Emerging Trends in Tourism

Tourism is today emerging as a leading sector in the world and is now considered by some as the number one industry. Demographic, socio-structural and socio-cultural developments have always led to changes in tourist demands, and service providers in tourism are faced with a substantial need to adjust. These constant challenges have expanded and intensified considerably in the first few years of the new millennium. War and tourism, extreme weather, the ongoing internationalisation of tourism and the ageing of society (increasingly prominent in public awareness) have emphatically demonstrated the latent vulnerability of tourism as a boom industry. The survival of the tourism industry depends decisively on recognising the relevant trends and allowing for them in good time. Development of tourism is a very complex process of interaction among many players, who have the shared responsibility concerning the environmental, social and economic sustainability of this lucrative sector. This process involves the tourism industry, which promotes a sustainable product; the consumer who develops the sustainable consumptions trends; and the public authorities who strive to create the right framework so as to enable the sustainable use of the resources and the creation of a commercial level-playing field among all the different stakeholders. Consumer trends in tourism, which are gradually changing, require an appropriate response in terms of both policy formulation and investment and the survival of the tourism industry depends decisively on recognising the relevant trends and allowing for them in good time.