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Last SlideNext SlideThis year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and there are plenty of commemorations planned at the 407 national parks. Emerald Pool hot spring is one of Yellowstone National Park"s 10,000 or so geysers, mudpots, steamvents and hot springs.(Photo: Karen Bleier, AFP/Getty Images)
2015 was a tumultuous year in which world events turned beloved travel destinations like Paris into temporary battlegrounds.
Will that keep U.S. travelers from venturing abroad in 2016?
The signs are pointing towards a resilient traveling public.
TripAdvisor, the travel review site, surveyed 2,250 U.S. travelers in the wake of the Paris attacks at cafes and a concert venue and found that 90% were not planning to change their 2016 travel plans as a result. Of the 10% who said they would change their plans, 61% said they would avoid specific destinations and 35% said they would stick to domestic travel.
Anthony Roman, president and founder of a global investigation and risk management firm, Roman and Associates, says travelers shouldn"t be discouraged from seeing the world. But they should be cautious. His advice: When on a trip, vary your daily routine, remain unassuming, use common sense, be alert and have a plan in mind should something go wrong.
"We can"t ignore the new reality, but we shouldn"t stop living either," he says.
So where do the experts think U.S. travelers should head to this year?
Brazil has been much buzzed about in the last few years because of its turn as host of the 2014 World Cup and this summer"s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
But Lonely Planet looked even further ahead on the sports calendar when determining its Best in Travel 2016 winners and named Japan the No. 2 country to visit. (No. 1 was Botswana.)
"Tokyo"s successful bid to host the Olympics in 2020 has raised the temperature of a feverish city amid a blur of new development," the guidebook declared, "but beyond the suburbs Japan remains as elegant and enticing as its graceful wooden temples."
Cuba will continue to entice travelers this year as the cold war with the USA thaws.
The U.S Tour Operators Association named Cuba its top emerging and off-the-beaten path destination followed by Myanmar, Icelandand Colombia. Ethiopia and Japan tied for fifth.
It"s been more than a year since President Obama began normalizing relations with the island nation. While traveling there as a tourist is still banned, those who fall under 12 U.S.-approved categories, which include people-to-people trips and humanitarian missions, can go via a complicated charter flight process.
It could soon get easier to travel to Cuba. At the end of 2015, the USA reached an agreement to allow regularly scheduled commercial flights between the two nations.
About 34% of the Tour Operators Association members already offer programs in Cuba. Of that number, more than half plan to increase their offerings in the next few years, says Terry Dale, president and CEO of the association.
"With Cuba making headlines this year, it"s no surprise that it took the first spot in the list of emerging destinations," says Dale.
Farther down south, Ecuador made several industry lists, including Fodor"s. The Latin American country has the benefit of having the U.S. dollar as its currency and the Galapagos Islands as its most famous attraction. But the capital city Quito is becoming a hot destination with its culinary renaissance. The government has made efforts to boost tourism by redeveloping blighted areas into commercial districts and increasing security in high trafficked areas.
Iceland made both the Tour Operators and Lonely Planet lists. What"s the appeal? Think glaciers, volcanoes, hot springs, northern lights, and all sorts of other natural wonders. Add to that the ease with which to visit thanks to an Icelandair Stopover promotion that lets travelers spend up to seven nights in Reykjavik en route to their final destination at no additional airfare. And Iceland-based low-cost carrier WOW Airlines continues to expand in North America (see below).
U.S. hotel companies are also starting to see opportunities in Iceland, with Hilton introducing its new lifestyle brand Canopy in Reykjavik this year.
Stateside, there are plenty of up-and-coming as well as longstanding popular destinations.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and there are plenty of commemorations planned at the 407 national parks leading up to the Aug. 25th birthday. One notable celebration will take place at the new Arch Park at Yellowstone National Park, which provides views of the Roosevelt Arch, named for Theodore Roosevelt, a seminal figure in the creation of America"s national parks. Last year the Park Service launched a Find Your park public awareness and education campaign to celebrate the centennial.
Tour Operators named New York and California top destinations in a tie. Second place was also a tie between Arizona and Hawaii.
Hawaii, specifically the island of Maui and the city of Honolulu, also earned high marks among Travel Leaders Group, a top U.S. travel agency.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack on the island of Oahu. On Dec. 7, the National Park Service and the U.S. Navy will host a commemoration ceremony.
Nashville is one U.S. city that is attracting new interest not just for its long-established music scene but because of the influx of new bright minds in the technology and health care industries. Hotel companies are also descending upon the city. Marriott is planning a new MOXY hotel aimed at Millennial travelers, those in their 20s and early 30s. Hilton will open a Canopy there. Virgin Hotels, a new chain that debuted last year, also plans a property there.
Some other travel trends that USA TODAY is keeping an eye on in 2016:
Bigger is better
Airlines completed their mergers in 2015, with American and US Airways finalizing their union to become the largest airline in the world. Now it"s time for hotel companies to consolidate. Marriott this year will complete its merger with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, becoming the largest hotel company in the world. AccorHotels recently announced its purchase of Fairmont, Rafflesand Swissotels.
Share and share alike
Uber and AirBnB continued their rise to dominance in 2015, despite regulatory and competitive challenges. Expect to see travelers continue to choose these alternatives. And the sharing economy is seeping into other industries. Last year, several companies such as Wheels Up and Beacon developed ride-sharing apps or subscription services that made private jets accessible to more travelers. Even chefs are embracing the concept, with websites such as EatWith.com developing to bring travelers together at the table at people"s homes so they can eat like locals.
Virtual reality, the new reality
In 2015, Marriott Hotels launched a trial of what it called "VRoom Service," allowing guests at select properties to order Samsung Gear VR headsets enabled by Oculus Rift for 24 hours. The devices were pre-loaded with videos of three destinations which Marriott called VR postcards so that the guest could have a 360-degree experience of each place. Qantas also experimented with virtual reality goggles in first-class cabins as a way to promote destinations and in-flight products and show movies. Hawaiian Airlines used Oculus Rift to visually announce the rollout of its new lie-flat seats later thisyear. "The ability to give someone like a travel agent in Japan the ability to experience it--we think that"s really powerful," says Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing for Hawaiian Airlines. "It"s becoming quite clear that"s going to become one of the new trends in consumer technology."
Low-cost carriers emerge
European low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle is rapidly expanding, beginning new nonstop service from Oakland to London Gatwick in May. Iceland-based WOW airlines is also adding more flights to Europe. What does this mean for the legacy carriers? George Hobica, founder of AirfareWatchdog.com, has not seen the airlines match the low-cost fares dollar for dollar. But he has seen some slightly lower fares to London on Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. The lower price of fuel is another factor that could keep fares steady. "I do think we are seeing the effect in addition as more airlines deploy fuel-efficient jets like the 787 and Airbus A350," Hobica says. "But it all depends on supply and demand. With employment picking up in the U.S., we"ll see more demand and that is a wild card for airfares."
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Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2016/01/01/travel-trends-2016-destinations-hotels-airlines/77966862/
