Ahead of 2020, Visit The USA puts forward eight trends which reflect the latest traveller attitudes and expectations. These include journeys of self-discovery, through both outdoor adventures and tracing ancestral roots, our growing desire for wellbeing whilst abroad, with millennial hiking on the rise, and the increasing focus on lesser-visited neighbourhoods and alternative destinations, known as ‘undertourism’.
These are just some of the influences that are set to shape the way we travel in the U.S. in 2020. Read on to discover eight travel trend predictions from Visit The USA.
Undertourism, the antidote to overtourism…
Travellers are becoming more conscious of overtourism and are increasingly opting to look for lesser-visited options resulting in a better travel experience for residents and visitors alike. This is being seen on a local scale – for example, exploring up-and-coming neighbourhoods and boroughs in popular cities like Miami and San Francisco, and on a bigger scale across the country, considering alternative destinations. Emerging destinations such as Baltimore in Maryland, Buffalo in New York, and Detroit in Michigan are set to become increasingly popular, particularly with Millennial and Gen Z travellers who are more aware and mindful of the detrimental impacts that overtourism can have.
Longer trips, work-and-play hybrids and wellbeing tourism…
The working landscape is changing quickly – with a rise in flexible working hours, ‘unlimited’ annual leave policies and an increase in self-employed business owners and freelancers. Morgan Stanley predicts that more than half of the U.S. workforce will be freelance by 2027 (up from 35% in 2018), and this increase in self-employment is also being seen across the UK and Europe. As the lines between work and travel are gradually blurring, there are more opportunities for longer holidays. Meanwhile, traditional business travel are becoming more holistic, as individuals increasingly aim to set aside time for health and wellbeing activities during an overseas trip. The mindfulness market is now worth over $1 billion in the United States (its largest market), highlighting the popularity and importance of yoga, meditation and ‘time out’ during both everyday life and trips abroad. This is reflected in the huge increase in these types of offerings in U.S. destinations – whether it’s meditative surfing retreats in Hawaii, goat yoga in Oregon, or forest bathing in California. Travel that considers mental health will continue to play a key role in travel in 2020 and beyond.
Ancestral tourism…
Ancestral tourism is already big business for UK visitors to Scotland and Ireland, but with the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage next year, trips to the U.S. to explore our ancestry are set to become more popular. According to the official Mayflower 400 organisation, more than 30 million people (including Richard Gere, Clint Eastwood and Marilyn Monroe) are said to be able to trace their ancestry to the 102 passengers and 30 crew onboard the Mayflower, who came from England and Holland. The anniversary will help boost general interest in ancestral tourism, while encouraging many to investigate any links they have had to the Mayflower.
Big adventures for self-discovery…
The combination of a number of trends based around responsible travel, mental health, and work flexibility is creating a more general move towards trips that allow time and space for self-discovery – particularly in the great outdoors. Whether it’s a multi-day Appalachian Trail hiking excursion, a fortnight in the Alaskan wilderness or going off-grid in Zion National Park, Utah, we’re looking for transformative trips that also incorporate a positive socio-cultural aspect. Learning about indigenous communities and historic ways of living are ways of achieving a great understanding of our own place in the world, whilst natural settings provide the perfect environment for broadening our minds.
Millennial hiking…
Last year, trend forecasters WGSN predicated that hiking would replace yoga as the hottest new fitness trend – particularly for millennials. It’s popularity with younger generations is increasing for dozens of reasons, including concerns about mental health, and a need to detach from technology and escape the frenetic pace of life. In the UK, the popularity of walking groups for those in their 20s and 30s have increased, and the use of Pinterest to search for hiking equipment, trails, and outfits also highlights its growing popularity. The lifestyle trend is set to cross over to bigger trips, as people transfer their hobby to their holiday. The U.S. – home to some of the world’s most dramatic national parks and landscapes – will benefit from this increase in popularity.
Luxury hotel scene in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles continues to thrive…
There are a huge number of luxury hotel launches in major U.S. cities throughout 2020, particularly in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. In the next year alone, Washington D.C. will see the following hotels open: Mob Hotel, Riggs, Thompson, and the Meringer Hotel – with the likes of Generator and Citizen M also adding to the city’s cool yet affordable accommodation options. Los Angeles will also see a flurry of new openings, particularly in Hollywood with the Godfrey Hotel, The Pendry, Thompson, and Tommie Hotel. Other 2020 openings in Los Angeles will include Fairmont Century Plaza, the W Los Angeles Downtown, The Cambria Hotel Los Angeles (Downtown), and Citizen M Los Angeles Downtown.
Glamping to increase in popularity…
As the luxury hotel offering continues to grow in the United States, glamping is becoming more established as an alternative high-end accommodation option for travellers looking for a dose of adventure. Glamping has certainly increased in popularity over recent years, but in 2020, companies like Aman and Under Canvas will be expanding to offer travellers even more chic camping options. Luxury accommodation group Aman will introduce its first tented hotel, Camp Sarika in Utah, in April 2020, whilst Under Canvas, which already offers glamping in Utah, Montana, Arizona, South Dakota and Tennessee, will open up four new Californian camps, located near to Yosemite, Sonoma, Catalina Island, and Joshua Tree (some of which will open in 2021). Glamping Hub – a glamping booking site – has sites in the U.S. making up 70% of its listings, with the most-booked states being California, Texas, New York, Colorado, and Oregon. Meanwhile, luxury tour operators like Scott Dunn are introducing more glamping itineraries to clients, with trips to Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, and Moab.
Expanding alcohol-free bar scene in NYC…
Britons and Americans are becoming increasingly ‘sober curious.’ According to recent research from Streetbees, in the U.S., one in two millennials have cut down on their drinking in the last year, while in the UK there are now 5.4 million non-drinkers, up 35% from 2013. In addition, the worldwide market for nonalcoholic beer is set to double to about $25 billion by 2024, according to market research firm Global Market Insights. The result is a flurry of new bars and events catering to non-drinkers, with the majority of these springing up in New York City. Options include Listen Bar, which started as a monthly alcohol-free pop-up bar, and the recently opened Getaway in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, as well as a range of sober raves and sober karaoke nights. As a city with over 10,000 bars, New York is only just seeing the beginnings of the sober curious revolution that’s set to spread across the country.
