News and Insights
2023 TrendHawk Report
May 30, 2023
Explore the trends that will drive the consumer and travel industries through 2023 and beyond.
Travel Comes Back Around
This will be a year of pendulum-like swings on many different aspects of travel. One minor but still significant twist is that “bleisure travel,” combining business and leisure, is becoming heavier on me-, family-, and free-time.
Wellness: Awakened
Ready to embrace wellness? You won’t be doing it alone. New spaces and experiences that bring people together via real life and social connection are at the burning center of the concept as people crave human interactions, gatherings, and celebrations: “The social wellness trend is not sprung from pitch decks but awakened by new human needs.”
Experiences on the Menu
Hungry for something new? Many are these days, and their appetites are taking them in new directions. Experiential dining has taken off, building on momentum from last year, with offerings such as “dinner theaters” and “underwater restaurants” gaining in popularity.
Taking Flight
Although airlines faced an array of challenges from flight delays to staffing shortages in 2022, consumers still saw air travel as the way to get where they were going. While the empty airports of late 2020 are just a memory and aviation is surging again from high demand, the industry will be dealing with rising revenues and costs in the year ahead, shaping the pace of recovery.
Luxury on the Rise
While “luxury” can mean different things to different people, it has evolved to become increasingly bound up in experiences rather than things. Travelers are learning that experiences become a part of our identity, whereas luxurious possessions are considered outdated and materialistic to a great portion of the population.
Travel Goes Green
Fittingly, sustainability can now be considered an evergreen trend as the wave of consumers who seek out brands that are committed to environmental, socio-cultural, and economic sustainability shows no sign of dissipating.
Bye-Bye Barter
Travel brands have long built influencer marketing programs on a foundation of barter collaborations, working with creators to experience and cover properties for their audiences in exchange for complimentary travel experiences. Put simply, “free trip = free social media content” is a formula that has worked, for the most part, for years. Not anymore.
The Age of the Video Entertainer
It’s in the name. Social Media was originally designed to be social. We heart and comment, engage and share, but we also scroll, watch, and listen. Which begs the question: Is social media still social…or is it mostly media?