Hide away your good old holiday resorts on the sea, the 21st century tourist is looking for more unique ways to experience another country. Here are 5 emerging trends that are already changing the face of tourism as we know it.
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Medical tourism
Medical tourism is simply booming in developing and rich countries alike and people do not hesitate to travel halfway around the planet for any types of medical, plastic and aesthetic treatments and procedures.
This is a global phenomenon that is largely encouraged by much lower medical costs abroad combined with a mostly excellent reputation and shorter waiting lists. For instance, a heart bypass surgery in the US would cost you around $88,000 versus $30,000 in Costa Rica. Combined with idyllic settings (think Thailand, Brazil, Venezuela…), it’s not hard to imagine why this type of tourism is growing!
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Eco tourism
Sustainability has truly become a hot topic over the past few years and the number of ecotourism businesses has flourished. Eco tourism encourage the travellers to have as little impact as possible on the environment. Costa Rica in particular has become one of the hottest eco tourism locations thanks to its beautifully preserved landscapes, national parks and rainforest. In terms of accommodation, look out for one of the very popular ecolodges and be ready to reconnect with nature with all the comfort you’d expect from a luxury hotel.
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Hipster holidays
Hipster holidays have been dubbed one of the biggest new travel trends with visitors looking to visit a popular holiday destination while avoiding mainstream touristic sites and focusing on under-the-radar areas in the city. The success of AirBnB has been said to have open up such areas to such type of tourism with private rentals in off the beaten path areas making it more accessible for travellers to discover new neighbourhoods.
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Iran
Iran has recently been on everybody’s top holidays list for 2016 and it’s easy to see why. It’s now been made more accessible than ever before as global diplomatic relations improve. Popular airlines such as Emirates have recently added services to two of its biggest hubs Massah and Teheran and the country is investing massively in tourism with many four and five stars hotels opening up and tourists able to discover some of the most impressive islamic architecture and history.
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Experiential travel
More than ever before in 2016, travelers will want to experience something new. People want meaningful holidays and memories to share with friends and on social media, something out of the norm. They’re willing to make a lot of research in order to find just the right thing – and technology and travels apps are helping to do just that and shaping this trend.
Image credit: Pexels
