Before creating hotel projects, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the location and its advantages, but also to assess the needs of the modern guest. After all, the world is changing, and every year we see new approaches for people to travel. During this period of uncertainty, you need to do your best to ensure guests receive quality service and experience. The immersion in the main trends of modern tourism, formed by Sergey Yamroz, brand strategist and co-founder of the Spiv agency will help with that:
- Less is better. Instead of large chain hotels, tourists increasingly prefer small boutique hotels, B&Bs, apartments, Airbnb, etc. for an authentic stay experience and support for independent businesses.
- From "work from home" to "work away". Distance employment has given people the opportunity to earn from anywhere in the world. It also gives you the freedom to travel, explore the world, meet new people and be inspired.
- Travel after a series. After two years of the pandemic and many hours of watching movies and TV shows, inspired travelers are using the locations where their favorite scenes were filmed as travel destinations.
- Relax on a business trip and work on vacation. After several years of increasing popularity of bleisure travel (a business trip combined with leisure time), the trend is reversed. So, company employees want to get new experiences and emotions during their business trips, and travelers set aside several hours a day to work even during their holidays.
- Full immersion. Having missed two years of travel, people try not to waste a second. They want their experiences to be deeper and more meaningful than ever before. At the same time, they are interested in learning something new, so they prefer places that fuel their thirst for knowledge and personal growth.
- Get out of your comfort zone. Half of the world's travelers want to experience culture shock. In 2023, they will be looking for a unique vacation that surprises and delights.
In the photo: Mandra Hills glamping (Richka village, Transcarpathian region)
- Virtual travel before real. Trips are truly integrated into the ever-evolving virtual space of the metaverse. Travelers will choose destinations in real life, having previously visited them in the virtual world with the help of their avatars.
- A healthy mind in a healthy body. In 2023, it is expected that wellness of the mind and body with total immersion, as well as an unconventional approach, will come to the fore in travel.
Travel in wartime
Today, Ukrainian tourism continues its development, despite the decrease in the number of guests from abroad. Emphasis has shifted on the market - the number of people traveling for work has significantly decreased, but the classic hotel stay remains relevant. This applies to country hotel complexes, ski resorts located in the Carpathians, and ecotourism such as glampings. The reason for the relevance of such trips is clear - people want to be distracted from the war.
In the photo: Mandra Hills glamping (Richka village, Transcarpathian region)
The second most popular type of tourism now is military and business. Also, recently a new one has appeared - intracity. It was popularized given the desire of people to change their surroundings for a few days of relaxation. So, the presence of hotel attributes - breakfast and a small SPA-center, gives a sense of travel even to local residents. Another reason is power outages. This encourages people to book hotel rooms in their cities in order to solve urgent household matters, or to live a certain time in comfort, because the hotels have generators, water supplies and a kitchen.
As for business tourism, although it has significantly decreased, it still exists. Currently, rooms in business hotels are mostly booked by people who come from abroad. For example, representatives of international organizations, as well as foreign journalists. Such people live in hotels for a long time and have checks for accommodation and meals that are large enough for Ukrainian business.
What has not changed since the outbreak of a full-scale war is the requirements of Ukrainian guests for hotels. Most of all, the choice is still influenced by three whales: price, location and reviews. It is also important for guests now to have autonomy - a generator, their own water, heating.
In the photo: Ribas Karpaty hotel (Polyanytsya, Ivano-Frankivsk region)
“In my opinion, the most popular places for recreation are locations in nature - near mountains, forests, lakes, etc. This is because people need to be distracted, and nature is the best medicine. This trend appeared during the pandemic, a full-scale war only strengthened it. Therefore, such hotels are now in good occupancy and demand,” said Artur Lupashko, founder of Ribas Hotels Group.
In addition, apart-hotels are also popular. They are filled thanks to the internal migration of Ukrainians. Sometimes people come there for a week, a month or more on business. Therefore, the complexes that have apartments in their fund have almost 100% occupancy. One example is the WOL.121 apart-hotel in Odessa, which has been occupied at an average of 97% since April.
In the photo: apart-hotel WOL.121 in Odessa
Prospects for the development of tourism
After the Victory of Ukraine, there will be many new locations on its tourist map, as recent events have increased national consciousness, as well as interest in it as a tourist area. Back in 2021, more different reviews of our country began to appear on YouTube, and now this trend is only intensifying,” said Artur Lupashko. In his opinion, there will also be a trend of business volunteering, support for everything Ukrainian - the choice of Ukrainian brands, as well as travel - around Ukraine.
In addition, our country can receive investments from funds and win hosting world events. For example, now Odessa is competing for a place for EXPO 2030. The city has already presented a concept that was developed and presented to Ukraine by the British architectural studio Zaha Hadid Architects. This project involves the development of 250 hectares near the Khadzhibey Estuary. Its cost is 1.3 million euros. But the ski resort of Bukovel claims to host the 2030 Winter Olympics. Ukraine is also competing to host the 2028 European Football Championship.
On visualization: EXPO 2030 project in Odessa by Zaha Hadid Architects Source
In addition, other forums and exhibitions, the development of new cultural and historical centers, as well as "black tourism" in places where active hostilities took place, will further enliven the market. So in the future we will get new tourist locations and whole trips, which will definitely lead to the development of domestic and inbound tourism.
It should also be taken into account that after the end of the war, the solvency of Ukrainians will decrease, which will affect the revival of domestic tourism. So, in 2014, after the start of the anti-terrorist operation in the East of Ukraine, and also in 2020, due to the introduction of quarantine around the world, there was a significant development of domestic tourism - people chose Ukrainian resorts and cities instead of foreign ones, since it was cheaper at first, and then - more accessible.
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