There are current social mega-trends in the world pointing out that people, places and desires are leading one of the largest booms in travel tourism in over a century.

Three things underlie this potential boom:  the global retirement of baby boomers, the rise of the urban middle class in the world's two largest countries - India and China plus Russia and Brazil, and the potential for travel once their basic needs have been met.

In the U.S.  77 million baby boomers are starting to retire in 2006,   8,000 Americans will celebrate their 60th birthday daily, while in Japan,  8,500 will do the same.  Today's baby boomers want to experience travel and life more than their parent did.  Over the past 15 years, China and India have had the fastest growing economies in the world.  Credit card usage in India is growing at 35 per-cent annually.  In China, the middle class is estimated at around 50 million people and is forecast to reach 170 million by 2020.  Both India and China (and other developing countries around the world) have leap-frogged over fixed infrastructures such as landline telephones, railroad and highways to use mobile telephones, air-ports and airlines.

Just as Americans started to travel in the 1950's, Japanese in the 70's, Koreans in the 90's, people in China and India, plus Russia and Brazil are starting to travel in the new millennium.  The Russia, India and China account for half the world's population.  For example, domestic air travel in India has increased 125% in the last two years alone.

The increasingly rainbow hued mix of travelers will bring changes to the tourism sector.  It will be come less dominated by classic European or American norms of behavior, standards and styles, changing the face of tourism as we know it today.