The signs have long been visible that travellers are looking for more authentic travel experiences. The sales of inclusive group packages have suffered with the rise of online booking platforms where travellers can adopt a do-it-yourself attitude. Travellers are looking for their own unique experience, and if we don’t adjust as an industry to suit these needs, we will stagnate.

I have often said when I travel that I want to get beneath the skin of a neighbourhood and see beyond the large tourist attractions. I want to feel a part of the community, get beneath the grit of it all, and enjoy a glimpse into what life would be like in the city I’m in.

Spending time recently in Helsinki ahead of the Nordic Blogger’s Experience, I did exactly that. Meeting up with online influencers, I was able to find neighbourhood coffee bars, small bistros and unique stores. I got to live like a local of Helsinki, even for just a short while.

Through social media we can be connected to a place getting insiders’ tips and recommendations in a far more intimate way than through traditional guidebooks or tourism offices.

Living like a local in a non-tourist neighbourhood, enjoying meals in small, local restaurants and seeking out engagement through peer-to-peer dining is an increasing trend, coupled with food now being a hook for travel – dubbed the Bourdain Effect by Skift after food journalist Anthony Bourdain’s desire to travel solely for food experiences around the globe. Travellers are no longer as predictable as in the past.

What does this mean for travel trade going forward?

Travellers as we know them have changed.

These are six new types of travellers identified by Amadeus through research: obligation meeters, simplicity searchers, reward hunters, social capital seekers, cultural purists, and ethical travellers. You can find more information on each here. 

While I won’t elaborate on them all, the bottom line is that they are mostly focused on experiential travel. For them it’s all about connecting with locals and creating memories rather than checking off sightseeing attractions through a bus window.

The social capital seeker and cultural purist are most interesting, seeking out experiences that aren’t written in the guide books. They use the web, social media and recommendations of friends and followers to peel away the superficial layers of a place and find the real magic.

For destinations and industry, it is increasingly important to put the spotlight on the ‘less obvious’ – working with local influencers in the know to compile ‘citizen guides’ with insider tips and to promote alternative tours and a focus on neighbourhoods, all key drivers for this booming trend.

Travellers are more willing than ever to share information with those doing their travel bookings. Whether it be in the form of a wish on Twitter for their trip, an image on Instagram while travelling, or allowing you to access their data through Google and Facebook, these details are a lot more intimate than the type of pillow they prefer in a hotel, and absolutely should be taken advantage of.

Tour operators looking to build new packages focused on this independent and extremely curious travel will need to shake up how they’ve always done things in order to compete in a marketplace that seems to have a life of its own right now.

One particular experience that is described by Skift as ‘stubbornly analog’ in a world of everything digital, is food. The experience of enjoying a destination’s food simply can’t be made into a digital one – it is tactile in nature. The locale of cuisine is distinct and has been identified as something travellers are now likely to travel for. This links into the distinct trend of travellers looking to live like locals; and where travel trade can take full advantage.

South Africa, in particular, has myriad foodie experiences that are both exceptional and affordable. Tour operators should look at incorporating more free time into packages, creating flexible itineraries and offering local travel guides that list experiences that only locals know about.

This is also the reason why so many personal blogs have become popular in recent years. Blogs recommend experiences that are beyond what is familiar to tourists, experiences that a traveller can go home with and brag about as their own.

Restaurant reservation app reserve’s CEO, Greg Hong, put it very well: “Dining will be the last form of live entertainment. As we start to digitise experiences, we are going to yearn for authentic experiences where we can break bread together.”

Travel brands, tourism boards and hotels need to begin offering immersive food and drink experiences that showcase a culinary adventure to attract this wave of foodie travellers.

Travel has always been about the experience but now each individual’s experience is connected to the views and opinions of so many pairs of eyes.

Travellers in-destination are all taking along a group of peers on their adventures. We have to help them spread the word by giving them highly visual, authentic and original experiences to share and rave about.