Before the pandemic temporarily clouded its forecast, the outlook for the travel industry was astonishingly bright. With an entirely new generation of travellers coming of age, previously off-radar destinations such as Cambodia, Ethiopia and Mongolia going mainstream and solo travel a seemingly unstoppable force, the world of holidaymaking was seriously going places. Space tourism, slow travel and climate-neutral trips were all hot topics before coronavirus unceremoniously froze the industry, so where do we stand now the thaw has officially begun? Beyond tentative toes placed in warm waters around the globe, what do the next few years hold for the world of travel? Where will holidaymakers find themselves at the end of this new decade? We rounded up some of the biggest names in the business to give their informed predictions on destinations and trends for the years to come.

“Looking beyond the pandemic, travellers and travel companies will start making more decisions informed by what does or doesn’t contribute to the climate crisis we’re still facing. We’ll undoubtedly see more sustainable modes of transportation come to the fore, from the fuels they use to the materials they’re constructed from. The Airbus A350, for example, is made of more than 50 per cent composite materials, emitting far less carbon dioxide. We’ll also see technologies such as Hyperloop become mainstream as people seek faster, more sustainable ways to travel. With Spaceport America now completed – the world’s first commercial spaceport, based in New Mexico – holidays beyond the Earth are imminent.”

_Sir Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin Hotels; virginhotels.com   _

“I remain confident that in the not-too-distant future, we’ll be taking holidays everywhere, from under the ocean to outer space. There are a number of places around the world already offering the Atlantis-like opportunity of sleeping with the fishes, and that trend will only grow as people continue to seek out the ultimate, unconnected detox. Meanwhile, the first luxury space hotel, the Aurora Station, looks like it will become reality this decade, and that’s something I’m very much looking forward to – relaxing in zero gravity with a space cocktail, while watching over the globe below. Back on Earth, under-tourism – actively seeking exciting, little-visited areas – will become a major force. Places such as the Hunza Valley in Pakistan – a magnificent region that gets only a handful of travellers – will go mainstream. Botswana and Namibia will also soar in popularity, particularly the Okavango Delta and the Skeleton Coast. Above all, people are going to be looking for transformative travel, destinations and experiences with meaning. In the past, a good spot by the pool with a piña colada would have done the trick. It won’t now.”

Mr Levison Wood, author of The Last Giants: The Rise And Fall Of The African Elephant, is a writer, explorer and photographer; levisonwood.com

“The untamed parts of our world are becoming easier to access and we’re seeing large numbers of travellers who are keen to drop off the grid, to escape the constraints of modern life and truly embrace wilderness. These people are increasingly looking to create powerful memories and that often means overcoming physical or mental challenges as part of their travels. Meanwhile, as life gets busier and the value of time increases, micro-adventures will continue to grow, too. In the near future, more people will be embracing the open air on their doorstep for a weekend or just a night, to escape the chaos of everyday life and take a beat just to reflect and relax.”

Mr Bear Grylls is an adventurer, television presenter and founder of The Bear Grylls Adventure at the NEC in Birmingham; beargryllsadventure.com

“Until recently, solo travel conjured up images of 20-something backpackers sleeping off their hangovers in hostel dorms. But before the pandemic struck, solo group travel – heading somewhere with a ready-made pack of like-minded travellers – was one of the fastest growing trends in the industry, and we expect that to continue as normality slowly returns. The common theme is a desire to do something for ourselves, to visit that destination; learn that skill or have that experience we’ve always desired, irrelevant of age or relationship status. We predict that by 2030, 75 per cent of Britons between the ages of 20 and 50 will have been on a solo adventure, irrespective of whether they’re single or not. We’re settling down later in life, we’re embracing and celebrating individuality and many of us are placing increased value on experiences over possessions. While those key factors continue to grow, so will demand for solo travel in the 2020s.”

Mr Lee Thompson is the founder of solo group travel company Flash Pack; flashpack.com

“The biggest trend we’re going to see, as Gen Z rises to take centre stage, is purpose becoming the new luxury. Purpose-driven travel doesn’t just mean token giving back, but rather trips that leave the traveller – and the people they meet along the way – genuinely enhanced. If millennials were the generation that sought to perfect their image, both in reality and across social media, we see Gen Z pulling in the opposite direction and seeking to increase the substance in their lives in a more meaningful way. That means travel experiences, accommodation and interactions that are rewarding not just on a surface level but in a more personal, long-lasting way. In particular, the trend for analogue holidays – that is, holidays that mix digital detox with minimalist living – is something we’ll continue to see grow into a carefully curated combination of detox and purpose.”

Mr Tom Marchant is the owner and co-founder of luxury travel company Black Tomato; blacktomato.com

“The demand for slow travel is really speeding up. We can already see tourists falling into this space as they look for experiences that not only make them feel special, but feel like they’re doing positive things for the environment through which they are travelling. Over the decade, train travel will come back in a big way, and electric planes are not far off, too – Rolls-Royce is planning to launch a test flight of its debut zero-emissions electric plane, ACCEL, this year. Meanwhile, EasyJet has partnered with Wright Electric with the aim of having a fleet of electric planes by 2030. That’s fantastic news for a decade when carbon off-setting will only become a bigger issue and every individual will become responsible for their own carbon footprint.”    

Mr Jonny Bealby is the founder and CEO of independent travel company Wild Frontiers; wildfrontiers.com

“Ultra-personalisation is coming to the fore in the hotel sphere, so expect your favourite films, perfect shower temperature and preferred sleeping patterns to all be part of the guest experience in the near future. Numerous profiling services will mean hotels get better at predicting your behaviour, tastes and interests, while hopefully falling short of being creepy. Soon we’ll be travelling without documents as our faces become our passports, while drone-style taxis, space hotels and aquatic highways will all become a reality in our lifetimes. As will rocket travel, getting us from London to New York in just 40 minutes. The pressures of climate change and overtourism could see virtual reality tourism really take off. Rather than visiting Machu Picchu, the Pyramids of Giza or Venice, travellers of the future will simply pop on a headset and recreate that experience from the comfort of their own home.”   

Mr Pat Riddell is the editor of National Geographic Traveller UK; nationalgeographic.co.uk