Future tourism

Future tourists will also want to do different things. While sun-and-sea tourism still dominates, overcrowding and time pressures mean that the standard two-week beach vacation is becoming less popular. Rather than staking another umbrella into the sand, workaholic Americans – and, increasingly, Europeans – are taking shorter yet more diverse trips, fueling the growth of adventure travel, ecotourism, cultural tours, spa holidays, cruises and sport vacations in ever more far-flung places: China, the Maldives, Botswana, Vanuatu. Authenticity is the new buzz-word; wealthier Western travelers who've "been there and done that" are eschewing package tours for more exotic, individualized experiences. Local governments and entrepreneurs are trying hard to cater to this new demand, which offers them the opportunity to keep more tourism revenue within their borders. That's good news, especially considering that in recent years, many of the world's most popular destinations have begun to crack under the pressure of mass tourism and business travel. Airports like London's Heathrow are at the breaking point. Many Southeast Asian cities are packed with too many hotels and not enough roads to funnel tourists to more remote areas. Governments around the world are closing off popular sites and launching marketing campaigns to divert tourists to less populated regions. Experts say that over the next two decades, tourism will be defined by the search for time and space. Indeed, the industry is undergoing a seismic shift. "There are a lot of experienced travelers out there, and they are demanding more in terms of service, but often want to pay less," says George Morgan-Grenville, managing director of the British-based tour operator Abercrombie & Kent. Cheap Eu ropean airlines like Ryanair and easyJet have forced incumbents like British Airways to slash fares, while others, like Sabena and Swissair, have gone out of business altogether.