SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - December 21, 2016) - When you check into the Hilton in 2060 will there be a human on the other side of the registration desk? Will your coffee come by the hand of a "Westworld"-designed waitress? Will your room just read your mind to arrange all the right comforts?
A new study by Dr. James Canton of the Institute for Global Futures with Hotels.com looks into the way the traveler of the future will plan their trip and execute it, given the ecosystem of what technologies are available now and what's on the drawing board.
Self-styling hotels, 3-D in-room manufacturing systems, conversational televisions, even dream selection menus may be coming our way. These visions and their likelihood to materialize in the next 25 years are in discussion in the latest issue of Tours.com's Travel-Intel.
The story in Travel-Intel is one of several looking at recent and long-term trends in the travel industry. On a more contemporary note, Travel-Intel highlights the concept of happiness and how travel has proved to be an action that boosts happiness in American society -- to the point that people surveyed in a recent study admit to cherishing their travel experiences even more than they cherished their wedding day experience. Seven of ten feel the best vacation is one where they can make themselves at home in their accommodations.
"Study after study has indicated that there is a huge boost to happiness in the 'anticipatory phase,' which occurs while planning and visualizing a trip. This new research shows how significant this boost really is -- on par or better than getting engaged," noted happiness expert and New York Times bestselling author and speaker, Shawn Achor, who co-authored the research with Booking.com.
With travel as the simple key to happiness, Travel-Intel publishes weekly and is sent to 103,000 travel agents in North America as they plan travel for an ever more sophisticated population of clients. The articles and features are then posted on Tours.com, a comprehensive directory of travel and tour options searched according to experiences desired, locations and planning sources.
Also featured in this week's Travel-Intel is a look at the Yucatan Peninsula's latest luxury resort to open -- Chablé Resort, just outside of Merida. The resort focuses on luxury and wellness with a sublime cenote, or clear subterranean swimming pond, as a centerpiece and 40 luxe villas where guests can rest and catch their breath. It also houses the world's largest private collection of tequilas. The property is a member of the exclusive Kurtz-Ahlers collection of luxury hotels, resorts and destination specialists.
Seven top adventure tour destinations for 2017 are highlighted in a subsequent story. Stride Travel, an up and coming search and reviews site for tours & adventure experiences, has provided some insights into the top trending adventure destinations, which include Cuba, Romania and Iceland, among others.
Travel-Intel also looks into what Americans are spending when they travel and where they are spending it. While 20 percent of Americans say they are too busy to travel -- an excuse that has spiked nearly 150 percent in the past year -- those who are traveling are spending 42 percent more: a figure that has jumped from $3,572 in 2015 to $5,063. When traveling domestically, according to the research provided by Choice Hotels, they are heading for beach destinations like Florida and California. Asked what they would give up to travel to their dream spot, more than half would forfeit morning coffee or forego all holiday gifts. One in four admit they would miss a child's birthday or best friend's wedding.
As 2016 comes to a close, Travel-Intel looks at what's motivating millennials to get up and out there as 2017 travelers. A list offered by Contiki Holidays, which specializes in travel for 18 to 35 year olds, notes that top on this list is the chance to soak in Iceland's Blue Lagoon, see the great pyramids of Giza, walk the great wall of China and learn how to make pizza in Italy.
A full list and other stories on travel news and travel trends is available on Travel-Intel, which is written by travel industry journalists and focuses on changing trends in travel. Stories come from a variety of places and perspectives, including intel from travel industry conferences and expos, or first person experiences at popular hotels, exotic resorts, cruise ships and ports, and destinations near and far. Current issues and archives can be viewed at www.travel-intel.com.
"Travel-Intel makes an interesting read, not just because it delivers the news in one of world's largest and ever-changing industries, but it is well-written and considers the needs of those who are searching for these stories," says Lark Gould, content editor for Travel-Intel. "Travel is never the same story twice. Each traveler is going to have a separate and individual experience. Our job is to help travelers decide the path of their journey and to help travel agents make astute recommendations for them."
As a veteran travel journalist who has been covering the travel industry for more than 30 years, Lark Gould puts her incisive perspective into the weekly publication, with features and news updates, and also "packages" issues that present great travel deals to be found at hotels and resort locations worldwide. Travel-Intel can be viewed as a stand-alone publication on Tours.com. Gould publishes travel columns and stories for the Washington Times, Business Travel Executive, GoBankingrate.com and Business Traveler USA, as well as eTravel.news and Larkslist.
About Tours.com - the only worldwide directory of tours and vacations. As the most comprehensive tour and travel directory out there tours.com is celebrating its 21st anniversary as an authority website, which launched 1995. It features a deep and searchable database of tours and tour companies according to destination, activity and/or company name. It is also a one-stop resource travel agents certified with in-depth knowledge in their chosen areas. For local sightseeing information in cities and towns around the world, companion site, Sightseeing.com, is the resource. For more information visit www.Travel-Intel.com
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Press Contact:
Maria Polk
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maria@tours.com
Phone: 415-786-9108
