast spending.
Travel and leisure industry players are paying close attention. They’ve found that this group’s taste in travel closely aligns with the values they display on social media. Instagram’s 2023 Trend Report reveals Gen Z’s increasing focus on sustainability, do-it-yourself living, cultural curiosity and activism around causes like disabilities, voting and equal rights. So it’s no surprise that purpose-led, ethical and enriching experiences are top priorities for Gen Z and Millennial travellers.
Expect an uptick in social media conversations and content about digital detox getaways, hyper-personalized tours, wellness retreats and eco-luxury travel, to name a few topics gaining traction.
Hospitality Brands Harvest Loyalty via the Metaverse
The Metaverse has delivered massive opportunities for the real estate sector, which saw a $4.3 Million virtual land purchase by Republic Realm in December 2021 and the first metaverse mortgage by TerraZero Technologies Inc.
Singapore’s Millennium Hotels and Resorts already launched the world’s first Metaverse hotel in early 2022. Rooms at the virtual property - M Social Decentraland - can be rented using cryptocurrency. Guests of M Social are guided around the hotel by an avatar and can win prizes redeemable in the real world. The brand’s attempt to integrate the virtual world with real-life experience signals a desire to cultivate loyalty among its more technologically enthusiastic customer base. We expect the rest of the hospitality sector to follow suit with a focus on building loyalty.
More Accessible, Dynamic Content Creation
The impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on logistics, healthcare, finance and eCommerce, is well-documented. However its impact on the Travel and Tourism sectors is just beginning and will be significant. AI technology is presenting destinations, hotels and leisure travel and tour operators with an unprecedented opportunity to share personalised, immersive experiences with target customers during the awareness and consideration phases of their purchasing journey.
AI programmes like Dall-E 2, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, which generate images from text-based descriptions, are changing how creatives showcase their imagination.One content creator known as Stelfie the Time Traveller has been using Stable Diffusion’s generative AI to insert a fictional photorealistic character into fake photographs of ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, the Ice Age and other notable periods throughout history.
While his selfie-themed simulated time travel has sparked a conversation about deepfakes and creative disclosure, it has demonstrated the unique way in which history and a sense of place can be brought to life to captivate the modern traveler.
Do you want to know more about some of the trends that affect digital marketing more generally? Contact us at [email protected] to talk.
