SINGAPORE - By 2030, six groups of travellers with distinct motivations and behaviours will emerge, a study commissioned by travel technology firm Amadeus has found.

One group will rely heavily on peer reviews and recommendations when planning holidays, while another will prefer outsourcing the decision-making to trusted third parties. Other groups will travel to immerse in another culture or seek indulgent and luxurious experiences. Yet others will make travel decisions guided by their obligations such as work, or their moral beliefs.

These were some of the forecasts made in the Amadeus report Future Traveller Tribes 2030: understanding tomorrow's traveller, released on Thursday.

"The traveller today has more power than ever before. They are increasingly complex, empowered, and no longer want to be siloed into demographic groups of age, nationality and income," said Mr Angel Gallego, President of Amadeus Asia Pacific.

He added that it is "particularly critical" for the travel industry to understand these emerging segments "and make the right investment decisions now to gear towards future traveller preferences".

More than 1.8 billion people are expected to travel internationally every year by the end of the next decade, the report added.

The study, conducted by consultancy The Future Foundation, involved interviews with industry experts and travellers from around the world, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea.