Sustainable travel in the future

The future of sustainable travel is about balance, between encouraging more responsible travel while ensuring it remains accessible to all.” By 2050, the impacts of climate change may have fundamentally altered life on Earth, with widespread consequences for ecosystems, economies and societies

Airline trade body IATA (International Air Transport Association) predicts that over the next 15 years alone, global air passenger numbers will double from about 4 billion in 2019 to 8 billion in 2040. The future of sustainable travel is about balance, between encouraging more responsible travel while ensuring it remains accessible to all.”

By 2050, the impacts of climate change may have fundamentally altered life on Earth, with widespread consequences for ecosystems, economies and societies. Economically, trillions of dollars could be lost to climate-related damages, while global inequality widens as poorer nations bear the brunt of the crisis. At the same time, efforts to adapt–through renewable energy, geo-engineering and resilient infrastructure–might showcase humanity’s ingenuity, even as the planet’s natural systems remain under unprecedented strain.

Rising sea levels, potentially up to 30 centimeters or higher, could well have submerged coastal cities like Jakarta, Miami and parts of Bangladesh, displacing millions of people and creating an unprecedented refugee crisis. To cope with mega-migrations of climate refugees on Earth, continents could become borderless and passports an artefact of the past—we could be living in a ‘transnationalist’ world. DNA testing could feasibly replace facial scanning as a new form of human-only biometric security.

High-speed rail networks and electric vehicle infrastructure may replace short-haul flights, creating seamless, eco-friendly connections. Hotels and resorts might operate entirely on renewable energy, incorporating climate-resilient designs and carbon-sequestering technologies such as vertical forests. Regenerative tourism could restore ecosystems, while blockchain-based carbon offset systems enable travelers to support global climate-positive projects. Together, these advancements could revolutionize travel, helping reduce its environmental impact and create a sustainable future.

According to the United Nations, the world’s population is expected to grow from 8.2 billion in 2024 to 9.7 billion by 2050. When you consider that there were only 1 billion people on Earth in 1800, that’s a particularly big increase.

In 25 years, the Silent Generation (1928-1946) and much of the Boomer cohort (now 60-78) will have passed away, meaning very few people will have first-hand memories of the 1960s Hippy Movement, for example. Generation X will be in old age, while Millennials will be entering retirement. Over this time, Generation Z will give birth to Generation Alpha and Beta, while the oldest members of Generation Alpha (now 0-14) will begin having children of their own. Globetrender predicts these new arrivals, born between 2040 and 2054, will be dubbed Generation Gamma.

The demand for wellness tourism will likely continue well into the future, but the focus may shift from measuring life span to increasing your ‘health span’ (the years you are healthy and active).

Saudi Arabia. Right now, developers such as Neom and Red Sea Global are working frenetically to transform Saudi Arabia’s desert coastlines into desirable tourism destinations scattered with high-end resorts and even purpose-built cities such as The Line. To date, hotel brands that have committed to opening properties in Saudia Arabia include Equinox Hotels, Aman, Ritz-Carlton, and Our Habitas. Will it become completely liberal by 2050? No. But it is likely that alcohol will be available in hotel bars, making it appealing to non-Middle Eastern markets.

The World Travel and Tourism Council reports that the countries receiving the most international visitors in 2023 were: France (89.8 million), Spain (85 million), and Italy (57.2 million). But as popular hotspots such as Nice, Barcelona, and Venice cap (or even ban) inbound tourists, there will be greater opportunities for more under-appreciated destinations to rise to the fore, super-charged by improved airport infrastructure, flight connectivity, and hotel options.

For example, Indian think tank Citizen Environment predicts that India’s middle class will nearly double to 61 percent of its total population by 2047.

Unfortunately, in the 21st century, more people are now dying of obesity than starvation. And in the US, for the first time, average lifespans have started to decline. Although there are a handful of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs (such as Bryan Johnson) who are convinced they have the ability to “solve death”, global life expectancy is only forecasted to increase from 73.6 years of age in 2022 to 78.1 years of age in 2050 (a 4.5-year increase), according to the Global Burden of Disease Study.

For the traveler, the future holds the promise of journeys that inspire, restore and transform. Whether you’re immersing yourself in local languages, rediscovering the slow art of travel, or contributing to a purpose-driven project, every trip will be an opportunity to connect more deeply—with yourself, others and the world around you.