2017 Is just around the corner and like every other year before, travel agents can expect many changes and new trends in the industry. These trends will impact your business one way or the other, so it is important for you to pay attention to where the market is heading and position yourself and your travel business to capitalise on new opportunities. In this article we will look at the top 5 Consumer travel trends travel agents should look out for in 2017.

1. Wellness Travel

Long gone are the days when travelling was either for business or recreational purposes. The world is more health conscious, and people are travelling in search of health or spiritual fulfilment. In 2017, wellness destinations will become even more popular. South Asian Destinations like India, Nepal, Tibet and Sri Lanka are already seeing a huge rise in interest from people looking to participate in Yoga and meditation retreats. As a travel agent, you will need to recognise this trend and start looking for products within your niche that can cater to this rapidly growing market category. Learning about the Wellness travel market does not necessarily mean becoming an expert of new “Wellness Destinations.” This can be as simple looking at the destinations that you currently specialise in and finding out more about products or locations that they have that may appeal to the health conscious travellers. With that said, it may not be a bad idea to start educating yourself about some of the top Wellness Destinations outside of your niche, as it is very likely that you will get inquiries from clients about these products in 2017.

2. Hosted Tours

Experience based travel will be the thing for 2017 and beyond. All-Inclusive resorts will continue to have their market and do very well, but more travellers will be looking to add a little bit more adventure to their vacation. If you have not yet jumped on the bandwagon of offering hosted tours as a part of your speciality market, now is the time to do so. Not only because this market category will be more popular in 2017, but also because you can make a very good commission on Tour Packages. Most hosted tours are between 10 – 20 days and total cost per person can sometimes be over $10,000. At 10 – 15 percent commission you are making over $1000 per package. It’s hard to find any other product that can gross that much commission per sales.

3. Destination Weddings

Big fat banquet weddings are still a thing, but at the rate that Destination Weddings are growing, that may not be for much longer, especially as these traditional local weddings continue to get more expensive. In 2017, travel agents can expect even a higher number of couples seeking the services of a destination wedding specialist to help them arrange their wedding abroad. If you have not yet tapped into the Destination Wedding market, then what are you waiting on? This market segment is very competitive as many agents have already established themselves in the market. However, this does not mean there is any room left for new agents looking to get their piece of the action. Destination Wedding trends will follow many of the new travel trends so you can carve out your niche within the niche by looking at different and unique ideas to suggest to couples for their destination wedding.

4. Millennial Travel

Millennial Travellers are travelling now more than every other generation, and that number is going to continue to rise. However, that is not the exciting part for Travel agents. Recent studies have shown that of all the generations, Millenials are more likely to seek out the services of a travel agent to book their trip than older generations. This is one piece of information travel agents should not take for granted. In 2017, a lot of your marketing should be geared towards the social platforms and events that Millenials participate in. They represent a significant part of your current and an even bigger part of your future business.

5. Cruises

Cruising is the cheapest way to experience the world. As Experience based travel becomes more popular, look for the Cruise Travel market to grow as well. Selling cruises may not be as straightforward as selling a hotel package, but that is where your value as a travel agent comes in. Consumers would prefer not to take on the logistics of planning their cruise vacation on their own, and that is to your benefit. If you are not yet a Cruise Specialist, now is the time to register for the soonest cruise training webinar available.