TOP 5 TOURISM INDUSTRY TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2015

Out of the multitude of IP addresses worldwide, the majority are now assigned to smartphones and tablets. Portable technology and smaller gadgets had begun the process of overtaking the more traditional laptops and desktops years ago. The number of mobile subscriptions and cheap internet in developing countries insures this trend's continuation. Whether used to unlock a hotel room door or perform a check-in, the smartphone developed into a skeleton key, meant to aid its user with the most varied of tasks. Smartphones and tablets are not just devices to run iphone games available at red flush mobile - they are a new platform for service providers to grow through, and you should make the most out of it.

In recent years, there has been a change of speed in regards to the way mergers and acquisitions happen. Only recently, Sabre sold Travelocity to Expedia for 280 million U.S. dollars. Things aren't looking too good for Orbitz either. The rumor is they are looking for a buyer since they are unable to keep close to the competition. High costs of marketing are draining their profits to an undesired degree. Generator Hostels chairman, Carl Michel labels metasearch as the catalyst. With such access to information, metasearch sites provide simpler solutions for potential tourists, who are now spared of sieving through mountains of data.

Airbnb soon became the staple of peer-to-peer traveling around the world. While not alone, they are certainly without any close competition for the moment. To call their growth impressive would be an understatement. If five years ago only two thousand tourists chose to spend their New Years Eve in Airbnb accommodations, 2014 counted over 550 thousand travelers in no less than 190 countries on the globe. The company now plans to offer shares to their employees, which would lead to an even further increase in value, one estimated to reach 13 billion U.S. dollars in the near future. It is to be expected that the race for tourists will remain a close one as agencies and hotels will diversify their packages as a response but the change in traveling priorities can't be ignored.

Oil prices are estimated to remain at low levels throughout 2015, but although six years have passed since they have been so low, they won't carry much impact on airfares. There are several causes that keep tickets at the same values. One is the fact that the prices are not driven by cost but by the market. Large demand aids the status quo of fierce competition between airline companies and insure profit anyway. Experts still expect a 5.1 percent drop in prices which will also bring a 20 percent increase in profits for airliners. Another cause is represented by fuel buying contracts, which are long term and don't allow much room for adapting to oil price fluctuation.

India and China represent the two growing giants in the Asia-Pacific. While China's growth is no news, it's also slowing to a crawl after more than two decades. IMF predictions place India just ahead in 2015 with a 6.5 percent increase over China's 6.3 and the trend is expected to continue in the following years. Contributing to India's growth is the drop in oil prices. As a country that imports energy, India will most certainly benefit from paying less. With only about 5 percent of its population at a middle-class status, a dramatic increase is predicted by 2030 when 475 million will reach much higher standards of living. Although 84 percent of the 36 billion U.S. dollars (the value of India's hospitality market) is now spent within the borders, a change is to be expected. The better progress they make by eliminating red tape and improving visa policies, the more drastic the change.