Breaking News: Five Headlines that Shaped Travel in 2019

Trends may wax and wane, but stand-out moments in time can have a lasting impact on the travel industry. Here are our top five things that impacted travel in 2019 – and that will continue to be felt in the year ahead:

1. Thomas Cook disappears – after 178 years of being the biggest British name in travel booking, Thomas Cook declared bankruptcy in late September. The bankruptcy announcement was abrupt and left 600,000 travelers stranded and nearly 21,000 people out of work. In fact, the dissolution of the operator, which was scrambling to find nearly $250 million in emergency funding, prompted the British government to begin the largest peacetime repatriation effort in history. The fallout of the collapse has had a ripple effect across the travel industry worldwide, largely on destinations from Spain to Egypt to the Canary Islands that were dependent on the firm’s business.
2. Heritage travel heats up – as many people purchased consumer DNA tests in 2018 as in all previous years combined, according to MIT Technology Review, and the pace has continued into 2019. This genealogical curiosity has in turn materialized into trips abroad – from Poland to Ireland to Germany – where travelers can see for themselves where their ancestors hailed from.
3. Brexit hits barriers – while the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union passed in a referendum in June 2016, delays in ratifying withdrawal agreements have pushed the deadline for withdrawal into 2020. Should the UK crash chaotically out of the EU, travelers seeking to head in or out of the UK face many uncertainties, particularly around border restrictions. Should there not be an organized replacement system in place upon withdrawal, travelers may face challenges at English Channel ports and airports.
4. Hong Kong protests persist – ongoing anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong, which were triggered by plans to allow extradition to mainland China, have escalated over the past few months. Clashes between police and activists have become increasingly violent and less predictable, with protesters targeting major means of transportation, which has made it difficult or unsafe for travelers to get around.
5. Travel tech explodes – virtual reality, augmented reality, recognition technology, artificial intelligence – a myriad of technologies have come to the forefront this year. Embracing technology is imperative to meet changing consumer expectations and to keep pace with competitors. The trick for industry players is to determine the right level and types of technology to incorporate into their businesses that enable advancement but don’t alter the brand experience beyond recognition.

So what’s the Aon Travel Takeaway from these five trends and events? Beth Godlin, president of Aon Affinity Travel Practice, says: “Today’s travelers hit the road for many different reasons and use different tools to plan their trips, but one thing’s for certain, world events can have a real impact on travel plans and safety. It’s important for travelers to expect the unexpected and take steps, such as purchasing travel insurance, to protect their investment and plans.”