Beach Tourism Market is anticipated to Witness High Growth Owing to Growing Domestic Tourism

Beach tourism involves travel to beaches for relaxation or holidays. Beach tourists usually spend time bathing in the sun, swimming, water sports, sunbathing or simply relaxing on the beach. Factors such as rising incomes, growing preference for leisure travel among millennial and expanding middle-class demographic have increased domestic tourism in many nations. This has propelled the demand for beach tourism in recent years. Beaches provide tourists a vantage point for water activities as well as aquatic sports. They are preferred as destinations for family vacations, romantic getaways and relaxation purposes.

Key Takeaways

Key players operating in the Beach Tourism are TUI Group, Expedia Group, Inc., TripAdvisor, Inc., Thomas Cook, Booking.com B.V., Airbnb, Inc., Cox & Kings Ltd, apple leisure group, Kuoni travel group, On The Beach Group, Beach Travel, Safari & Beach, The Anaheim Tour Company, and Dana Point. TUI Group is currently one of the leading tourism groups in the world operating beach hotels in top beach destinations across the globe. Expedia Group through its various online travel brands such as Expedia, Vrbo and Hotels.com has a strong presence in online booking of beach holidays.

The growing popularity of social media has resulted in an increased interest among millennials to visit trending Beach Tourism Market Growth destinations. Photos and reviews shared on social networking sites help drive demand for beach destinations. This presents lucrative opportunities for tourism boards to promote lesser known beaches and drive more tourist footfall through social media marketing campaigns. Many countries are also expanding their aviation networks and developing coastal infrastructure to tap the international beach tourism market and attract greater foreign tourist inflows.

Market Drivers

Growing domestic tourism in nations like India, China and Brazil is a major factor driving the beach tourism market. Social media influence and rising disposable incomes have increased holiday spending on beach vacations. The work from home culture adopted during the pandemic has also resulted in greater flexibility enabling beach getaways during weekends or offdays.

Market Restrains

However, factors such as threat from natural calamities like cyclones, tsunamis etc and coastal erosion poses challenges. Rising pollution levels and changing climate pattern are also impacting beaches in few tourist destinations negatively. Overcrowding at popular beach locations especially during summer season also impacts the beach holiday experience. Entry restrictions in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic had stalled international beach travel for some time acting as a short term restraint.

Segment Analysis

The beach tourism market is primarily dominated by domestic tourism sub segment. Majority of beach tourism is accounted by local tourists visiting nearby beaches for relaxation and leisure purposes. Domestic beach tourism sub segment accounts for over 60% share in the overall beach tourism market driven by ease of travel, convenience and relatively cheaper travel cost for local travelers compared to international travel. Events and festivals sub segment is another fast growing sub segment in the beach tourism market. Various beach festivals and events organized across popular beach destinations are attracting both domestic and international tourists which has boosted this sub segment growth.

Global Analysis

In terms of regional analysis, Asia Pacific region accounts for the largest as well as fastest growing market for beach tourism currently. Countries such as Thailand, India, Indonesia, Maldives etc are witnessing highest tourist arrivals on their beaches globally. Increased discretionary spending, growing domestic tourism and government support through development of beach infrastructures are driving the beach tourism market growth. Europe is also one of the dominant regions owing to the presence of most popular beach holiday destinations like Spain, Italy, Greece, France etc. However, Middle East and Africa region is emerging as an upcoming lucrative market for beach tourism with countries actively promoting their lesser explored coastal regions.

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