What are the lifestyle trends you’ll see coming to the fore in 2016 Our experts decode the choices that will drive travel, tech, style, fitness and luxury over the new year...
Travel Hari Nair, Founder and CEO of HolidayIQ, says:
Women to travel more in 2016 Solo trips by women will continue to gain momentum, and will get extremely popular across the age groups — 18-24 and the 24-36 age groups. Destinations such as Kerala, Goa, Pondicherry, Manali, Auli, Shimla, Corbett, Bandipur and Coorg will be favourites among women travellers. Interestingly, group, family and couple trips planned by women are also a catching up, even though these holidays planned by women have a 17 percent higher budget than holidays planned by men.
Alternate accommodations like homestays to witness a rise Hotels and resorts continue to be the popular choice as a holiday accommodation option since 60 per cent of all holidays are still planned. However, in the last 18 to 24 months, there is an interest in accommodations like homestays, experiential resorts, camps, serviced apartments and jungle lodges. The share has increased from under 10 per cent in 2013 to 18 per cent in 2015. Munnar, Goa, Coorg, Udaipur, Pune and Manali will be popular alternate accommodation options in 2016.
Experience-led holidays increasing Holidays are becoming increasingly experience-led instead of destination-led. Activity-based travel has expanded to include options for adrenaline junkie, music lovers, foodies and everyone in between. Trekking, rafting, kayaking, jet skiing, surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling, jungle safaris, food trails, rural tourism and glamping (glamorous camping) will be the norm in 2016. Travellers sign up for high octane adventure sports including Heli Skiing in Auli (Uttarakhand), Scuba Diving in Netrani Island (in the Arabian Sea), Dune Bashing in Jaisalmer, Hot Air Ballooning in Ranthambore, Sky Diving in Mysore, Zip Lining at Neemrana Fort (Delhi), Spelunking in Meghalaya or Kite Surfing at Morjim Beach (Goa).
Domestic travel is growing Domestic travel is increasingly becoming popular. According to data released by the Ministry of Tourism, in 2015, the number of international trips planned by Indians travellers is 18 million and the number of domestic trips planned is 1290.1 million. The scale at which domestic travel is poised to grow is tremendous. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Wayanad, Shimla, Goa, Jaisalmer, Coorg, Srinagar, Darjeeling, Manali and Ooty are predicted the top domestic hotspots. In international travel, places like Dubai, Maldives, Thailand, Singapore and Bhutan shall pick up. Beauty & Style Prachiti Parakh, Senior Fashion Stylist at StyleCracker, says:
The best of both worlds Fashion in 2016 would go about in parallels, we would see slightly exaggerated extravagance on one hand (think sequined cropped tops, embroidered bodycon dresses a la Balmain, embellished dresses, denims et cetera), and simple lines and clean cuts with experimental shapes on the other. Athleisure will continue to be big in 2016 (Beyonce is also set to launch an athleisure line). However, the white sneaker will be replaced by sneakers in more elevated designs and reimagined classic shapes. Cold shoulders, off-shoulders, asymmetrical necklines will carry forward to the next year. Ruffles, pre-creased fabrics, micro-pleats will be big. Deconstructed shirts will be seen next year too.
Denim as a fabric will be experimented with Denim is one of the hottest fabrics in 2016. We will also see a lot of texture. Reflective yarns, reflective prints and high shine fabrics will also be seen. There will also be lots of lace — even for men!
Experimental lip shades The focus is more on the eyes with brighter liners, shadows taking centrestage. Hence, dark berry or soft nudes or ultra matte lips will make a comeback. For the brave hearted, blue and purple lips were sported on the ramps and will be introduced by many major cosmetic companies.
Natural hair texture for the win Your natural hair texture will be the most talked about thing in 2016, so we can say goodbye to heat-rods for at least a while. Under-cuts, easy twist-up french buns, braided hair, bangs, bohemian waves, extreme side parting will have major moments. Chocolate hair with hints of pop colour will also be seen.
Social Media Aditya Gupta, founder of iGenero, says:
Social media platforms will evolve In 2016, social platforms will go beyond Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Platforms like Instagram and Periscope might become a little more important to brands. Social media searches are becoming more powerful. I think search is going to become much important — searches from mobile and apps will be as popular as searching from the web. Of course there’s going to be a lot of things happening in wearable tech: Virtual reality should also be something to watch out for. These might finally turn out to be functional than its previous counterparts. I read recently that Google Ads will now be embedded within Google searches. If this happens, it will definitely change the game.
Video ads are coming your way: Video consumption is definitely growing which is why we have Facebook picking up video content, as is Twitter with its autoplay mechanism. Quick 30-second videos might be the key to promote and market brands.
Technology Tech writer Nimish Sawant, says: Smartphones to be affordable One of the major trends that we saw this year was the rise in affordable smartphones with high-end features, in a large part fuelled by new Chinese players. As we go into 2016, the onslaught of Chinese-made smartphones will continue and we will be seeing more new brands entering the Indian market. Smartphones are already smart and I don’t see any change in terms of design and form factors. But the real game changer will be services and user experiences that these smartphones will offer. Innovation will most likely be on the software side than on the hardware side.
Wearable technology to be embraced Wearable technology including smart watches and fitness trackers will surely see a spike in 2016. It is only a matter of time before the Chinese smartphone makers get into smartwatch segment as well, and make the segment affordable. Smart home devices such as remote controlled LED lights, air purifiers, smart security systems will also start making inroads in some way. Also virtual reality headsets will become more popular in 2016.
Fitness trackers will gain popularity as the idea they are selling, becoming a fitter version of you, has a lot of takers in a country like ours. The real challenge will lie in adding value to the data that is collected by the fitness trackers, so companies, which are able to crack that, will see more success. Fitness and health Yasmin Karachiwala, fitness instructor Exercise no more a punishment We’ve been seeing positive change in the Indian fitness industry. Today’s youth is more aware about various fitness routines. I believe that people need to focus on holistic health rather than just weight loss. That is definitely a by-product of living a healthy lifestyle.
Wearable fitness devices to be a rage These come in very handy since it helps you keep a track on the number of steps you take in a day, the amount of sleep you get in the night. It also has another edge since you can set goals together with your friends and work towards getting healthy. Since these devices are practical and complement our lifestyles, they will become popular.
Yoga all the way You will definitely hear more about yoga this year as well. Any form of exercise, if done with the true mechanics is most beneficial. However, there are very few forms of exercise that revitalise your mind as much as yoga — it helps you de-clutter your thoughts, shift perspective and focus. This practice has truly lasted the test of time and hence isn’t going anywhere in the near future.
Variety in a fitness routine Twerkout, cheerobics and punk rope are touted to be a few fitness trends that will gain momentum this year. People like variety in their fitness routine, so I think these will be received well. However, we have to wait and watch which of these stand the test of time and don’t cause injuries. I’m a big fan and believer in pilates and I think that 2016 is the year most people will discover the wonders of pilates and start practising it more.
Luxury Luxury brand and image consultant Chhaya Momaya says: As much as people say that there is a decline in luxury goods, I feel otherwise. I believe once people are accustomed to a certain lifestyle, there is little chance of them going back. The margins may have reduced but people are still indulging in expensive goods. For instance, 2015 saw the world’s most expensive diamond being sold. So where is the decline
‘Pure’ gems a hit: A few years ago, individuals preferred purchasing substitutes for gems. But today, most want real emeralds and diamonds, which is a wiser purchase. Rubies are promoted furiously but Indians are still apprehensive about the opulence it brings. Hence, emerald is a popular favourite since it is subtle on the eyes. Luxury homes see investment Since living in a joint family is a huge part of our culture, families see more sense in investing in luxury homes. It is common if the family has a huge business. Luxury homes work as a huge investment for them, and of course works perfectly in their routine.
