The ‘Internet economy' is accelerating the movement of people in a million "directions of their own choosing", while in the developing world, travel is a key indicator of economic progress, best-selling futurologist John Naisbitt said at the show. The result of these and other trends is a powerful rise in the number of people on the move, and one form of travel - tourism - that is now the biggest industry in the world.
Author of Megatrends, Naisbitt said: "We are living in a person to person, point to point world. It is a time filled with great opportunities."
He added that it was a world into which Boeing's planned Sonic Cruiser fitted very well.
Naisbitt was asked by Boeing to distill some of his ideas about the shape of the world to come as the context into which the near-supersonic aircraft will fit.
Far from the Internet replacing the need to travel, it was a key driving force of journeys. "I don't call it the ‘new economy' but the Internet economy. And the Internet has led to a desire for more meetings. The Internet world is not about technology, it is about bringing people together. It is a social phenomenon," he said.
Source: Flight Daily News
