Lonely Planet, the world's leading travel media company, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have joined forces to celebrate the 100th anniversary of commercial air travel by revealing Lonely Planet's top 10 predictions for the future of world travel. According to Lonely Planet's team of travel experts holiday makers are set to demand more unplugged travel and secret escapes as the fast pace of modern life continues to grow.
Top of Lonely Planet's list of predictions is that travel will soon become fully integrated into our lives as opposed to a special event. Data from the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) forecasts that 6.6 billion passengers will fly worldwide by 2032, growing an average of 4.4% annually from 2014. The increasing volume of commercial flights has brought a large shift in travellers' mind-sets and Lonely Planet argues the concept of travel as a rare treat is disappearing, replaced by travel as a lifestyle choice.
Lonely Planet also predicts that green travel is also on the rise as a new generation of travellers builds sustainability into every step of their journeys. 70% of travellers expect companies to demonstrate commitment to preserving the natural environment prompting a boom in ecotourism and volunteering abroad. The aviation industry in particular has set its own objectives for carbon neutral growth and cutting CO2 emissions in half.
Speaking about Lonely Planet's findings, Tony Tyler, IATA's director general and CEO said, ''100 years after the first passenger flew on a scheduled flight; the predictions from Lonely Planet clearly show that millions more people are set to enjoy the opportunity to travel and particularly travel by air, as the world becomes a smaller and more accessible place than ever before. It is amazing to see how far we have come over the past 100 years and even more so to think of what we can expect from the next century. Air travel connects us to the world and reminds us of the importance of being there, whether it is the places or the people we love.''
