Innovation and trends in tourism

Earth Day might have passed, but according to research from Booking.com, consumer awareness of travel's impact on destinations is increasing.

The online travel company’s Travel & Sustainability Report 2025, which gathered opinions from more than 30,000 travelers across 34 countries, paints a more positive picture when it comes to sentiment surrounding the impact of travel.

While in previous reports in 2023 and 2024, many travelers (28%) expressed their fatigue around hearing about climate change and questioned whether their personal actions made a difference, this year's report revealed that sustainability is important for most travelers (84%).

As the travel industry works to meet the needs of environmentally conscious customers, the question remains: How can the sector ensure good intentions do in fact have a tangible impact? While many express a preference for sustainable travel, behavior while traveling differs.

Insights from Accor, Radisson Hotel Group, NH Hotel Group and Phocuswright offer strategies to tackle this sustainability behavior gap, with a focus on the importance of education and how technology can support more responsible travel decisions.

“We have been doing sustainability for a very long time. We had our first program in the early 2000s,” said Inge Huijbrechts, chief sustainability and security officer at Radisson Hotel Group. “We were the first hotel company worldwide to carbon compensate all our meetings and events worldwide.”

Die EHL Hospitality Business School präsentiert den Bericht «Food and Well-Being 2025». Zentrale Erkennt­nisse: Ernährung fördert Wohlbe­finden, Konsum­trends setzen auf Gesundheit und Nachhal­tig­keit. Heraus­for­de­rungen bleiben Fehlin­for­ma­tionen und ungleicher Zugang.

Kulinarik spielt eine große Rolle: 45 % der Deutschen und 48 % der Österreicher:innen berücksichtigen das kulinarische Angebot bei der Wahl ihrer Urlaubsdestination.
Regionale Spezialitäten hoch im Kurs: Landschaft, Sehenswürdigkeiten und regionale Speisen und Getränke gehören zu den Top-3-Erlebnissen im Urlaub.
Österreich mit Potenzial: Während Österreich kulinarisch geschätzt wird, gibt es in Deutschland noch Aufholbedarf bei der Bekanntheit österreichischer Wein- und Genussregionen.

Mit der Einführung des «Eco-Score» bietet die SV Group ihren Gästen in über 300 Restaurants eine einfache Möglichkeit, die Umwelt­aus­wir­kungen der Menüs zu erkennen. Die Bewertung erfolgt in Zusammen­ar­beit mit Beelong und basiert auf zehn umfassenden Nachhal­tig­keits­kri­te­rien.

We are pleased to announce the “Innovation and Mapping Festival 2025” – a unique event to mark the signing of the Non-Personal Data Standardization Charter. With this festival, we want to promote innovation in the industry and strengthen cooperation between tourism, IT service providers and other interested parties. 

The festival is organized according to the format similar to a hackathon, in which 12 to 14 challenges from the tourism sector are worked on in interdisciplinary teams. The aim is to develop creative and practical solutions and turn the vision of the charter into reality, in which 12 to 14 challenges from the tourism sector are worked on in interdisciplinary teams. The aim is to develop creative and practical solutions and turn the vision of the charter into reality.

Key dates of the festival:
Date:                                March 14, 2025
Where:                             Switzerland Tourism, Morgartenstrasse 5a, 8004 Zurich
Challenges:                     12 to 14 challenges from the tourism industry
Participants:                    Anyone who would like to contribute to innovative and progressive tourist

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Like the rest of the travel industry, the future of the tours and activities sector will be altered by some form of AI, though exactly how remains to be seen. The evolution of the in-destination experience aided by AI was discussed during part two of Phocuswright’s The New Age(nts) Trend Series, an online event led by Mike Coletta, senior manager of research and innovation at Phocuswright.

Panelists Alex Bainbridge, CEO of Autoura, co-founder and CEO of TripSchool Mitch Bach and Janette Roush, senior vice president of innovation and chief AI officer at Brand USA, joined Coletta for a wide-ranging, in-depth and informative conversation. 

“We feel strongly that some of the recent capabilities of generative AI models have significant implications for the in-destination experience. Specifically, advanced computer vision capabilities allow them to understand surroundings and context really well, and advanced real-time voice capabilities enable very natural conversations,” Coletta said. “And together, these stand to revolutionize how travelers tour neighborhoods and sites of interest, get recommendations and interact with locals.”

Position description

Acquire, carry out and manage R&D projects in one or more of the above-mentioned fields.
Collaborate with regional, national and international companies, public institutions and universities to develop high-impact projects.
Establish partnerships with companies, universities and partner schools at regional, national and international levels.
Disseminate scientific results through articles and presentations at conferences.
Teach at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels in the corresponding subject areas at the School of Management.

Food as the cornerstone of well-being: Food has evolved far beyond its traditional role as a source of sustenance. Once viewed primarily as a means to satisfy hunger and later as a status symbol, food now touches nearly every layer of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It nurtures not only the body but also mental health, a sense of community and supports planetary well-being, enabling the balance between human prosperity and the health of earth’s ecosystems. The concept of Food Well-Being (FWB) captures this multifaceted impact, highlighting food's role in bringing pleasure, purpose, health and sustainability into daily life. 

Consumer trends and the conscious shift: Driven by heightened post-pandemic awareness and access to information, consumers today are more informed than ever and are increasingly prioritizing health, transparency, as well as sustainability in their food choices. This shift is shaping new expectations and offers for the hospitality industry, from personalized nutrition to plant-forward menus and tech-enhanced dining experiences. A growing number of consumers seek food that is healthy and adjusted to their personal needs while still being convenient and quick.

Hospitality’s role in promoting well-being: The industry is positioned and expected to influence well-being at multiple levels. Through innovative practices like nature dining emersions, planetary diet offers, social eating initiatives or even just small shifts in their existing offering, hospitality providers can create environments that support both hedonic (pleasure-driven) and eudaimonic (purpose-driven) well-being.In recent years, chefs have taken a prominent role in these efforts, but everyone in the business, from line cooks and servers to management, has an important part to play. This highlights the growing importance of cross-disciplinary, continuous education to meet these expectations effectively.

Challenges and opportunities: While the rise of the conscious consumer signals progress, it also presents challenges, such as the increased spread of misinformation, addressing systemic inequalities in access to healthy food and navigating the complexities of sustainable food sourcing. Innovations in technology and education, alongside stronger commitments to shared responsibility, offer pathways to address these issues. The report highlights that achieving meaningful impact will require collaboration across sectors, embracing diverse perspectives and scaling innovative solutions to create more equitable and sustainable food systems.

Future-ready companies are distinguishing themselves by strategically balancing technological advancement with authentic human connection.

The travel industry in 2025 is shaped by key trends including AI technology, personalized experiences, responsible tourism, and ‘bleisure’ – the blending of business with leisure. Companies must adapt by adopting eco-friendly practices, deploying AI at scale for personalization, offering unique experiences, providing wellness services, and catering to solo travelers. 
Future-ready companies include Booking.com, Delta Air Lines, and Marriott, based on their robust performance in relevant metrics.   
AI agents, like OpenAI’s Operator and China’s Manu, are revolutionizing travel booking, potentially disrupting traditional travel agencies by enabling autonomous trip planning.

The world’s largest and wealthiest economies bear a disproportionate share of responsibility for tourism’s climate impact.

Tourism shapes what gets cooked, grown, and served. And over time, certain cuisines get boiled down to the same, overly familiar dishes.

Wellness is about more than feeling good. It’s a thriving business that is poised to keep growing.