SingapoReimagine Global Conversations: Shaping the Future of Travel 'Decoding and Engaging Young, New-Age Travellers'

As tourism recovers, the industry at large has witnessed an emergence of new trends, evolved traveller, and a reimagined way to travel. Against this backdrop, Singapore Tourism Board presented the “SingapoReimagine Global Conversations: Shaping the Future of Travel", a thought leadership forum which brought together key business figures and industry representatives from India and Singapore to share opinions, spark discussions, and forge partnerships to reshape travel for Singapore and the world.

Through a partnership with News18 Network, the forum which took place on August 17 at the Taj Santacruz Mumbai saw four experts and industry stalwarts coming together to deliver a dynamic, engaging and thought provoking conversation on “Decoding & Engaging Young, New Age Travellers”.  Moderated by CNBC-TV18 anchor Mangalam Maloo, the star-studded panel was helmed by:

● Fong Fu Wei, Head of National Tourism and Destination Marketing Organization Partnerships (SEA and Oceania), Klook;

● Varsha Patra, Co-Founder & CEO of Homegrown

● Suchita Salwan, Founder & CEO of Little Black Book

● Abraham Alapatt, President and Group Head of Marketing, Service Quality, Innovation & Value Added Services of Thomas Cook India Group

Exposure to social media, digital technologies and ease of travel has profoundly influenced the travel behaviour of young tourists. In comparison to Gen X, the objectives of the newer generations have gradually changed due to a stronger need for personalization and experiences, which is motivated by their search for a deeper meaning through travel. Travelling is no longer a luxury; rather, it has become a tool for personal development.

While demographics are a key factor in defining travellers, Fong highlighted the need to also look at their psychographics. “The new-age traveller for me is someone who doesn’t want to be confined and pigeon-holed to have a particular identity. They have varied passion points with fluid identities and they look for travel experiences that feed into those passion points” he opined.

Of late, travelling has become more about the depth than about the breadth. While people only focused on ticking off their bucket list, the travellers of today are more interested in having an immersive experience and getting to know the culture of a place more deeply. Speaking about this, Abraham Alapatt said that this phenomenon is not just a pandemic hangover but will likely continue into the future. “Travellers definitely want a more in-depth travel experience, like a local kind of experience because there’s no point coming back with just pictures as their parents did. They want to come back with stories”, he added. Future tourists' attention to sustainability, authenticity, and appreciation for a region's intangible and tangible resources appears to be growing. The travellers of today are driven more by the desire to immerse in local trends and indigenous flavours and cultures. Speaking about this changing paradigm, Suchita Salwan said, “Local brands and direct to consumer brands are here to stay. People are seeking unfamiliarity in what is now a familiar terrain. It is in the nuances where the magic lies.”

Where once we relied on magazines and guidebooks to make our travel decisions, social media has enabled us to see a world beyond the Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower. Travel and social media are inherently related to one another since they both revolve around experiencing and learning new things, have an unavoidable aesthetic focus, and broaden our horizons beyond our immediate surroundings. During the pandemic, social media probably had the most influence on travel itineraries, with people looking for off-beat and local experiences. Varsha Patra, spoke on this and said; “In the pandemic all of us were so closed off and the only place that we could sort of connect with people and discover new things and probably like-mindedness was social media.” She also spoke about the rising need for documenting our experiences and how social media has become a means for creative expression and connecting with communities.

With improving living standards and travel becoming more accessible and mainstream, the demographic of the new age travellers has shifted quite a bit. There is also a significant growth in the number of travellers coming from secondary cities and they want to spend their middle-class hard-earned money in the right way. People today are also increasingly travelling for food and sports-based events. Speaking on this, Fong said, “You take the event as the purpose of the visit but use that as an opportunity to further drive business by profiling more of the destination and up-selling to your customers.”

Millennials today are unrestrained by inhibitions.  Unlike their parents, they have relatively lesser ingrained concerns about saving more money. According to the Millennial Aspiration Index, 63% of millennials prioritise personal improvement through travel. To maximise cultural immersion, a growing number of members of this trend-setting generation are focusing less on luxury hotels and more on trekking, backpacking, and local homestays. The yearning to travel is nothing new; what has changed is the way millennials are leading the charge to alter how travel is perceived. They are not letting money be an obstacle and are doing everything in their power to make travel an integral part of who they are.