By Helga Trim
The recession, it seems, does not spell death to travel. Although, world without end hotels designed to indulge every tourist fantasy have been put on ice for now. Instead, holidaymakers are going back to basics for authentic travel experiences. Hotels have seen a drop in bookings; holiday home rentals are on the rise.
A recent survey of over 900 responsibletravel.com tour operators and accommodations revealed that more holidaymakers are choosing to travel responsibility since the recession began. More than half (53 percent) of those surveyed reported an increase in business since the recession started. Ninety‑four percent of respondents believe the trend in responsible tourism is here to stay because people are searching for authentic, local travel experiences. They think this popularity will continue to grow even after the global recession ends.
Justin Francis, managing director of responsibletravel.com said, "I am staggered but delighted by the positive growth our suppliers are seeing at this difficult economic time. For some time we have seen the beginnings of a changing mindset amongst consumers and the recession has sped this up where travel is concerned.”
The recession has become a reality check for many people. No longer able to access large sums of disposable income or even want to while global economies take a nosedive with no certainty as to when they will resurface, holidaymakers are choosing holidays that save money and reduce their carbon footprint.
In fact today’s holidaymakers remind me of the days when families and friends would rent a house in Mayaro or Barbados for the holidays. The children enjoyed helping the fishermen pull seine on the beach even though the fishermen were just indulging them. But as a child, all that mattered was pulling seine with fishermen, which was a 180 from life in suburbia. Not many people used to venture further afield unless they had family abroad. Hotel stays weren’t common back then.
The islands weren’t peppered with restaurants so home cooking was the order of the day in the holiday rental on the beach. There was the occasional dinner at a fancy hotel restaurant with linen napkins that never catered for children. Kids’ meals had not been invented yet. But life was simple and children were happy just to be away with friends.
My old classmates and I still occasionally reminisce about those days. And now they’re back with some upgrades like kids’ meals and all modern amenities. The recession has demonstrated that people still need and want to take holidays but they must get value for money. Francis says, “Responsible tourism offers great value local and authentic travel experiences – in fact it is often a cheaper holiday option."
Forty‑one percent of the survey’s respondents predicted they would turn to “staycations” closer to home rather than head to Europe this year. However, Dubai received an overwhelming thumbs down from 80 percent of respondents who believe the country will lose out in the recession. Forty percent cited Dubai’s "lack of authentic, distinctive travel experiences" as the main reason for its demise, while 38 percent saw it as an "environmental disaster".
There is a definite shift in holiday travel and responsibletravel.com is not the only company to realise this. Explore, a UK based adventure tour operator, recently launched a range of “Back to Basics” tours which focus on value and authenticity. Two words that seem to count the most now that holidaymakers have to account for every dollar spent.
Explore describes the tours as “no frills adventure for the real traveller” and states on its website, “we travel and mix with local people every day seeking out the most authentic local places to get right under the skin of each destination.”
Maybe the recession is a blessing in disguise and when it is all over we will place more value on people and on the environment. The lesson to be learned could be that we are all responsible for each other and the planet on which we live or it could be back to basics is fun and more affordable. Happy travels.
The recession, it seems, does not spell death to travel. Although, world without end hotels designed to indulge every tourist fantasy have been put on ice for now. Instead, holidaymakers are going back to basics for authentic travel experiences. Hotels have seen a drop in bookings; holiday home rentals are on the rise.
A recent survey of over 900 responsibletravel.com tour operators and accommodations revealed that more holidaymakers are choosing to travel responsibility since the recession began. More than half (53 percent) of those surveyed reported an increase in business since the recession started. Ninety‑four percent of respondents believe the trend in responsible tourism is here to stay because people are searching for authentic, local travel experiences. They think this popularity will continue to grow even after the global recession ends.
Justin Francis, managing director of responsibletravel.com said, "I am staggered but delighted by the positive growth our suppliers are seeing at this difficult economic time. For some time we have seen the beginnings of a changing mindset amongst consumers and the recession has sped this up where travel is concerned.”
The recession has become a reality check for many people. No longer able to access large sums of disposable income or even want to while global economies take a nosedive with no certainty as to when they will resurface, holidaymakers are choosing holidays that save money and reduce their carbon footprint.
In fact today’s holidaymakers remind me of the days when families and friends would rent a house in Mayaro or Barbados for the holidays. The children enjoyed helping the fishermen pull seine on the beach even though the fishermen were just indulging them. But as a child, all that mattered was pulling seine with fishermen, which was a 180 from life in suburbia. Not many people used to venture further afield unless they had family abroad. Hotel stays weren’t common back then.
The islands weren’t peppered with restaurants so home cooking was the order of the day in the holiday rental on the beach. There was the occasional dinner at a fancy hotel restaurant with linen napkins that never catered for children. Kids’ meals had not been invented yet. But life was simple and children were happy just to be away with friends.
My old classmates and I still occasionally reminisce about those days. And now they’re back with some upgrades like kids’ meals and all modern amenities. The recession has demonstrated that people still need and want to take holidays but they must get value for money. Francis says, “Responsible tourism offers great value local and authentic travel experiences – in fact it is often a cheaper holiday option."
Forty‑one percent of the survey’s respondents predicted they would turn to “staycations” closer to home rather than head to Europe this year. However, Dubai received an overwhelming thumbs down from 80 percent of respondents who believe the country will lose out in the recession. Forty percent cited Dubai’s "lack of authentic, distinctive travel experiences" as the main reason for its demise, while 38 percent saw it as an "environmental disaster".
There is a definite shift in holiday travel and responsibletravel.com is not the only company to realise this. Explore, a UK based adventure tour operator, recently launched a range of “Back to Basics” tours which focus on value and authenticity. Two words that seem to count the most now that holidaymakers have to account for every dollar spent.
Explore describes the tours as “no frills adventure for the real traveller” and states on its website, “we travel and mix with local people every day seeking out the most authentic local places to get right under the skin of each destination.”
Maybe the recession is a blessing in disguise and when it is all over we will place more value on people and on the environment. The lesson to be learned could be that we are all responsible for each other and the planet on which we live or it could be back to basics is fun and more affordable. Happy travels.
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