The holidays are an exciting time mostly because of the endless parties and abundance of food, but it’s also a time for self-reflection, as the new year brings a new beginning. The idea of new year's resolutions has been around for ages. People start discussing them around November, often reflecting on what they did not accomplish in the past year, hoping to then restate their resolutions for the upcoming one. Resolutions for the most part are centered around health and fitness, following those heavy holiday meals, or finding love, and making strides toward self-discovery. However serious you may take them, resolutions can be a fun way to look back on your previous year, and make improvements for the new year ahead.
Blockchain meets travel
If you didn’t hear the word “crypto” or “blockchain” in some respect during 2018, you were living under a rock. This past year was filled with ups and downs for the crypto world. It was an especially big year for crypto companies making their mark in the travel industry. The travel sector encompasses several huge components such as air travel, hotels, bookings, sight tourism, recreation etc. Despite just how vast the travel industry is, companies are beginning to penetrate all of these sectors.
So what is next in 2019?
What are the areas to achieve in this space? It’s no secret that the cryptocurrency market took a dive (and bitcoin may have temporarily bit the dust!), but that doesn’t mean we won’t see a comeback in the year ahead. Resolutions for 2019 center around the need for a stronger, surging market that pushes both crypto as a form of payment, and blockchain to the forefront of a “must-incorporate” technology.
First of all, 2019 is going to be the biggest year yet for travel, with wanderlust taking millennials and GenZ across international waters as they tightly grip their iPhones, remaining true to their technological upbringing. Surely, blockchain has a place in their digital nature that can compound their travel experience with access to the connected world.
Travel companies generally rely on several different industry insights in order to make up a yearly strategy, one of which being predicted travel trends for the upcoming year. Let's look at the predicted trends of the new year and make our resolutions based on what’s in store:
Travel trends for 2019
By using Google trends, some upcoming travel trends have been revealed for 2019:
- Heightened exploration of the ‘wonders of the world’-- we are lucky to be in such an advanced technological age where the rise of technology along with an influx of low budget airlines have allowed for longer travels to become more accessible, both timely and financially.
- Egypt has made a come back as a popular tourist hotspot, and will continue to rise through 2019.
- Shorter holidays have proven to make people happier, studies have shown.
- Romantic holidays for two have decreased by almost 20% in the last 5 years.
- The new hottest spot in European travel is projected to be Romania, and this will continue to rise through 2020.
Keeping these trends in mind, these are our five resolutions for blockchain travel companies in 2019:
- Create an open, competitive market where the traveller finally pays a “digitally fair trade” price for their dream vacation.
- Welcome new startups, for all things travel, to enter the marketplace.
- Expand partnerships and integration with international hotels, airlines, and tech companies.
- Enable new and unique travel booking experiences previously impossible in a permissioned marketplace.
- Continue to educate potential consumers on the security of crypto payments and blockchain-based distribution in the travel industry.
There we go, the holy grail of resolutions for 2019, no going back now. Even with the current uncertainty in the future of crypto and the blockchain, we are certain that this list of resolutions for the upcoming year will drive blockchain travel companies to find success in additional sectors, and work towards becoming leaders in the space. It’s hopeful that by using blockchain, travel companies will allow everyone the opportunity to explore the world safely and securely.