This is a paper I wrote last year in my college class. So many people have asked to read it, that I've decided to post it here, sans references, in case any who are coming up in the program behind me get desperate.. ------------------------- People travel for many different reasons. They travel for business and they travel for pleasure. Sometimes they do both at the same time. They travel to feel, see, and do. This is why, where, and how people are traveling in 2019, and perhaps a little of travel in years to come. WHY Micro Travel Micro Travel, also known as Micro Tourism, or Short Stay Travel, consist of short trips from one to two days. These trips are usually centered around an event, like a concert or sporting event, and visiting sites in the area while there. Micro travel is seen as more affordable, as you would only need to book one or two nights accommodations, and there isn't a necessity for air travel. It can be as simple as getting in the car and driving a few hundred kilometres and finding local places to explore. Exploring the less tourist-oriented areas you may find similar attractions to the high tourist areas at a much more affordable price. If you still choose to fly and are diligent, you can watch fares and keep an eye out for seat sales that can bring down the price of your trip. One of the features of micro travel is being able to immerse yourself into the culture of a destination. Instead of hitting all the big attractions, you stick to one or two and spend more time experiencing them. You can do things like go to poetry readings, watch local performers in a park, or learn how to cook traditional foods. There are also self-guided tours that allow you to see what you want to see at your own pace. Conscious Travel and Purpose Trips Conscious Travel is a mindfulness for the world and it's people who we encounter upon our travels. It is changing our thinking about the way we travel and seeing a destination through a local's eyes. Conscious travellers try to be aware of any negative impact they may have on the local environment and economy. They will stay at smaller inns, b&b's, and homestays. They will eat at local restaurants. They will shop at local shops for souvenirs. This ensures that their money will stay in that community instead of going to large international companies. Conscious travellers may also avoid countries with authoritarian governments, human rights abuses, or other political or social issues that they do not agree with. Purpose trips take this one step further. Not only are they aware of any negative impact their trip may have, but they wish to do something specific that will leave a positive mark as well. They volunteer with local and international charities and not-for-profit groups to do things like help build schools, conserve local wildlife, and clean up after natural disasters. Sustainable Travel The World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “development [which] meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social, and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life support system.” Basically, what this means is that sustainable tourism is visiting and enjoying a destination without causing harm to the environment or culture. Sustainable travelers are more aware of the pollution levels caused by travel and how that affects the environment and local wildlife. Tourism relies on burning fossil fuels, which contributes to climate change. It’s predicted that 40% of the world’s carbon emissions will be generated by tourism by 2050. To try to offset this, sustainable travellers will walk, ride bicycles, or use public transportation. They will also stay in locally owned or green certified accommodations, and eat at local restaurants that source their ingredients locally. WHERE Peru Peru has much to offer, from museums, shopping, and night life of Lima, to the old world buildings and narrow streets of Cusco, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Incan city of Machu Picchu, one of the new 7 Wonders of the World, is a favorite of visitors. For those who wish to get off the beaten track and away from the commercialization of Machu Picchu, there is the Incan city of Choquequirao. This city has yet to be fully restored, and is only accessible by foot. Being 2000 feet higher in altitude than Machu Picchu, getting to Choquequirao is not easy. G Adventures offers 6 or 12 day trekking tours that take you to both Choquequirao and Machu Picchu, neither for the faint of heart. The Peruvian Government has announced plans to rebuild the ancient Incan road between Machu Picchu and Choquequirao and build a cable car to make it easier for people to get to the smaller Incan city, cutting the time to get there from two days, to 15 minutes. The prospect of seeing a ‘lost’ Incan city before the road and cable car make it accessible to the throngs is one of the things making Peru a top destination of 2019. Germany Germany is marking several anniversaries in 2019. There is the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus art movement, and the 300th anniversary of the birth of Leopold Mozart, the father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Berlin is celebrating the anniversary of it's reunification with many events going on through the year, ending with a festival from November 4-10. This festival will have lectures, readings, contemporary witness talks, poetry slams and film screenings. The festival will conclude with the entire city becoming the largest concert stage in the world, featuring renowned musicians, orchestras and bands. The Bauhaus art movement started as a small art school in the state of Thuringian in central Germany. The artists of this school had grown disillusioned by the cookie cutter design of mass production of the early 20th century. In 1925, the school moved to the city of Dessau, and later relocated to Berlin in 1933. The political pressures of the Nazis and a lack of funding caused the school to close soon after. The Bauhaus artists wanted to meld art into the every day. Their designs and art pieces continue to influence the designs of everything from buildings to furniture. In Thuringia, The Bauhaus Museum Weimar will be opening on April 5, 2019 and there will also be two new exhibition spaces opening for Bauhaus in Berlin and Dessau. Leopold Mozart was a musician and composer who worked for the Archbishop of Salzburg, first as a court musician and later as an assistant chapel master. He was the father of two musically gifted children, Marie Anna and Wolfgang Amadeus. Most of Leopold's compositions have been lost, but he did edit many of his son's compositions. Of his compositions that do exist, the most popular would be his Trumpet Concerto in D Major. The City of Augsburg, Leopold Mozart's birth city is planning many different festivals and concerts throughout the year including the opening of the Mozarthaus, a museum in Leopold's birthplace, and the German Mozart Festival in May. Ethiopia Ethiopia is probably not the first place that you would think of as a trending tourist destination. Most people would probably think of drought, famine and revolution, along with health and communication issues. In recent years, however, Ethiopia's economy has turned around. The government has put efforts into building new infrastructure, like highways, new and updates to older airports, and a light rail system in Addis Ababa, which is the first in Africa. Some sites of interest are the Babile Elephant Sanctuary, The Blue Nile Falls, and the castles and churches of Gondar. The Babile Elephant Sanctuary is an animal reserve for not just elephants, but the Black-maned lion, Leopard, Cheetah, the Hamadryas Baboon, Menelik’s bushbuck, Soemmerring’s Gazelle, and over 200 bird species. The 698,200 hectare sanctuary is located 560km east of Addis Ababa and 25km south of the city of Harar. Tours of the park are available. For hikers, the 5km walk to see the Blue Nile Falls is worth the trip. Not as large as other waterfalls, the 42m falls throws up mist and rainbows as the water hits the pools below in a two or three prong falls, depending on the time of year. The hike takes you through small villages and across the 17th century Portuguese bridge, the first bridge to span the Blue Nile. This can be done as a day trip from the city of Bahir Dar, which is 30km away. For history buffs and religious travelers, the Debre Berhan Selassie church in Gondar is a must see. From the outside, it seems very plain, but inside the walls are covered with murals of biblical scenes and saints. The ceiling has 123 angels looking down, representing the omnipresence of God. Above the curtained door to the Holy of Holies, where a copy of the Ark of the Covenant is kept, there are icons of the Holy Trinity and the Crucifixion. Mahdist Dervishes of the Sudan sacked the city of Gondar in 1888, and burned down every church in the city except Debre Berhan Selassie. According to local legend, when the soldiers approached the church, a swarm of bees descended and kept them away and the Archangel Michael guarded the wooden gates with a flaming sword drawn. HOW Air Travel At any given moment, there are about 10,000 planes in the sky, carrying about 1.3 million people. According to AAA, air passenger travel will grow in 2019 by 5.4%. What this means is that airlines and airports will be looking for new and faster ways to get people around airports and onto planes. Biometrics, like iris scanners, are already in place in many airports to help people get through security faster. Delta Air Lines is the first to open a biometric terminal in the US for international flights, at their hub in Atlanta, and American Airlines and JetBlue are also working on their own facial recognition programs. Not only will these programs help you to get through security faster, but it will also get you on the plane faster, as it will use your face as your boarding pass. Cruise Travel Cruising has grown away from the stereotype of being only available to wealthy seniors. The cruise industry is projected to continue to grow throughout 2019 with an estimated 30 million travelers expected to cruise, up 6% from 28.2 million in 2018. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) says that 18 new ships are on order for it's member cruise lines and a total of 272 CLIA-member ships are projected to be in operation by June 2019. One of the trends that the CLIA is watching for 2019 is restorative travel. Restorative travel are trips or tours that seek to rejuvenate the body and mind. These trips help you to relax and unwind from the daily grind of life. The cruise line industry is responding to this trend by offering spa experiences, onboard oxygen bars, and healthy menu choices. They also offer rejuvenating excursions like swimming with dolphins or relaxing in a natural mineral spring. Vehicle Rentals As with the airline industry, the vehicle rental industry is embracing technology and changing the ways they do business. Many have started on-demand car sharing programs which, through a mobile app, customers can rent cars on an hourly or daily basis. With the environment and sustainability being a factor in tourism, car rental companies have stepped up to the plate, offering fully electric or electric hybrid vehicles as parts of their fleet. Places to charge these vehicles are becoming more common as well, with seven of them in the Charlottetown area alone, and more in six other communities across Prince Edward Island. Future Space Travel NASA has announced plans to build an orbital lunar space station, called the Lunar Gateway, with construction set to begin this year and for the station to be launched in 2022. However, that timeline may be pushed back by the Trump Administration's promise to have man on the moon again by 2024. Politics aside, this station could be a stepping stone to commercial development on the lunar surface for lunar tourism, or even human habitation on the surface of the moon. As younger generations continue to change the world, they will continue to change the reasons why, where, and how we travel. This could be new ways to see their neighborhoods, new countries, or even new planets. The possibilities are endless.
