Tourism Sun Peaks and Sun Peaks Resort LLP talk tourism trends

Every year updates on the latest travel trends are released in January by various agencies which predict consumer behaviour for the next 12 months. These forecasts affect the tourism industry and destinations worldwide. Here’s a look at how Sun Peaks is responding to the latest themes. 

Technology in the form of artificial Intelligence has been the top topic for consumer conversations for the past decade, but over the last year it is the exponential rise of ChatGPT which is gaining traction across every industry. Euromonitor International rates ‘Ask AI’ as number one focus for 2024. 

The new executive director for Tourism Sun Peaks, Naomi Kerchinsky told SPIN that tech will have the biggest impact in the way we all plan trips.

“Artificial intelligence, particularly in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), will have a significant impact on the travel industry,” she said. “Generative AI will have the biggest effect on travel content.” 

Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence systems (such as ChatGPT) that can create new content – including text, images or music – based on patterns learned from existing data already on the internet. These systems generate original content, not simply copied from the available data. 

So, it is like having a team of researchers, writers, digital artists and composers at your fingertips. What used to take hours of work, can now take seconds if you ask the right questions. 

“What we are keeping an eye on is the importance of establishing authority on specific topics and taking advantage of videos, such as prioritizing YouTube, optimizing PageRank backlinks and using paid custom content,” Kerchinsky explained. 

Ethical consumption also is a top trend in tourism as it is for most aspects of today’s lifestyle. It is especially important amongst the Gen Z population, Kerchinsky said.

“Gen Z consumers believe that brands should help them achieve their personal goals and aspirations, so there are new expectations of brands.” 

An example within winter sports is Burton displaying 2025 Sustainability Goals on its homepage.

“After learning a company supports a social cause, consumers will trust the company more, say they are more likely to purchase the company’s products and say they will pay more attention to the company’s marketing/advertising,” Kerchinsky said. 

The desire for learning and enrichment has burgeoned in recent years. The success of ArtZone in Sun Peaks is testament to this, with creative workshops filling up fast and the array of options growing each year. January’s Locals’ Filmmaking Contest showed a 500 per cent increase in submissions compared to the previous winter. 

The popularity of Bodie Shandro’s Backcountry Tours and Avalanche Training courses is another example of this trend, Kerchinsky said, as well as the classes, courses, camps and programs offered by the Sun Peaks Sports School and businesses around the village.  

Advertising has gone through an overhaul, with authenticity at the top of everyone’s wish list. The launch of the Sun Peaks Ambassador Team this season shows Sun Peaks’ commitment to projecting an authentic voice via a sponsored group of social media influencers. 

“The power of stories and storytelling still remains very relevant,” Kerchinsky explained. “Storytelling is a way to create authentic and emotive content that fosters connections among individuals.” 

There are different vehicles for this, and she stressed the importance of incorporating a range of video, visuals, collaborative efforts, unexpected elements and personal anecdotes in order to captivate an audience. 

“Consumers are more likely to trust a company more if the images they use in their ads are of actual customers,” she noted. 

Sun Peaks Resort LLP’s new director of marketing, Aaron Macdonald agreed, but also underlined the importance of hands-on marketing to visitors.

This impacts service excellence, another priority for today’s consumers. 

“It’s all about the guest,” Macdonald said. “All touch points within the resort must have a guest-first approach.” 

As well as dedicated customer service professionals, local residents are reinforcing this focus. The free daily ski-guiding service provided by Sun Peaks’ Sun Hosts has been cited by many repeat visitors as one of the main reasons they keep coming back. Locals dispensing knowledge is paramount in giving guests a sense of belonging.

Connectivity is also important, with the resort app, SMS alerts and online bookings being key elements. Macdonald stressed a need for quick and easy mobile central reservation bookings, particularly for the more tech-savvy 25+ market. Driving the creation of curated experience, Macdonald is spearheading collaboration between local businesses and the resort to craft daily itineraries for guests and include all costs associated with it – the all-inclusive resort package. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has noticed a growing need for an immersive wellness experience at resorts. Wellness travel is a $450 billion market according to Grand View Research, fuelled by an increasingly health-conscious consumer. According to Expedia, almost half of global travelers are more open to wellness breaks than ever before. 

“This includes an amazing guest-centric, stress-free experience. There is only so much emotional bandwidth available with people these days,” Macdonald elaborated. “Part of this also includes therapeutic options – spas, massages, etc – and outdoor activities outside of the normal resort products – for example, snowshoeing groups.” 

Resorts also need to think outside the box. Although classics such as cookery courses, sports trips and meditation sessions are still popular, it is alternative getaways that are catching the attention of Millennials. Think: sylvotherapy (forest bathing), chakra sessions, sleeping breaks, food boot camps, puppy yoga, laughter therapy and fruit harvesting. 

Already Sun Peaks has welcomed innovations such as axe throwing with the Cleavage Axe Co. and the Sound Bath at Sun Peaks Yoga. But there is still room for more contemporary creativity.  

Bleisure was a term coined in 2009 by the Future Laboratory to describe travelers who combine business with pleasure. Again, since COVID, working away has grown, fueled both by technology and by the desire for life-work balance. 

“More often business travelers are visiting the resort with their families but also including a working component,” Macdonald noted. “The need for amazing, secure internet access along with ‘hot desks’ around the resort will need to be more frequent.” 

So, whether in Sun Peaks or on travels elsewhere this year, watch how technology, ethical consumption, guest-centric service, personalized experiences and wellness are dominating the tourism landscape.