Visiting The Australian Kuku Yalanji And Other Cool Travel Trends Of The Future

While summer travelers bemoan record high gas prices and an unprecedented number of canceled flights, the folks at Condé Nast Traveler say there is reason to celebrate.

The luxury travel magazine - enjoyed by millions of curious and discerning travelers around the world – just came out with its Anniversary Special Edition, celebrating 35 years since the magazine debuted in the US. With seven editions around the world, many of which are also celebrating anniversaries this month, and a huge global footprint, CNT has its finger on the pulse of the industry and is excited about the changes it sees taking shape in the world of travel.

While its first cover back in 1987 boasted a “Special Foldout Map of Arizona’s Old West”, today’s global anniversary edition tantalizes with the “Future of Travel”. “It’s a new era of travel and it’s terribly exciting because we’re moving in such a positive direction,” says Divia Thani, Condé Nast Traveler’s Global Editorial Director.

Innovations Today Will Affect Travel of Tomorrow

“When the magazine first started, we used to take an in-depth look at meals served in business class,” says Thani. She says that is very different from the kinds of stories their readers want now. “We now look at things like sustainability, inclusivity and diversity and the way technology has changed the way we travel.”

Thani shared some trends she’s seeing now that will impact what travelers want and what travel companies offer in the years to come:

Travelers are all about the experience. “It’s no longer about what you’re flying or the meal on the plane,” says Thani. Travelers want unique experiences. Consider the Daintree rainforest in Australia. The indigenous Kuku Yalanji people, working with the Australian government, have recently opened their land to tourism. For the first time, travelers can experience the radically different land and native species. As one TripAdvisor review put it, “Recommend to anyone wanting an authentic experience, there was no touristy feel about it!”

The definition of luxury is changing. “We used to be obsessed with the size of the suite or the thread count of the sheets,” says Thani. She calls that mindset “old school” and “last season.” Today, she explains, luxury could mean camping in a tent under the stars in Ladakh looking at the Himalayas. “The tent might cost $25 per night, but that is a singular, amazing, extraordinary, once in a lifetime experience. And to me, that is incredible luxury.”

Technology can advance, but won’t replace, travel. Technology continues to play a huge role in travel. It enhances the way we research and book travel and allows travelers to enter the metaverse - just slip on your Oculus headset and you can be climbing Mount Everest in minutes. But Thani believes travel will exist in the future the way it exists now. “There is a need to live your life and experience the world in a way that is not defined by technology. The more tech is taken out of the experience, the more exciting that experience is going to be. The beauty and richness of experiencing the world in its pure form is going to be something that continues to drive us.”

Sustainability is taking center stage. There has been a shift in consciousness in the industry in terms of protecting our planet, explains Thani. She says airlines like United and Singapore Air have been very vocal about their commitment to reducing carbon emissions. And cruise lines, previously thought of as wasteful, large floating cities, are now thinking about sustainability in such a big way. “They’re making such a conscious effort to rethink the technology they’re using, not just at sea but also in port, to minimize consumption and waste.”

The industry is becoming more accessible to all. The travel industry is becoming more inclusive - not only in terms of the customers they serve, but also the people they employ. Airbnb, for example, offers accessibility filters that make it easier for guests with disabilities to find accessible travel accommodations. Booking.com offers a database of LGBTQ+ friendly short-term rentals. And Indian hotel chain Lemontree actively recruits female employees who are victims of acid attacks.

Travel companies are working hand-in-glove with local communities. Supporting local communities by purchasing locally grown food and hiring local talent is becoming more common. Thani tells a story of a hotel employee she met while vacationing in Rajasthan, India. The woman, in her 40s, had never held a job before as she had few employable skills. The hotel recruited her from the local village to bake rotis, enabling her to support her family and achieve financial independence.

5 Ways We Can Be Better Tourists?

1. Research before you book. Check out a hotel’s website and look for things like a commitment to inclusivity, diversity, gender parity and sustainability (do they have a Sustainability Officer?)
2. Choose hotels that are located in remote areas where they are bringing employment to a region that before didn’t have many opportunities.
3. Look for properties that are rooted in the community. Find out if they purchase locally grown food and employ local talent.
4. Stay longer and go deeper. In other words, don’t dart in and out of cities. Stay longer in one place and really get to know the community and culture.
5. Bring less and buy local.

The folks at Condé Nast Traveler may be celebrating the past 35 years but they are also excited about the future. “Travelers will change the world,” says Thani. “Because it’s only people who travel the world that understand its beauty and realize what we have at risk.” For example, she explains that only after you go on safari in Africa does the conservation of its wildlife become a personal mission. “That’s why this next phase is so exciting. People are thinking so consciously about how to travel better. And if they do that, we are in a position to have such an incredibly positive impact on the world.”