Skyscanner opens window on the future

Global travel search site Skyscanner (www.tianxun.cn) recently unveiled the first section of its report Future of Travel 2024, to introduce the changes of the planning and booking of travel over the next one decade.

Later this year, it will release sections two and three, which focus on the journey itself and the future destinations. Readers can sign up on Skyscanner's website for a notification of when it is launched.

Section one tells the story of Tom, the traveler of the millennium. Tom's virtual companion The Digital Travel Buddy uses artificial intelligence to suggest and book suitable trips.

According to Skyscanner, wearable technology will develop greatly in the future. Like the recently launched Google Glass, mobile devices will become so small that they will fit onto a contact lens and offer immediate translations. Visitors don't have to bother to learn the language of the destination because the barriers have already been broken down.

The section estimates that rather than replacing holidays, virtual reality will allow travellers to experience the destination before they make the vacation plans, for example, to hear the sounds and see the landscape.

To complete the report, Skyscanner has been doing in-depth research and interviews with experts, such as tech companies and Skyscanner co-founder and CEO Gareth Williams.

Skyscanner's PR manager Mary Porter says trying to predict the future of travel is fascinating. The report offers a great sneak peek into the future and Skyscanner's view of what they think holidaymakers are likely to experience over the next 10 years.