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Travel trends in 2018 - according to the Travel Barometer

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Yesterday, Resia presented this year's travel trends 2018, as they released the annual Resia Barometer. What are the travel trends for the coming year and how do Swedes think about travelling? We present four trends and a number of travel patterns according to the report. What do you think about this? Do you recognise yourself?

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Trend 1: Inspiring accommodation and culinary adventures

Swedes are happy to pay for a good hotel with a central location, high standards and friendly staff. Interestingly, the younger age group spends more money on accommodation and food than the older age groups. So no backpacking here! Among middle-aged people, food and drink are more important than anything else, and overall we can conclude that the interest in food and wine holidays will grow even stronger.

  • Our reflectionYoung Swedes are used to high standards and expect the same when travelling. Food and wine holidays ... yeah, we like that!
Hotell fortina
Our best hotel experience this year - Fortina hotels in Malta

Trend 2: Disconnected and unplugged

You can read everywhere that exercise on the move is on the rise and that it's impossible to go on holiday without working WiFi. The Travel Barometer shows something completely different for 2018. More than half of Swedes say that they do not exercise at all when travelling privately. When asked what is most important when choosing a hotel, WiFi was ranked fifth compared to last year's second place. The Travel Barometer asks whether we have become tired of being constantly connected?

  • Our reflection: We believe that the lack of prioritisation of WiFi is due to new roaming rules and the fact that people may take WiFi for granted.
Hilton Park Tallinn
We like to relax (but not no) while travelling - the picture is from a good hotels in Tallinn

Trend 3: Culture spotting on the rise

Swedes are more curious than ever to discover new cultures and countries. We are so curious that we prioritise lazy days at the beach for a visit to a remote village where we can meet the locals. People in the country's three largest cities are most interested in cultural experiences. People aged 35-50 deviate from the trend and are most interested in escaping everyday life and getting sun and warmth - perhaps this group simply has a tough life?

  • Our reflectionDiscovering new places and learning about different cultures - that's probably what makes us want to travel!
Dricka ost
We will be involved in production of raclette cheese in Switzerland - and Peter tries to drink curd.

Trend 4: Minibreaks 2018's hottest trend

There are weekend trips and there are trips that last a week or two, but what is it called if you are away for 4-5 days? According to Resiabarometern, this type of travelling is on the rise, which may be due to the fact that Swedes simply want to take a lot of trips in a year. If you travel in the middle of a week, rather than over a weekend, you can also find better prices. The trend can also be seen in the world of skiing.

  • Our reflectionWe recognise the need to fit in several trips. For us, it's best to include weekends, but it can be different.
Skidresa till Österrike
We tried out a five-day skiing holiday to Alpbachtal in Austria at the beginning of the year

We dream of the Maldives - and book Gran Canaria

In addition to the four trends, Resiabarometern presents a number of top lists, and we can conclude, among other things, that what we dream of and what we book do not quite match. Swedes dream of luxury accommodation on pillars in the Maldives, Hurtigrutten, vineyards in Tuscany, Route 66 or Highway 1 in the USA and cherry trees in Japan. But what do we book?

The most booked charter holidays are Gran Canaria, Mallorca and Phuket. The most booked flights are Miami (often for a cruise), Bangkok and Phuket. The most booked countries are Spain, Greece and the USA.

Resetrender 2018
Lina Eklund from Resia talks about travel trends in 2018.

More travel trends in 2018

Here are some more short and exciting travel trends for 2018 from the Travel Barometer:

  • Greece becomes even more popular attracting new destinations such as Kanali, Papigo and Sivota on the Greek mainland.
  • Scanian people spend the most money on travel in 2018. 17% of Malmö residents surveyed plan to spend SEK 20,001-30,000 per person on travel, while only 9% of Stockholmers plan to spend the same amount.
  • Swedes are not intimidated of unrest in the world. 59% say they have not been deterred at all and 5% even travel more than before.
  • Women and men dream differently - while men dream of driving a car in the US, women fantasise about paradise beaches in the Maldives.
  • Experiencing nature at home is on the riseand the hottest is Hurtigruten. Even among young people!
  • Cruises are more popular than ever, where you can choose from everything from the Mediterranean and the Caribbean to ... Hurtigruten!
  • Adults are most annoying when travelling by planeespecially when they drop the back of their chair from time to time. Funnily enough, women are more bothered by children kicking the back of the chair than men are.
  • More people are willing to pay extra for sustainable travel compared to before, and now the figure is up to 36 per cent.
  • But Swedes do NOT want to travel to ... Turkey, Egypt or Russia.
VR
I'm trying out travelling the world with VR glasses. Yesterday morning I "visited" Utah in the USA and Ronda in Spain.

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