Introduction.- Journey within the Journey in 10 Trends.- Experiential Tourism.- OLD Is the New Cool.- Thou shall not Own: Disownership & Sharing Economy.- Show Me the Money, Irresistible Ascent of Luxury.- Tzunami Mass Movements VS Microtourism.- It’s a Dogs’ World, Pet Tourism.- Virtual Holidays and the Revolution in the Anticipation.- Retro Tourism & Digital Detox.- New Hospitality Format & Hotels Business Model.- The Journey within, New Pilgrims.- A New Sociology of Travel and Tourism.
Valentina has worked for two decades in the Tourism & Hospitality industry at international level as Destination Manager Director, Marketing & Sales Director in world renowned visitor attractions and major hotel groups. She has always implemented a strategic foresight-led approach in companies, embracing innovation and brave decisions. Winner of multiple awards, she has engaged with the world of futures studies firstly with the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, within the Horizon Scanning program, and subsequently with the Trento UNESCO Master in Social Foresight, led by Prof. Roberto Poli. She is fully accredited member of A.P.F. Association of Professional Futurists and A.F.I. Associazione Futuristi Italiani
Valentina believes in the urgent need for a radical overhaul of our economic model. She champions and works for the birth of a more functional, inclusive and humanist form of capitalism. Tourism could and should play a leading role in this process.
This book identifies and describes five megatrends that will define the landscape of the Travel, Tourism & Hospitality industry, with a particular focus on the European context. Humans began travelling on the same day that Homo Sapiens first realized he could walk upright. No boundaries, mountains or cliffs have managed to stop or diminish our insatiable desire to find out what lies beyond the visible horizon. Tourism has enjoyed virtually uninterrupted growth for the past several decades, and the sector has now become the third-largest source of export revenue, after chemicals and fuel, and ahead of the automotive and food sectors. And yet, in its current globalised format, it is exposed to sudden shocks that can swiftly shake up the status quo accelerating the deployment of some megatrends here described. We have all witnessed the Covid-19 pandemic and its devastating consequences for the industry.
While the number of international tourism arrivals to Europe has soared to over 700 million a year, at the same time we are experiencing a period of deep transformation. Bauman couldn’t have been more accurate or insightful when he coined the word ‘liquid’ in this regard. As an exquisite expression of a civilized, rich and discerning first-world society, travel and tourism are now changing shape and meaning, requiring our business models to adapt. What are the megatrends that will dictate the future shape of our industry’s landscape? Who is the new tourist, if there is one, and what is she looking for? Is the new post-technological era transforming the depth and the very essence of travelling? This book offers a number of visionary insights, as well as operational takeaways.