Trends in Travel Writing
Destinations and Industry Developments That are Driving Content
May 20, 2009
Trends in travel change, and trying to predict them can be like looking into a crystal ball. Keeping up with the changes, however, is essential for identifying the subject matter, destination or angle that is most likely to result in a commission.
At the beginning of the year, The Specialty Travel Agents Association (STAA) published its top ten travel trends for 2009. The majority of the trends that made this list are countries. These include several destinations, such as Mexico and Thailand, which are already renowned for their tropical climates and laid back beach life.
Several other up-and-coming destinations are less obvious or offer more adventurous vacations. Safaris in South Africa, adrenaline sports in New Zealand and the unique flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands are three examples.
Culinary Travel
Topping the list, and described as one of the fastest growing travel segments, is culinary travel. It has been a while coming but both the travel industry and travelers themselves are finally waking up to the fact that eating abroad does not have to mean mediocre, overpriced tourist fare labeled ‘authentic’. It can be the attraction itself and just as good a way of exploring the history and culture of a country as visiting a museum or important landmark. In fact, it may be even better, because eating is such a personal experience and forms a fundamental part of every day.
Many general vacation packages now offer the option of visiting a local market, experiencing traditional cuisine or taking part in a wine tasting. At the other end of the scale is a growing number of travel operators who only offer vacations with a gastronomic focus. These run the gamut from short cooking courses in Italy and France to week-long curry tours in India and even two weeks devoted to discovering the pubs and tearooms of Scotland.
Food in Travel Articles
As interest in and demand for culinary travel grows so does the need for articles on the subject. For travel writers already specializing in food, this could prove to be a very lucrative market; and indeed the growth in the number of dedicated culinary travel operators is being matched by the growth in the number of culinary travel publications. For writers whose niche lies elsewhere, it is worth bearing in mind that every traveler will have to eat at some point and it should be possible to weave a food element into stories on almost any topic. This could potentially increase the appeal and saleability of the pieces considerably.
Responsible Travel
The other big hitter on the STAA list was responsible travel. This can be broken down into eco-tourism, sustainable tourism or green tourism. While these each have a slightly different focus, they all essentially aim to minimize the environmental impact of travel or actively help to preserve the environment visited through volunteer programs.
Sports Events
David Whitley, a freelance travel writer and author of the website 1001 Travel Writer Tips suggests using major international sporting events as a hook to pitch a particular destination to an editor. “A lot of people travel to go and watch sporting events, but even more importantly, a major sporting event puts a destination in the news,” he says.
This does not mean the writer needs to know anything about sport or even make the sporting event the focus of the article (although mentioning the fact that it is coming up is probably a good idea). The point is to use the event and the media attention it attracts as a topical hook for the destination itself.
One of the keys to earning an income as a travel writer is writing articles editors want to publish. Keeping up-to-date with industry trends is one of the quickest ways of identifying the topics that are in demand and thus most likely to sell.
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