An overview of key trends driving the growth of leisure travel to cities around the world and the factors most important in choosing a city for a vacation.

1. THE RISE OF THE
CITY AS A DESTINATION

2. AGENDA
01 THE RISE OF THE CITY
02 THE CITY AS A TOURISM DESTINATION
03 TOP 10 DRIVERS
04 DISCUSSION

3. 01
__________________________
THE RISE
OF THE CITY

4. Urbanization – Ancient Rome
Ancient cities were not only the centers of
religion and power, they were defensible
sites and safer at the time.
SAFETY

5. Trade Routes – Constantinople
With a surplus of raw materials to support
trade, cities formed the epicentre of a vast
trade network based on a common cultural
and linguistic community, and built
infrastructure to provide good standards of
living for residents.
Constantinople was strategically located
along the Silk Roads, across the Black Sea,
through rich Anatolia and into the wheat
producing areas of the Nile.
TRADE

6. Industrial Revolution – England
During the 18th- 19th century, a large scale
movement of people migrated to cities to
work specifically in manufacturing.
Cities were primarily commercial centers
developed around factories, transport and
communication systems.
PRODUCTION

7. Service Economy – Seattle
Developed economies shifted rapidly from
a manufacturing orientation to services
and technology in the late 20th century.
Companies and creative talent clustered
together in cities.
INNOVATION

8. 02
__________________________
THE CITY AS A
TOURISM DESTINATION

9. Growth of outbound travel spending
and GDP, nominal US$
International travel spending has
consistently outpaced overall economic
growth by nearly a full percentage point.
Source: Tourism Economics
TRAVEL GROWTH

10. TRAVELGROWTH

11. ACCORDING TO WORLD
TRAVEL MONITOR, CITY
TRIPS SOARED 98%
BETWEEN 2011 AND 2016 TO
REACH 26% OF ALL
HOLIDAYS.
THEY GREW ANOTHER 16%
IN 2017.

12. KEY DRIVERS
Four key forces are driving demand for
travel to cities – and their expected
evolution – help us define the
sustainability of this extraordinary
growth in urban travel.
01 SAFETY
02 TRAVELLING CLASS
03 DEMOGRAPHICS
04 CONNECTIVITY

13. 1. SAFETY
__________________________
Crime rates in cities dropped significantly
beginning in the 1990s, creating a more
welcoming environment for leisure travellers.

14. Times Square – 1970s
NEW YORK

15. Times Square – 2015
NEW YORK

16. NYC–CRIMERATE/ANNUALVISITORS

17. 2. TRAVELLING CLASS
__________________________
The base number of potential international travelers with sufficient
income to travel is expanding rapidly. Growth of the traveling
class is set to continue, especially in emerging markets.

18. Travelling Class Household Volumes
Long-haul travel will become affordable for
more than 244 million additional
households between 2014 and 2024.
Source: Oxford Economics
Household with income over $20,000 per annum
TRAVELLING CLASS

19. OUTBOUNDCHINESETRAVEL

20. 3. DEMOGRAPHICS
__________________________
Increases in senior population and senior travel
rates are having a compounding effect on the
importance of this generation to international travel.

21. The world’s population is aging across
every region of the world.
Source: UN Data
AGEING POPULATION

22. DEFINING
RETIREMENT
Source: Resonance 2015 Portrait
of the U.S. Retiree Traveler

23. ›
PREFERRED
DESTINATION TYPE
Source: Resonance 2015 Portrait
of the U.S. Retiree Traveler

24. Senior travel growth 2004-2024
By 2024, seniors will represent more than
10% of all international travel. This is up
from 7% in 2014 and 6% in 2004.
Source: Tourism Economics, IPK
PROJECTED GROWTH

25. Senior travel growth 2004-2024
Senior travel growth will outpace overall
international travel growth over the
coming decade, with emerging markets
leading in growth terms and developed
markets leading in absolute volumes.
Source: Tourism Economics
PROJECTED GROWTH
BY COUNTRY

26. 4. CONNECTIVITY
__________________________
Increased demand for travel is driving major new airport
construction and more point-to-point routes. This is
making travel more accessible and more affordable.

27. WORLDAIRPASSENGERS

28. Massive airport development projects are
underway or planned around the world.
This includes more than 2,500 separate
airport construction projects including 340
entirely new airports.
Source: Tourism Economics
AIRPORT
IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

29. 03
__________________________
TOP 10
DRIVERS

30. WHICH EXPERIENTIAL
FACTORS ARE MOST CLOSELY
CORRELATED WITH
INTERNATIONAL TOURISM
ARRIVALS?

31. WHICH EXPERIENTIAL
FACTOR HAS THE HIGHEST
CORRELATION WITH
INTERNATIONAL TOURISM
ARRIVALS?
Nightlife
Museums
Shopping
Sports Teams
Parks & Outdoor Activities
Hotels
Attractions
Neighborhoods & Landmarks
Culture
Culinary Experiences

32. Among the 28 factors analyzed, these
factors are most closely correlated with
international tourism arrivals.
While correlation does not indicate
causation, it points to associations between
variables.
TOP 10 FACTORS
Correlation Coefficient
Neighborhoods & Landmarks 0.83
Shopping 0.80
Culture 0.78
Museums 0.75
Nightlife 0.73
Culinary Experiences 0.69
Sports Teams 0.65
Parks & Outdoor Activities 0.64
Attractions 0.60
Hotels 0.58

33. High Line
A revolutionary public space and urban
revitalization project, the High Line is an
ambling plant-lined elevated parkway
converted from a long-abandoned freight
line snaking above the west side of
Manhattan.
With over 7.5 million visitors annually, the
High Line has already stimulated $5 billion
in new development along its path.
1. NEIGHBORHOODS
AND LANDMARKS

34. Box Park
Boxpark is the world’s first pop-up
mall—fusing the concepts of modern street
food and placing local and global brands
side by side to create a unique shopping
and dining destination. Boxpark stands
proudly in the heart of London’s
Shoreditch to deliver a community of local
brands specializing in fashion, arts, food
and drinks.
2. SHOPPING

35. West Kowloon Cultural District, HK
Stretching across 40 hectares of reclaimed
land, the West Kowloon Cultural District is
one of the largest cultural projects in the
world, blending art, education and open
space.
Its vision is to create a vibrant cultural
quarter for Hong Kong where the local
arts scene can interact, develop and
collaborate.
3. CULTURE

36. Louvre, Abu Dhabi
The Louvre Abu Dhabi, perched on
Saadiyat Island overlooking the sea
brought the most recognized museum
name in the world to the United Arab
Emirates.
The Emirates’ ultimate aim is to promote
the capital as a tolerant global city, and its
flagship museum as a bridge between
civilizations.
4. MUSEUMS

37. Night Mayor, Amsterdam
Mirik Milan, the Night Mayor of
Amsterdam from 2012-2018, was an active
interlocutor for all participants of
Amsterdam nightlife, such as the creative
industry, the mayor, the city council and
the inhabitants. The Night Mayor is a
spokesman for all things concerning
nightlife.
5. NIGHTLIFE

38. Time Out Market, Lisbon
Time Out Market is an original concept
that creates food and cultural experiences
based on editorial curation.
Whether taking fine dining and making it
casual or searching for street food that
should have a Michelin star, Time Out
Market’s mission is to get the best of each
city and bring it together under one roof.
In 2016 it received 3.1 million visitors.
6. CULINARY

39. The District, Detroit
The District Detroit is a commercial,
residential, and entertainment district
spanning a 50-block, 385-acre area.
The District encompasses old gems and
new developments such as a 20,000-seat
hockey arena, the Fox Theatre performing
arts venue, the Fillmore Detroit concert
venue, the Tigers’ Comerica Park, and Ford
Field. It is also the new home for the Mike
Ilitch School of Business at WSU.
7. SPORTS TEAMS

40. LA Stadium & Entertainment District
The new 298-acre Entertainment District at
Hollywood Park is a new stadium complex
which will house the Los Angeles Rams and
Chargers beginning in the 2020-2021.
It will also feature a conference center,
nearly 900,000 square feet of retail space,
780,000 square feet of office space, a
6,000-seat performing arts facility, hotel
rooms, 25 acres of public recreation space
and 2,500 residences.
7. SPORTS TEAMS

41. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
The success of the Gardens lies in its
unique proposition that appeals to both
visitors and locals.
In 2017, Gardens by the Bay welcomed 8.9
million visitors.
8. PARKS AND
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

42. Fly Over Canada
FlyOver Canada utilizes state-of-the-art
technology to give you the feeling of flight
on an exhilarating journey across Canada,
from east to west. Special effects, including
wind, mist and scents.
FlyOver Iceland is coming in 2019 to reveal
some of Iceland’s most awe-inspiring and
picturesque landscapes and destinations.
9. ATTRACTIONS

43. The Hoxton, London
Hoxton Hotels in London, Amsterdam and
Paris host events such as talks, workshops,
and film/run clubs. All events are featured
as open events on Eventbrite and open to
visitors and locals.
10. HOTELS

44. Jo&Joe, by AccorHotels
Jo&Joe is a new hotel brand largely
inspired by co-living and hostels.
AccorHotels plans to develop 50
properties by 2020 in cities like Paris,
Bordeaux, Warsaw, Budapest, and
Sao Paulo.
10. HOTELS

45. Zoku, Amsterdam
Zoku is home to a mix of long-term guests
or residents, extended-stay guests, and
short-stay guests.
Zoku’s social spaces are an extension of the
residents’ Zoku Lofts, offering a warm
welcome, a buzzing Bar, a chill Living
Room, a Living Kitchen, Communal
Working Spaces, Green Spaces and tailored
retail.
10. HOTELS

46. DISCUSSION
What are the implications for cities?
What are the opportunities for developers?

47. THANK YOU
Chris Fair, President
cfair@resonanceco.com
RESONANCECO.COM
Vancouver | New York
@resonanceco @crfair
@resonanceco
@resonanceco