travel trends essay

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The biggest travel trends for 2024

By Sarah Allard

If 2022 was all about a return to travel, then 2023 was the year we went further than ever before. Travellers took to the skies, rails, roads and seas to tick off major bucket-list moments, with Arctic adventures, luxury yacht cruises and even the first tourist trip into space .

In 2024, travellers will be putting what’s important to them front and centre of their plans, valuing deeper experiences that leave a positive impact, time spent with loved ones and wellness moments that last well after checkout. We’ll be choosing destinations carefully, slowing it down to enjoy the silence and the stars, indulging in our love of food in new and interesting places, and immersing ourselves in wellness practices that help us live longer.

These are the 20 travel trends likely to guide how we see the world in 2024.

Astro tourism

1. Astro tourism

What’s the trend? Astronomy, of course, is a field of study that has been around since the dawn of civilisation, and the act of gazing up at the stars has long been a source of soul-soothing wonder. Today, the more society falls deeper into an ever-expanding virtual world, the more we feel a need to broaden our horizons in the real universe. Astro tourism, or star bathing, is the act of travelling with the aim of catching sight of astronomical phenomena – disappearing to lands devoid of any pollution, crowds and traffic, where we can focus solely on the skies above and while away hours gazing at the stars, planets and constellations overhead.

Why will it matter in 2024? Increasingly, wellness-centric hotels and spas are creating the space for guests to gaze upwards, watching for comets, spying constellations and identifying patterns in the glittering expanse. In the UK, Port Lympne has opened the Lookout Bubble, a glass dome allowing guests to sprawl out on king-sized beds and study the stars. Further east on the Arabian Gulf, Zulal Wellness Resort is surrounded by the expanse of the Qatari desert – the ultimate destination for pollution-free astromancy, with dedicated workshops and stargazing sessions for families and children looking to learn more about the cosmos. Safari company Desert & Delta organises trips for travellers looking to soak up the stars across Botswana and Namibia, where guests can sleep in tents at remote locations such as the Makgadikgadi Pans, one of the world’s largest salt flats, and spend nights with uninterrupted star vistas. Similarly, Tswalu is a South African safari camp with star beds set on a sleep-out deck in the Korannaberg mountains. And 2024 happens to be a big year, astronomy-wise, from mind-boggling eclipses to spectacular meteor showers – plus, scientists are predicting the best displays of the northern lights in 20 years, according to the Guardian , as we approach the next solar maximum (the sun’s peak of its 11-year activity cycle). Olivia Morelli

2. Eco diving

What’s the trend? A rise in divers choosing their travel destinations based on the sustainability of the scuba centres, and having a more positive, regenerative impact on the ocean once there.

Why will it matter in 2024? In 2022, UK marine ecology charity The Reef-World Foundation found that 95 per cent of divers wanted to book with sustainable operators, but struggled to do so. In response to this, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (Padi) launched its Eco Center accreditation on World Earth Day (22 April) 2023, with the United Nations Environment Program and Reef-World itself. The steps required to earn this green status are so rigorous – including sharing evidence of conservation activities and a real reduction in environmental footprint – that Padi advised operators to allow at least 12 months to hit the criteria, taking us to… Earth Day 2024. After an initial figure of just 11 worldwide, there are now 100, and Padi has set a goal to reach 660 by 2030 – a 10th of its membership. “South East Asia currently has the highest density (more than 20), along with the Caribbean ,” says Julie Andersen of Padi. So what does this mean for divers and their trips? “The type of conservation work done and reported on depends on the Eco Center,” Andersen explains. “Those in the Caribbean offer coral replanting programmes, key for regenerating coastlines. In Baja, Mexico , they’ve developed citizen science courses, collecting data for whale conservation.” There are also a number of new Padi courses being launched for any diver to take anywhere, including the Global Shark and Ray Census in August 2024, as well as the relaunch of the Coral Reef Conservation Specialty course before December. Becky Lucas

3. Home swapping

What’s the trend? Increasingly, discerning travellers are looking to stay away for longer stretches, while the rise of remote jobs post-pandemic means that working and living abroad has never been more appealing. The catch? Forking out on hefty accommodation fees while you’re at it. Enter home swapping: the perfect solution to guarantee yourself a (free) home abroad while you offer up your own in exchange – for weeks or even months at a time.

Why will it matter in 2024? As the cost of holidaying continues to climb, home swapping is an affordable alternative to splashing out on expensive hotels or Airbnbs. And while the concepts of couch surfing and house exchanges have existed for decades, several slick new platforms are redefining what home swapping looks like today. Twin City, which operates in cities as far-flung as Lisbon and Los Angeles , has curated a community of 1,100 plus carefully vetted users in just eight months. For an annual subscription fee of £150, members can find Twins to connect with through the platform, and are encouraged to exchange local recommendations for their city as well as their homes, enabling members to feel as if they’re swapping with a trusted friend rather than a stranger. Meanwhile, Kindred, a home-swapping platform where members rack ​​up credits for each night that they exchange homes, raised $15 million in funding this year to expand operations across the USA and Europe, and currently has 10,000 plus homes in more than 50 cities. Members simply pay a cleaning and service fee for each stay, while the cost of the stay itself is free. Or skip out on membership fees entirely and head straight to TikTok, where Gen Z appears to be spearheading the home-swapping movement on social media. Inspired by cult film The Holiday , trending tags #houseswap and #homeswap have garnered more than 23 and 20 million views respectively, with users utilising the platform as a means to advertise their homes, discover like-minded peers to swap with and document their adventures along the way. Gina Jackson

4. Train stations are the new food destinations

What’s the trend? Train stations around the world are usually passed through as quickly as possible, having not been designed for commuters to stay and hang out. Nowadays, as travel delays increase and visitors want more local experiences, it pays for train stations to welcome travellers with shops, restaurants and bars for them to explore. In an effort to create a more dynamic visitor experience, historic train stations are being revamped, with bespoke food and drink offerings as an integral part of the redesign.

Why will it matter in 2024? As train stations are renovated to accommodate more travellers and update old infrastructure, local restaurants and bars are being added to attract more customers. In 2023, the new Moynihan Train Hall in New York City became home to The Irish Exit, a bar from the team behind the acclaimed Dead Rabbit, and Yono Sushi by trendy BondST, plus outposts of beloved NYC restaurants Pastrami Queen and Jacob’s Pickles, with Mexican hotspot La Esquina coming soon.  Platform 1 a new bar and restaurant that opened in November underneath Glasgow Central Station . The cave-like space, with its historic brick arches, serves street-food-style dishes and craft brews made in the on-site microbrewery, plus there’s an outdoor beer garden. As part of its renovation, Toronto’s Union Station launched Union Market in May 2023 with favourite local food retailers Manotas Organics, Chocolatta Brigadeiro’s, Patties Express and Kibo. Meanwhile, in Somerset, Castle Cary station is in the process of a revamp, with nearby hotel The Newt creating a creamery, cafe and co-working space, which is set to open in 2024. Also on tap for the next few years is the completed renovation of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, with plans for a 20 per cent increase in concession space that will focus on local purveyors. Devorah Lev-Tov

5. Sports tourism

What’s the trend? No longer the domain of lads on tour keen to sink as many pints as possible with one eye on a football game, sports tourism has evolved in the past few years with a new generation – and type – of sports fan emerging thanks to glossy TV documentaries ( Formula 1: Drive to Survive , we’re looking at you). Now, we’re taking our fandom out of the house and following a host of different sports in destinations across the world, planning holidays that hinge around seeing games, races and other activities in exotic locales, and extending trips on either side to see the sights too.

Why will it matter in 2024? A little event known as the Olympic and Paralympic Games anchors the 2024 sports calendar. It kicks off in Paris in late July and runs until early September , during which time more than a million tourists are expected to check in across the French capital. The games have inspired city-wide projects such as the €1.4-billion clean-up of the Seine, which , all going well, will allow public swimming in the river for the first time in a century. Elsewhere, the Tour de France starts in Italy for the first time in 2024, with competitors speeding off in Florence before heading to Rimini on the Adriatic coast and then north to the Apennines through Emilia-Romagna. New bike routes in the area have been released by tour operators such as Ride International Tours and Ride Holidays for cycling enthusiasts keen to join in the fun. Sarah James

6. Coolcationing

What’s the trend? For the vast majority of folk, summer holidays used to be about following the sun, seeking the heat – watching the mercury climb and hitting the sands. With the intense, record-breaking temperatures of recent years, however, many are considering travelling in the opposite direction: booking "coolcations" in temperate destinations, which also benefit from being less crowded.

Why will it matter in 2024? Rising temperatures caused by the climate crisis have resulted in the hottest recorded summer in the UK – just over 40℃ in July 2022 – while 2023, with a sweltering summer in much of Mediterranean Europe, North America and China – is on track to be the hottest year ever. Little wonder that many travellers are thinking again before booking literal hotspots such as the South of France and Sicily in July or August. A survey for luxe travel network Virtuoso found that 82 per cent of its clients are considering destinations with more moderate weather in 2024. Destinations such as Iceland, Finland and Scotland, according to Intrepid Travel, along with Latvia, which is surging in popularity. “We’re seeing an increase in those holidaying further north,” says Andrea Godfrey of Regent Holidays. “Scandinavia and the Baltics are both getting noticed more: they offer a more pared-back style of holiday but have some lovely beaches, and forests and lakes for both relaxation and adventure activities.” Cooler temperatures are particularly well suited to family travel too. “We’re getting far more enquiries from families for destinations that offer summer sun but also respite from the high temperatures being experienced in beach resorts across the Med,” says Liddy Pleasants, founder of family specialist Stubborn Mule Travel. “Kayaking in Norway, with its midnight sun, for instance, and cycling or hiking in Slovenia, which is also very good value.” Time to ditch the SPF50… Rick Jordan

Gig tripping

7. Gig tripping

What’s the trend? For years, athletes and wellness gurus were the big headliners at retreats. But rock stars are, well, the new rock stars of travel. Call it the Swift Effect. Destination concert business is up more than 50 per cent, led mostly by Taylor Swift, says Janel Carnero, a travel advisor at Embark Beyond. In the USA, tickets for Swift’s Eras Tour cost thousands and were still impossible to score. Music fans are realising they can pay less and have a more memorable experience by seeing their favourite pop icons perform in say, Amsterdam or Milan . Tours from performers such as Pearl Jam, U2, Doja Cat and Madonna will anchor trip itineraries, while music festivals (Glastonbury sold out in less than an hour) will be major catalysts for travel.

Why will it matter in 2024? New music festivals, including Untold in Romania's Cluj-Napoca, are introducing travellers to undiscovered destinations, says Alexandrea Padilha of Fischer Travel. And it’s no longer just about the music, says Carnero. “It’s the social aspect of sharing experiences with friends,” she adds. Hotels and travel companies have taken note and are creating the equivalent of backstage VIP experiences for guests. Global adventure collective Eleven has recently introduced Music with Eleven. The programme’s dedicated team of music-industry insiders (including Chris Funk, guitarist from the Decemberists) custom design itineraries that might include sitting in on a recording session at Flóki Studios, just outside the Arctic Circle at Deplar Farm in Iceland. And Rhythm & Sails hosts musicians on its catamarans. The company’s music director, Anders Beck of the jam band Greensky Bluegrass, curates the line-up of artists who perform sessions onboard and in ports as you island hop around the Caribbean . Jen Murphy

8. Resorts will help you biohack your health span

What’s the trend? Longevity is the latest wellness buzzword thanks to best-selling books such as  Outlive  and the hit Netflix documentary  Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones . Between 2021 and 2022, venture-capital investment in longevity clinics more than doubled from $27 million to $57 million globally, according to analysis from longevity research and media company Longevity.Technology. Now, the science of extending life and optimising health has become the focus at hotels. Blue Zones retreats are the new boot camps and even sybaritic resorts are offering the latest biohacks. Poolside vitamin IV anyone?

Why will it matter in 2024? Since the pandemic, feeling good trumps looking good. “People have become aware of the critical importance of developing a more proactive, preventive approach to health on all levels,” says Karina Stewart, co-founder of Kamalaya, a wellness retreat in Koh Samui, Thailand . This means a new willingness to go beyond diet and exercise and embrace sci-fi-sounding bio-regenerative treatments such as ozone therapy and hyperbaric oxygen chambers, both on offer at Kamalaya's new Longevity House. Luxury hotel brands are embracing the trend too. Six Senses Ibiza recently teamed up with biotech company RoseBar to offer guests full diagnostic testing. Maybourne Hotel Group is collaborating with wellness tech pioneer Virtusan to help guests boost performance. And Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea administers treatments such as stem cells and NAD+ (aka the fountain of youth) through its partnership with Next Health longevity centre. At 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay in Kauai, guests are welcomed with a B12 shot instead of bubbles and the resort’s new wellness-specific rooms come with recovery-boosting mod cons including infrared light mats. If the trend continues, the secret to longevity may be as easy as taking more holidays. Jen Murphy

9. Peak season gets the cold shoulder

What's the trend? There’s been a dramatic recent increase in shoulder season travel to Europe’s most popular destinations (particularly France , Spain , the UK and Italy ), which is set to continue in 2024. Luxury travel specialists Original Travel has launched new shoulder season itineraries to locations traditionally in demand during the summer – including the crystalline seascapes of Sardinia and Corsica – after seeing 14 per cent more bookings for September 2023 than for August 2023. Pegi Amarteifio of Small Luxury Hotels of the World shares similar insights. “Comparing phone reservations in 2023 against 2019, we’ve seen a 33 per cent increase for March to May and a 58 per cent increase for September to November , a pattern reflected across our other booking channels too.”

Why will it matter in 2024? A combination of social, economic and environmental factors is driving this trend into 2024. The cost of living crisis means a heightened focus on value. For 62 per cent of respondents to Booking.com’s 2024 travel trends survey, this is a limiting factor for 2024 travel planning, so much so that 47 per cent of respondents are even willing to take children out of school for cheaper off-peak travel. Shoulder season travel is also becoming more attractive due to rising temperatures, and more feasible due to flexible working. Layered on top of these practical considerations is an emotional motivation too: travellers are craving authenticity more than ever, seeking a tranquil, local feel when abroad, rather than Where’s Wally beach scenes. Toyo Odetunde

10. Private group travel

What’s the trend? The post-pandemic desire to gather friends or family and embark on a shared holiday experience shows no sign of abating – in fact, it’s on the increase in luxury travel, as people appreciate the benefits and savour the moment, from 3G family groups to 50-something empty-nesters keen to rekindle life-long friendships. Just don’t take Succession ’s family outing to Tuscany as a role model.

Why will it matter in 2024? “While some predicted group travel would peak post-pandemic, we’ve seen it have a lasting, positive impact with private group bookings continuing to be a dominant trend,” says Tom Marchant of Black Tomato, for whom group travel now accounts for 30 per cent of bookings. The company has just launched its See You in the Moment series to cater for the demand: it uses a mood board of over 35 experiences themed around key flash points, from The Meal (a backcountry feast served on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, for example) to The Challenge (rafting down the Apurímac in Peru, perhaps), all designed to create lasting memories. For Scott Williams, meanwhile, multi-generational travellers are thinking big: why take one house when you can take a whole estate, such as Meli on Paxos in the Greek Islands, which sleeps 17? Other groups are taking to the water, with Red Savannah reporting an increase in bookings for Turkish gulets, Egyptian dahabiyas and Indonesian phinisis. Scott Dunn have seen an increase in bookings amongst groups of friends, with 30 per cent of respondents in a recent survey saying they were planning trips for 2024 that included ski trips to France, adventure travel in South and Central America, and beach breaks on Antigua and Barbados. Empty-nesters are also a growing force, with groups of couples in their 50s to 70s hiring villas in the shoulder season for cultural weeks away, and all-female groups – mainly aged between 50 and 65 – who are proactive in wanting to renew long-term friendships. “We had one repeat group that included several cancer survivors,” says Sarah-Leigh Shenton at Red Savannah. “A hammam afternoon in Turkey was a deeply bonding experience and they’ve since travelled to Jordan and Sicily together.” Rick Jordan

11. AI aims to be your sidekick

What's the trend? Early last year, after OpenAI’s ChatGPT broke the record as the fastest-ever growing consumer app, travellers started playing around with AI chatbots to get inspiration on where they could go. More recently, major travel booking platforms have started to integrate AI chatbots into the booking experience. But if 2023 was the year of AI chatbots wanting to plan your trips , 2024 will be all about how AI aspires to be your travel sidekick. A wave of new AI-powered features and products aims to support travellers on the ground – all while raising concerns around the potential negative impacts as AI becomes more widely integrated with our travels.

Why will it matter in 2024? AI will start to make more real-time interventions in our travels in 2024. One practical example is live translation , which Samsung plans to launch on its 2024 Galaxy devices. Imagine calling somewhere you want to visit to get information without worrying about whether staff speak the same language as you. Another example is greater AI personalisation in popular apps you already use. Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has recently touted the company's increasing use of personalised AI algorithms , which will learn about your habits and make suggestions based on what you’re doing. For the true early adopters, real-time travel interventions could also mean ditching your screen entirely and clipping a screenless personal translator and travel assistant to your chest. This is the unusual idea behind the new talking and projecting AI Pin from Humane , a start-up backed by investors including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, that promises to function a bit like the universal translator from Star Trek . Will anyone want to actually wear the pin or will it go the way of previously hyped devices such as Google Glass? It certainly raises a host of ethical questions about privacy and data protection. Yet the more that AI products successfully help in addressing on-the-go problems, the more travellers will come to rely on them too. JD Shadel

12. Skip-gen travel

What’s the trend? Skip-gen travel describes when grandparents holiday with grandchildren, in other words, "skipping" a generation. “In the past few months, I've had around twice as many enquiries as usual for grandchild/grandchild bookings,” says Clio Wood, founder of family retreat company &Breathe . “There’s been a rising trend of grandparents taking their grandchildren away,” agrees Ollie Summers, Head of Sales at bespoke operator Scott Dunn . “Often to places that have a sentimental meaning to them.”

Why will it matter in 2024? Several travel agencies have created itineraries to cater specifically for this demand in 2024. “Skip-gen safaris are emerging as a micro-trend from the UK, reflecting a niche traveller group now well established in the US luxury market,” says Liane Goldring of Mahlatini Luxury Travel . “The grandparents are usually in their 70s and still active enough to fully embrace a fully guided safari adventure.” Original Travel, meanwhile, has relaunched its Bonding Holidays Collection , featuring trips focussed on discovering something new together, such as its 14-day Family Ranching itinerary in the American West. Some of this growth can be attributed to big-ticket lockdown promises coming to fruition. Now, amid the UK’s cost of living crisis, parents are also keen to make the most of the time and childcare support of their typically baby boomer, more comfortably retired parents. Plus, the global ratio of living grandparents to grandchildren is higher than ever, thanks to a combined increase in life expectancy and drop in the number of children per person. We’re even said to be living in the "the age of the grandparent". Don’t expect this trend – or your grandparents – to slow down anytime soon. Becky Lucas

Glamorous train travel

13. Train travel gets glam

What’s the trend? Rising climate consciousness has fuelled a rail travel revival, the luxury train niche is reaching new heights of popularity, extravagance and ambition. Travel booking platforms are reporting growing demand for luxury rail trips , where the journey is, yes, the destination. In fact, new design-forward train lines increasingly rival the finest hotels for the culinary experiences and bells and whistles on offer.

Why will it matter in 2024? A new wave of rail lines and itineraries launching in 2024 puts an emphasis on deeper immersion into the culture and landscapes of the destinations, which are more and more off the beaten track. Responding to growing demand for luxury train travel among its user base, specialist platform Railbookers plans to launch arguably the most geographically extensive and expensive luxury train itinerary around. With prices per person starting at $113,599, the 80-day Around the World by Luxury Train voyage will cross four continents and 13 countries. Beginning in August , the slow journey will string together existing luxury rail trips including Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Jasper and India’s Maharajas Express from Delhi to Mumbai. In Asia, the previously paused Eastern & Oriental Express is making a grand comeback starting in February, with carriages getting an upscale revamp and its legendary route being retraced through Malaysia's landscapes. Meanwhile, Japan is a hot destination for its scenic train journeys such as the exclusive Train Suite Shiki-shima , which quickly closed applications for its 2024 trips due to demand. And in Europe, six new train lines will commence or terminate in Rome under Accor's La Dolce Vita umbrella, with suites designed by starchitects Dimorestudio, building on the cultural legacy of the famous Orient Express . JD Shadel

14. Restaurateur-owned hotels

What’s the trend? Restaurants and hotels are the two linchpins of the hospitality industry. And naturally, the two are often intertwined on one premises. Until recently, though, most hotels weren’t started or owned by restaurateurs. Yet as food-focused travel keeps increasing, with people hankering for the next hot reservation and planning entire trips around discovering a culture through its food, it makes sense that restaurateurs are adding hotelier to their CVs – and ensuring their new properties have impressive food offerings. We’d be remiss not to mention Nobu, which began as a restaurant in 1994 and in 2013 launched its global hotel brand, as a harbinger of the trend.

Why will it matter in 2024? Just as design brands (RH, West Elm) have opened hotels in recent years, now restaurateurs are getting in on the action. In the USA, restaurateur and 12-time James Beard award nominee Sam Fox has just launched the Global Ambassador in Phoenix, Arizona, with five restaurants. Santa Barbara’s Good Lion Hospitality is relaunching Petit Soleil , a Californian wine country boutique hotel, with a new bar and restaurant slated for next spring. The Lafayette Hotel & Club was debuted last summer in San Diego by Arsalun Tafazoli, founder of a local hospitality group that operates 16 bars and restaurants. The hotel has five restaurants and bars, with two more opening by the end of the year. In Dallas, Harwood International, which owns a dozen or so restaurants in the area, opened Hôtel Swexan in June. In the St Gallen region of Switzerland two hotels were recently added to beloved restaurants: the revamped Mammertsberg  and  Gasthaus Traube . In Slovenia, AS Hotel is a new place to stay launched Sebastjan Raspopović, son of chef Svetozar Raspopović-Pope of renowned restaurant Gostilna AS in Lublijana. Aside from a restaurant by Raspopović-Pope, the hotel has an eatery by Michelin-lauded chef Ana Roš. Finally,  R48 , and its lauded Chef’s Table, was opened in Tel Aviv last spring by R2M Hospitality Group, which also runs restaurants CoffeeBar and Herzl 16. Devorah Lev-Tov

15. Silent travel

What’s the trend? In an age of overstimulation, silence might be just what we need from our travels in 2024. Offering a chance to restore and reset, silent travel represents a more mindful kind of trip, one that doesn’t leave you needing a holiday to recover from your holiday. Silent meditation retreats are an increasingly popular wellness trend, but silent travel also encompasses secluded nature resorts, sleep retreats , quiet hotels , silent walking tours and even silent disco and concert experiences.

Why will it matter in 2024? Saturated with stress and screen time, many of us are looking for ways to disconnect. The silent walking trend that recently took TikTok by storm reflects a growing impulse to escape the noise of our tech-fuelled lives and embrace the quiet, with promising implications for wellbeing. One 2015 study suggests silence may help to stimulate brain development, while another found that two minutes of silence during or after relaxing music increased the music's calming effects. With the Global Wellness Institute forecasting a 21 per cent increase in wellness tourism in the next two years, what better counter to the chaos of our always-on lives than silence? Silent travel is also part of a move towards more sustainable tourism. Quiet Parks International , for example, offers unique nature experiences in dedicated quiet spaces, reducing noise pollution for the surrounding wildlife. Silent travel opportunities abound in 2024. Kick off the year with a silent retreat in Portugal (with Innate ) or Italy (with Mandali ). More adventurous silent-seekers can trek the peaceful Japanese Kumano Kodo trail, or explore Finland’s Arctic landscape with a Silence & Nature Tour . For a tailor-made silent experience, Black Tomato’s Blink camp offers luxury accommodation in the world’s most remote settings, while its Get Lost programme promises to help you find yourself by getting lost in a far-flung location. Tasha Kleeman

16. Urban gardens

What’s the trend? Never mind the biophilic office and those pot plants you forget to water: whole cities are going green as architects and planners create leafy microclimates amid the grey concrete to help keep us cooler, connect communities and even feed us.

Why will it matter in 2024? Having trees and gardens in our cities is a pretty good idea. King Nebuchadnezzar certainly thought so, which is why his Hanging Gardens of Babylon made it into travel’s first-ever bucket list – the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – back in the 2nd century BC. Nowadays planting trees creates much-needed shade, stores carbon and increases biodiversity, but it also makes our cityscapes so much nicer. While Valencia, an early adopter of urban greening with its 12km-long Turia Garden in 1986, is the 2024 European Green Capital, France is busy planting trees like there’s no tomorrow: go to Paris for the 2024 Olympics and you’ll spot budding new forests growing in Place du Colonel-Fabien, Place de Catalogne and in the Charonne district, while Bordeaux’s Grandeur Nature project includes urban cooling islands, micro-forests and rain gardens. All of which will doubtless be discussed at the ISHS Green Cities 2024 symposium, hosted by RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, England, in September. Meanwhile, on Cyprus – an island that experienced temperatures of 44℃ in 2023 – the new Salina Park opens in time for summer shade in the seaside city of Larnaca. In Brazil, Rio’s Hortas Cariocas is a groundbreaking achievement that will be completed by the end of 2024: the largest urban vegetable garden in the world, connecting 56 community gardens across favelas and schools. And in London, the £1-billion Google building in King’s Cross will show just what can be done with one structure. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the "landscraper" – only 11 storeys high but stretching out longer than the Shard is tall – is hoped to provide a blueprint for future urban projects: running along the rooftop is a multi-level garden, with wildflowers, lawns and decked seating areas, set with more than 55,000 plants and 250 trees. Can you dig it? Rick Jordan

17. Back-of-house tours

What’s the trend? Greener hotels giving us a look behind the scenes to show us – not just tell us – they're sustainable. We don't mean a look-see at solar panels or composting, but heart-lifting experiential tours that help us appreciate why it matters to support socio-economic uplift through tourism. In South America, Blue Apple Beach invites visitors to get up close and personal with the community work it does in Colombia through its impact fund. Founder Portia Hart wanted more than token-gesture carbon offsetting, where locals themselves could decide how money was spent. In Africa, guests of the Bushcamp Company contribute to initiatives through the Luangwa Conservation and Community Fund. A popular excursion in Zambia is visiting the boreholes that are installed with outreach funds. Each pump provides fresh drinking water to hundreds of people a day, and visitors who spend time with those gathered get a very tangible insight into how such provisions funded by hospitality can literally change lives in regions most affected by a warming planet.

Why will it matter in 2024? Transparency is on the up as the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive comes into force and greenwashing is coming close to being officially outlawed. A year of droughts, floods and heatwaves also reminds us we need to make better-informed choices in our travel planning – and all the better if we can also get a crash course in the science and sociology of positive impact. Experiences that go beyond explaining responsible practices, but demonstrate a deep respect for communities on the climate-change frontlines and help make their challenges relatable to visitors are especially helpful. Juliet Kinsman

18. Wild feasting

What’s the trend? Have you ever noticed how food always tastes better outdoors? But in today’s modern world many of us are more used to eating a sandwich while staring at a screen. Wild feasting describes the trend for beautifully curated culinary experiences in natural environments with the incorporation of hyper-local and foraged ingredients. In Sweden, for example, you can tap into a network of do-it-yourself outdoor restaurants where you book a table in a scenic location, search for nettles, birch leaves, lingonberries and trumpet chanterelles, and then cook them on an open fire according to a recipe card provided by a Michelin-grade chef.

Why will it matter in 2024? A greater range of wild feasting opportunities will give urbanites a chance to properly connect over food. Leading the way is Noah Ellis, founder of the UK's Nomadic Dinners. “Since launching in 2018, we experienced compounded year-on-year growth for our feasting and foraging experiences,” he says. In 2024 he will be hosting a new series of fire feasts, including one set among the bluebells. Also tapping into the zeitgeist is TikTok star Alexis Nikole Nelson (aka the Black Forager) who will publish a book about wild food in 2024. And don’t forget, 2024 is the last year you will be able to eat at Copenhagen ’s legendary, foraging-focused restaurant Noma before it turns into a test kitchen and closes to the public. Another innovator is Holmen Lofoten’s Kitchen On The Edge Of The World series in the Norwegian Arctic Circle, where guests can participate in four nights of wild feasts cooked by top chefs. In 2024, these will include Lennox Hastie, José Pizarro and Heidi Bjerkan. Ingunn Rasmussen, owner of Holmen Lofoten, says: “Now, as when we were little kids, gathering around a bonfire in the wilderness, sharing stories, feasting under the stars in these magical, remote surroundings is one of the absolute highlights, both for our guests and for us.” Jenny Southan

19. Plan-free travel

What's the trend? Saying no to endless scrolling to plan every inch of a trip, and saying yes to spontaneity instead. The power of the algorithm-spawned era of Fomo travel is waning, with those once secret spots made Insta-famous becoming tired and cookie-cutter, and the drive to plan a trip around them losing momentum. The rising counter movement is travel with no plans at all.

Why will it matter in 2024? The plan-free appeal is going one step further in 2024. Booking.com recently reported that 50 per cent of UK travellers want to book a surprise trip in 2024, where everything, even the destination, is unknown until arrival. And it’s possible to do it via travel companies such as Black Tomato, whose Get Lost service offers customers the ability to simply select a preferred environment – polar, jungle, desert, mountain or coastal – and leave its team decide everything else. “While we launched Get Lost several years ago, post-pandemic we’ve seen a notable and rising uptick in bookings and enquiries,” says Black Tomato co-founder Tom Marchant. Journee offers a similar surprise element, with travellers only finding out where they’re going at the airport. The service, which includes a full itinerary and access to a team via Whatsapp, is particularly popular with solo female travellers, while overall demand has grown so much that the London -based brand recently launched trips in the USA. Lauren Burvill

20. Frontier tourism

What’s the trend? To go above and beyond. Or below and under. As crossings of the tumultuous Drake Passage to Antarctica rack up millions of TikTok views and traffic jams form on Everest, canny travellers are seeking more individual, less obvious experiences that combine thrill-seeking with more meaningful self-empowerment.

Why will it matter in 2024? One person’s frontier is another’s backyard, of course, so frontiers are entirely subjective here. For some, this could mean being the first to camp under the stars in a remote landscape, or hike an ancient pilgrimage trail that’s been off the map for centuries. It’s still possible to bag a rare place on a Kamba African Rainforest Experience in the Republic of the Congo, being one of just 12 people to explore a game park the size of Belgium. Black Tomato, meanwhile, is designing an intrepid new expedition to the remote Mitre Peninsula in Argentina, along with a trip in Peru navigating the Sacred Valley of the Incas by raft. “This sort of adventure goes beyond bragging rights and is more akin to self-empowerment and the gratification of pushing our own horizons,” says Black Tomato co-founder Tom Marchant. The Ultimate Travel Company is also heading to Peru, a country repositioning itself for luxury travellers, with stays at Puqio, its first tented exploration camp,, in the remote Colca Valley in the Southern Peruvian Andes. Wilderness camping is also pegging out fresh terrain in Kyrgyzstan, with yurt stays on the steppes trending for 2024, according to Wild Frontiers, as is Mongolia ; while Albania, Mongolia, Pakistan and the Empty Quarter of Oman are all on the radar for an increasing number of travellers. And while the space-age pods of White Desert have already sold out for New Year’s Eve 2024 and 2025, latter-day frontiersfolk can take the path less travelled and explore the frozen continent’s southern coast (99 per cent of visitors go from South America to the northwest) with The Ultimate Travel Company’s new Ross Sea cruises, seeing the Ross Ice Shelf and Transantarctic Mountains. Don’t forget to pack your penknife. Rick Jordan

Tourism: Current and Future Trends Essay

Introduction, tourism trends, importance of understanding demographic trends, opportunities and challenges, facility management, perspective.

The modern tourism and hospitality business is significantly being influenced by demography, and it is posited that it will characterize the future of the area. Current demographic patterns will influence the demand for tourism and the choice of the workforce, which will impact how the industry operates, is structured, and how it will develop in a sustainable manner.

Furthermore, the tourism sector has to know what, why, how, and when something will occur, the repercussions, and the strategies that should be employed to exploit the benefits and play down the risks that these changes will bring. Tourism is quickly gaining a global dimension as people have a higher purchasing power, allowing them to tour cross-border destinations.

The World Travel & Tourism Council report shows that there were one billion international tourists in 2012. It also found that the global tourism and travel industry earned $2.057 trillion in direct global contribution to the gross domestic product in the same year, and it is estimated that this figure will grow to $3.0 trillion in 2022 (Fuller, 2013).

The industry has as well shown remarkable growth in the United States, as it accounted for $438.6 billion of the gross domestic product in 2012, and expectations are that it will rise to $628.5 billion in 2023.

This growth is attributed to a considerable change in customer demographics with a rising population of baby boomers and middle-class segments who can afford to travel for leisure. Moreover, statistics show that Asians form a significant proportion of travelers in modern-day tourism.

These changes have necessitated the need to study trends in tourist demographics in order to anticipate a swing in client preferences and develop products that meet these tastes. This is a discussion of current and future trends of tourist demographics and the challenges and opportunities they present to the tourism industry.

Travel and leisure patterns have changed over the years in several ways. For example, international tourism is gaining popularity as people desire to see more than what their country has to offer.

Records show that most of the guests who visit the United States are from Western Europe and Asia as shown in 2007 documentations where, 45.6% of all the arrivals were from Western Europe, while 26.9% were from Far East Asia (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2007). Furthermore, it is reported that in the same year, the average age of male leisure travelers was 42 years while that of females was 38 years.

The proportion of visitors from Western Europe and Asia was 43.2% and 26.6% respectively in 2010, which illustrates that the number of European tourists fell while that of Asians rose over the three year period. In addition, the average age of male travelers was 42 years and that of females was 37 years (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2010).

The rise in the number of Asian guests is an indicator that these countries are significantly impacting the global tourism industry as countries like China and India record a strong middle class, which is estimated to be approximately 600 million people in 2015. Experts also predict that, by 2030, the middle-class population in China will have grown by about two billion people.

Indonesia also anticipates that about 60 million people will join this group in the next couple of years (Fuller, 2013). Consequently, it is believed that there will be a higher demand for leisure travel, as the middle class is considered a strong indicator of travel intent, ability, and desire.

Additionally, analysts argue that baby boomers will form a critical component of the tourism industry, as it is projected that they will have a higher disposable income, and will be more youthful and determined to travel than their predecessors (Boksberger, Sund, & Schuckert, 2009). The above statement is explained by the fact that it is estimated that this age group will own about 60% of the nation’s wealth in the United States by 2015.

In addition, they will account for 40% of total spending in the same period and it is assumed that they will spend a substantial amount of time traveling after retirement (Deloitte, 2010).

Though boomers are likely to catapult the travel sector, the younger populace aged between 20 and 50 years is also keen on traveling albeit on cheaper budgets. Moreover, players in the business should also focus on this market because it has shown a desire to tour and are flexible to participate in a range of fun activities.

It is apparent that demographic trends in the tourism industry in the United States and globally will change extensively in the next few years. This change means that service providers must develop product offerings that appeal to the changing clientele in order to attract repeat customers.

Consequently, it will be essential to understand the cultural differences that come with these changes and efforts made to ensure that visitors feel comfortable while on vacation.

Some of these efforts include sensitizing staff to tolerate the different cultures, offering meals from different parts of the world, and employing multi-lingual tour guides. Besides that, it is essential to make sure that the leisure activities provided are suitable for the diverse market segments. Additionally, it will be vital to develop sustainable strategies that help businesses attract and retain different groups.

The current and future demographic trends of travelers present several opportunities for the hospitality industry for players who can package the products to take advantage of the expectations of the different segments. For instance, senior tourists are likely to be thrilled by cruise- related activities because they are, quiet, and are less risky.

In contrast, generation x and y may be more inclined to engage in precarious and social activities such as excursions. It is also imperative to consider the changing factors such as more holiday periods, intention to combine leisure travel with work, shorter vacations, preference for a participatory vacation and discretionary tourism, among other factors.

Secondly, younger travelers have access to information, which influences their choice of destinations and activities. They have become sophisticated clients who want value for money so they are deemed to be experience-oriented rather than destination-oriented. There is an opportunity to transform the market by offering customized holidays and providing personalized services, allowing visitors to take on a more active role during their trips.

All this information can be posted online to make it easily accessible and where possible allow for electronic booking, which has become a favorite travel option for the tech-savvy.

The shift in tourism demographics also creates prospects for forging alliances to derive synergy from each other. For instance, the middle class and affluent travelers would prefer to have an airport and hotel transfer services rather than having to arrange their own transport. Moreover, they would like tour operators to plan their itinerary and they are willing to pay a premium to avoid the inconveniences that come with self-planning for a vacation.

This new demand requires players to work together to ensure they deliver top-notch services to create delight and attract repeat business and referrals.

Unfortunately, the demographic changes have a downside. For example, the surge in baby boomer population comes with additional costs as this age group may require special treatment because of its fragile nature.

As a result, service providers with limited resources may opt to steer away from this market, and miss out on the returns that it can generate. On the other hand, a swell in the number of international visitors means that firms have to invest heavily in hiring and training multicultural staff to increase customer satisfaction. Lastly, there may be a need to forge partnerships to derive synergy; however, it is not easy to do so with competitors.

The process of management of a hospitality facility has multiple layers and very complicated infrastructure. Like any other type of business tourist business is oriented towards the maximization of revenue potential. This is done through the representation of new branches and services to the facility and exploring the range of benefits and activities the facility can provide for the customers.

This is why the statistical knowledge of the needs of potential clients is crucial. The success of the facility management lies in the accurate monitoring of the kinds of tourists using the services of the facility and the modern cost policy.

Contemporary customers have access to the information, which influences their expectations of the quality of services distributed by the facilities; this is why training a qualified staff is an important part of the management success.

The modern world is tightly connected to the technologies and the Internet. This is why every contemporary hospitality facility has to be equipped with a powerful IT team and the best software needed to provide predictive management based on diagnostics and planning.

It is highly important to keep an eye on all the modern newly developed trends within the business and quickly adopt all the changes, because the potential customers are most likely to be interested in the most modern services, so their choices of the facilities will be based on their levels of preparation for the season and on their abilities to please even the most spoiled customers.

There are various types of people traveling, and they have various demands, yet the hospitality facilities have to offer certain types of services that will never stop being popular. Such services are good, comfortable and clean accommodations, diverse and fresh meals, and a broad range of beverages. These are the aspects of the facility management that need the most of attention.

The tourism and hospitality sector is growing at a remarkable rate locally and globally. Analysts attribute this growth to demographic changes such as a strong global middle class, a rise in the number of senior tourists, and a rise in the number of international travelers. This shift means that the sector needs to understand current patterns, anticipate future trends, and understand the opportunities and challenges that they present.

Nevertheless, the most important thing for tours and hotel operators is to formulate strategies and tactics that will grow their competitive advantage because only those that can foresee and plan for new trends will survive in the trade.

Boksberger, P., Sund, K., & Schuckert, M. (2009). Between Past, Present and Future – Implications of Socio-demographic Changes in Tourism, Trends and Issues in Global Tourism , 29-36. Web.

Deloitte. (2010). Hospitality 2015: Game Changers or Spectators ? 1-26. Web.

Fuller, E. (2013). Impact of the World’s Travel/Tourism Industry Adds Up To More Than A Walk On The Beach, Forbes . Web.

U.S Department of Commerce. (2007). Profile of Overseas Travelers to the United States: 2007 Inbound . Web.

U.S Department of Commerce. (2010). Profile of Overseas Travelers to the United States: 2010 Inbound . Web.

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Tourism: Current and Future Trends." February 19, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/tourism-current-and-future-trends/.

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• Baby Boomers Positive and Negative Aspects
• Vouchers for Baby-Boomers: Tourism Market Research
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• Idioms and Slang in Baby Boomers and Millennials
• Profit From Organizing Tours to Poverty Areas
• Marketing to the Baby Boom Generation
• Sustainable Hospitality Management
• International Travel Plan: Greece
• Environmental Impacts of Cruise Tourism
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• Government Shutdown and Its Impact on Tourism
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10 Years of Travel: Where It’s Been, and Where It's Going

A Retrospective of the Last Decade in the Air and on the Road

With a combined 400,000 miles traveled between our team of four editors in 2019, it’s safe to see we see a lot of things in the travelsphere. As we enter a new decade, our team used a mix of travel trends and research, anecdotal evidence, and our own coverage to take a look at how travel has changed in the past decade—including Instagram, low-cost carriers, and the sharing economy—and where it’s going into the 2020s and beyond. (Hint: We see a trip to Africa in your future and maybe a self-driving car or two.) —Laura Ratliff, Jamie Hergenrader, Elizabeth Preske, and Sherri Gardner

2010: Checklist Travel, 2020: Immersive Experiences

We all remember the days of writing down a bucket list for a vacation. A trip to Paris wasn’t complete without seeing “Mona Lisa” and the Arc de Triomphe. And have you really seen London if you didn’t take a picture of Big Ben?

Airbnb’s international expansion in 2011 started to shift the tide towards local, experiential travel slowly and with the launch of Airbnb Experiences in 2016, and subsequently, Airbnb Adventures in 2019, the emphasis on immersive experiences has only grown. Since the 2016 launch, there are now more than 40,000 Experiences across 1,000 destinations. Why reserve an entrance time to the Louvre and wait in line for just a brief glimpse of artistic masterpieces when you can explore artsy Montmartre with a Parisian?

2010: Convenience, 2020: Conscientiousness

Budget airlines have been around since far before 2010—Southwest will celebrate its 53rd birthday in 2020—but the 2010s saw their peak, with WowAir’s 2011 take-off and Norwegian launching transatlantic flights in 2013. Forcing industry-wide price competition even among the long-established carriers (welcome, basic economy!) meant more destinations, and more routes were available to travelers than ever before for jaw-droppingly low prices. One-way flights as low as $30 were no longer considered a steal, but the norm, ushering in the decade of convenient travel. After all, why bother spending a few hours on a train from Paris to London when it’s a one-hour flight?

Well, several years later, we have an answer to that question: the environment. In 2017, the flight shaming movement began (primarily in Sweden, called “flygskam”) to encourage travelers to stop flying due to its impact on climate change. Since then, Swedish air travel has declined rapidly . That movement has spread worldwide (remember when Greta Thunberg completed her entire European tour by train?), and “train bragging” has risen with it. Plus, with the sharp rise in air travel (meaning longer lines, more crowded airports, etc.), train travel is becoming seen as more convenient—no security lines, more space, and the bonus of scenic rides.

And the urge to consider the environment is also an undertaking in the hotel industry. Those tiny shampoo bottles you’d usually stash in your suitcase are being phased out. Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton have all pledged to eliminate them in the coming years for larger bottles that stay put in the rooms to reduce plastic waste. And while you’ve probably seen the cards in rooms allowing you to opt out of a towel or sheet change to save water, some hotels are offering stronger incentives to do so. Declining any form of housekeeping can now earn you points with hotel brands or a food and beverage voucher for your stay. Again, maybe these initiatives aren’t sacrificing convenience as much as they are reframing it—no housekeeping, no tidying up for the cleaning staff, and no interruptions all day long.

2010: The Rise of the Sharing Economy, 2020: The Fall of the Sharing Economy?

Hear us out on this one: While we’re not saying Airbnb and Uber are going anywhere, a recent spate of bad press for both companies— Airbnb’s massive fraud ring , and Uber’s long-standing labor and safety issues —have led savvy travelers to look toward alternatives.

Low-touch apartment-hotels (think an Airbnb in a building with a check-in desk and some other hotel-like amenities) have been popping up throughout the country. Bode , one such start-up, opened in Nashville and Chattanooga in 2019, with three additional locations planned for 2020. Domio , a competitor, launched its first upscale apartment-hotel in New Orleans earlier this year.

And there’s a good chance that, in a few years, your Uber driver won’t even exist–Google’s Waymo self-driving car incubator expects to add 20,000 vehicles to its fleet in the next few years, enough for more than 500,000 trips each day.

2010: Instagram Influencers, 2020: Instagram Community

Yes, Instagram has been around for (almost) an entire decade now. (Feel old? We do.) And while it began as a place to follow your friends, fam, and maybe a few strangers to engage through comments and likes, it quickly transformed into a marketing tool.

Before we knew it, “influencer” became a real job title, causing our feeds to be filled with promotions of products and places and experiences. Throughout its existence, however, influencers have become a hot topic for several reasons: transparency (or lack thereof) of sponsored content, heavily edited photos to make places look more appealing or whimsical, and the unintentional (but still subliminal) encouragement of “doing it for the ‘gram” that lands many travelers in physical or legal harm just to capture the Insta-perfect shot.

Of course, many influencers have contributed positively to the platform, but many users still crave a more tailored use of the app to cut through the noise. As a result, virtual communities were born, and users were able to follow accounts or hashtags (the latter made possible in 2017) to connect with similar and like-minded travelers. A few examples: @wearetravelgirls (women travelers), @travelnoire (Black millennial travelers), #solotravel (a self-explanatory hashtag with more than 5 million posts), @gaytravelinsta (LGBT travelers), and more. There’s no doubt that Instagram has changed the way we travel, but instead of solely being an outlet for wanderlust, it’s now also an accessible way to connect with travelers worldwide.

2010: Cost-Effective Trips, 2020: Time-Efficient Trips 

In 2010, the economy was still coming out of the previous years’ recession, which also meant people were cutting back on leisure expenses, including travel. The “staycation” became popular as people compromised their desire to travel with the need to save money, and instead, put those dollars toward restaurants and attractions in their hometowns to maintain that feeling of discovery and exploration.

Now, as the economy improves, most of us are scant on another valuable resource: time. The challenge of work-life balance, the ability to work remotely from anywhere, and the lifestyle of constant hustle have led travelers to find ways to be more efficient with their trip planning, seeking alternatives to traditional week-long getaways.

One example: "bleisure" trips (business trips extended for leisure purposes) are on the rise—SAP Concur travel and expense data showed that bleisure trips increased by 20 percent from 2016 to 2017, and another study showed that while millennials lead the trend , bleisure is appealing to all generations in the workforce. Long weekend getaways are becoming more popular for the same reasons; you can travel more frequently to spread out and savor your precious time off. In a 2015 survey , close to half of the respondents were more likely to take multiple weekend trips in the year instead of one long vacation, as compared to data from 2010.

With a shorter trip time, though, people are also trying to pack as much into a getaway as possible, leading to new meaning of an “all-inclusive trip.” Some travelers have turned to “country coupling”—visiting more than one country on a trip—and choosing destinations for their diversity of attractions (where can you go that has city life, outdoor adventure, and beaches), and combining destinations to well-known places with nearby off-the-radar places for a mix of bucket list and discovery.

2010: Planning More, 2020: Planning Less

It’s a fact that vacationers are often happier planning a trip than actually taking it, but that blissful planning stage might be fleeting as more travelers look to spur-of-the-moment deals and apps that offer deep discounts for procrastinators. More than 60 percent of travelers have said they would be willing to book an impulse trip if they can get a good deal.

Scott’s Cheap Flights, a popular newsletter that alerts potential travelers to screaming deals on airfare, grew to more than 1.6 million subscribers since its launch in 2013, while apps like HotelTonight make it simple to reserve a deeply-discounted hotel room the day you arrive. Finding things to do and place to eat is as simple as opening Google Maps and seeing what's in the area—the company says searches including "near me" grew 150 percent in 2018 and that trend is set to continue.

No-planning trips are even an option now. Services like Pack Up + Go and Whisked Away take care of everything—down to the destination. All you have to do is give your available dates and your budget. In 2020 and beyond, expect to see more and more spontaneous trips for birthdays, long weekends , or just because.

2010: Zone-Out Travel, 2020: Transformational Travel

When the film adaptation of “Eat Pray Love” came out in 2010, it changed the way we travel. At the time, travel was all about sitting on a beach—just daiquiri in-hand, no introspection necessary. But now, thanks to the film and other factors, we’re all looking for personal fulfillment as we travel.

Women especially are traveling solo more than ever . In the last four years alone, Hostelworld reported an increase in the number of female solo travelers by 88 percent. As we move into the 2020s, we predict we’ll see even more solo travelers looking for that transformational experience.

As for Bali, the romantic centerpiece of “Eat Pray Love,” the Badung Regency Tourism Office revealed that Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport saw a 10.1 percent increase in tourists year-over-year—a number that’s only risen since the film’s release a decade ago. Thanks, Julia Roberts.

2010: The Rise of Asia, 2020: Africa and the Middle East Have a Moment

Asia was the lion—literally—of the 2010s' tourism boom. Japan expects 40 million tourists in 2020 (six times the number it saw in 2003), while Bangkok boasts about being a consistent contender for the world’s most visited city . But will unrest in Hong Kong and pollution and environmental concerns quell the region’s growth in 2020 and beyond, making way for a new part of the world to steal the spotlight?

The Middle East and Africa showed strong performances in the latter half of the 2010s, with Dubai leading the charge. The shining Emirate, along with Abu Dhabi, sees more foreign arrivals than any other city in the region, but new opportunities for leisure travelers to visit Saudi Arabia make it one to watch too. (Saudi Arabia and the UAE also plan to introduce a joint visa for both countries.)

Africa is poised for a 2020 tourism boom too: continued post-Arab Spring recovery has seen travelers flowing back into Egypt, while new flights—like Kenya Airways’ historic non-stop between Nairobi and New York in 2018, and RwandAir’s upcoming flight from New York to Kigali, Rwanda—have made the continent easier to reach than ever. Twenty African nations now offer visa-free travel or visas on arrival for Americans, while South Africa just launched an e-Visa pilot for travelers who need them. If you’ve been considering a Kenyan safari or a Nile River cruise, there’s no better time than now.

2010: Overtourism, 2020: Sustainability

As travel has become more affordable, more accessible, and easier to plan than ever, it’s also becoming one of the largest-growing industries in the world . According to the World Tourism Organization, 2018 saw 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals , a record high that occurred two years ahead of schedule according to the organization’s 2010 predictions. Not surprisingly, the onslaught of travelers has been painful for many destinations to handle over the past decade, leading to an era of overtourism.

Iceland is a well-known example. In 2010, just under 500,000 people visited the country; in 2017, more than 2 million did. Some destinations have taken action to combat the suffocation—Venice has started charging day trip visitors a fee, the Louvre now operates on a reservations-only system to limit crowds flocking to get a pic of the Mona Lisa, and the Philippines temporarily closed the island of Boracay to tourism following damage to its landscape from the throngs of visitors. 

Destinations haven’t been the only ones taking steps to reduce the impact of overtourism; travelers are now considering that as a factor in their trip planning. Data from Booking.com showed that 51 percent of travelers would go to a lesser-known destination similar to their original intention if it would help reduce the effects of overtourism, a concept known as “second city” traveling. Plus, the idea of going somewhere “off the beaten path” is appealing to a lot of people—crowds and lines at attractions are considerably more tolerable (or non-existent), prices on flights and accommodations are typically lower, and you get to discover things you haven’t already seen all over social media. 

2010: Fido Stays Home, 2020: Fido Eats a Filet

Call it the scourge of the fake emotional support animal, but we think dogs on planes, trains, and automobiles are here to stay in 2020 and beyond.

With Americans spending more than $72 billion on their pets in 2018 , hotels are wisening up to the traveler who can’t stand to leave their furry friends at home when they hit the road. A 2016 survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association found that around 75 percent of hotels allow pets—up from just 50 percent in 2006—with many going above and beyond to cater not only to travelers but to their German Shepherds, too.

At the Dream Hollywood in Los Angeles, pups are treated to Sprinkles pupcakes and mini-bath robes, while Nashville’s Bobby Hotel designed an on-brand hot chicken chew toy. Meanwhile, some hotels have opted to add their own canines to the crew, like Kitty, the resident Bernese Mountain Dog at St. Regis Aspen , or Max, a rambunctious yellow Labrador who rules the roost at Turks and Caicos’ COMO Parrot Cay.

2010: To Grandma’s House We Go, 2020: Grandma Hits the Road

Traveling to your grandparents’ house? That’s so 2010. Now, instead of going to grandma’s house, grandma’s taking the grandkids—and leaving the parents at home. According to an AARP survey , 61 percent of grandparents are interested in taking a skip-gen trip with their grandchildren, and more than 30 percent have done just that. Boomers are generally still healthy and plenty active, and as they enter retirement, they have more time than ever.

Travel Leaders Group found that, in 2017, 91 percent of its agents had booked a multigenerational trip and these families aren't just going to Disney World. A report by Virtuoso, a collection of travel advisors, found that Generation Z—persons born between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s—are influencing their family's travel decisions, leading families from stayed beach vacations toward safaris, adventure-focused cruises, and other excursions instead. In fact, the high seas remain a popular choice, thanks to the wide assortment of activities, dining, and excursions available on cruise lines. A report conducted by the Cruise Lines International Association last year says the industry saw a 45 percent increase in multi-generational adventure travel requests.

2010: The Rise of Culinary Travel, 2020: Food Travel Becomes an (Exclusive) Sport

The 2010s were arguably the decade where eating—and documenting it—became part and parcel for a trip. Now, it’s a competitive sport.

Social media’s rise has spurred travelers to plan every meal before putting fork to plate—or even taking off. A new generation waits in bated breath not only for Michelin guides to be released but also for reviews from sites like The Infatuation, who bought old-guard print guidebook Zagat in 2018. Meanwhile, restaurant reservations are made—and even paid for—in advance, not unlike concert tickets, thanks to services like Tock.

Of course, even if you can get your seat at Noma, you still might want to a truly one-of-a-kind experience like Marriott Bonvoy’s November Moment Masterclass, which involved a private villa stay in the Cayman Islands with renowned chef David Bouley. Or look to Mastercard’s Priceless pop-up: the card issuer has recreated notable restaurants from around the world, like Tokyo sushi cynosure Terazushi and London boîte Lyaness, in an empty SoHo warehouse. (You need a Mastercard to get in, natch.)

2010: Travel Is a Luxury, 2020: Everyone Is a VIP

When the recession hit in 2008, the cost of plane tickets soared, influenced by sky-high fuel prices and other factors. Basic Economy fares and low-cost carriers made travel accessible again. Still, unless you were keen on dropping $4,000 on a business-class ticket, you were likely crammed in the back of the bus, noshing on a $17 airport sandwich.

Now, some carriers and services have aimed to restore a bit of dignity to the everyman’s travel experience, with Delta introducing a revamped transatlantic meal service in late 2019, that includes a welcome cocktail and hot towel service, and services like TSA PreCheck and CLEAR whisking you through security in a flash. Let’s also not forget the LAX’s Private Suite offering—a service that lets well-heeled travelers hang out in a comfortable suite before being driven, via private chauffeur, directly to their aircraft on the tarmac.

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2023 Travel & Tourism Trends

The travel industry has always been an integral part of the American economy, and with the world still recovering from the pandemic, travel is set to boom once again. As travelers return to the skies and highways, they are seeking new experiences, and the industry is evolving to meet these demands. In this essay, we will explore the travel trends in the U.S.A. in 2023, backed by research and data from industry experts.

Sustainable Travel

One of the biggest trends we can expect to see in the U.S. travel industry in 2023 is an increase in sustainable travel. According to a survey by Booking.com, 75% of Americans are interested in sustainable travel. This is because people are becoming more environmentally conscious and are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. This trend is not limited to just flights and accommodations; sustainable travel is also impacting the types of activities that travelers engage in, such as hiking, camping, and other eco-friendly activities.

Increased Use of Technology

Technology is an integral part of our daily lives, and the travel industry is no exception. In 2023, we can expect to see an increase in the use of technology in the travel industry. According to a survey by the American Society of Travel Advisors, 60% of travelers said they would be interested in using augmented or virtual reality to preview their travel destinations. Additionally, we can expect to see an increase in the use of chatbots and other automated technologies to help travelers plan their trips and make bookings.

Domestic Travel

In 2023, domestic travel is expected to be more popular than international travel. According to a survey by Expedia, 73% of Americans said they are more likely to take domestic trips than international trips in the next year. This is because domestic travel is generally more affordable and easier to plan, and it allows travelers to explore their own country in more depth. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has made people more cautious about international travel, and many are choosing to stay closer to home.

Adventure Travel

Another trend that we can expect to see in the U.S. travel industry in 2023 is an increase in adventure travel. According to a survey by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, adventure travel is set to grow at a rate of 17% per year between 2019 and 2023. This is because people are looking for new and exciting experiences, and adventure travel offers just that. Activities such as hiking, camping, rock climbing, and kayaking are becoming increasingly popular among travelers.

Solo Travel

In recent years, solo travel has become increasingly popular, and this trend is expected to continue in 2023. According to a survey by Airbnb, 40% of U.S. travelers said they have taken a solo trip in the past, and 46% said they would be interested in doing so in the future. This trend is not limited to just younger travelers; older travelers are also embracing solo travel as a way to explore new places on their own terms.

The U.S. travel industry is set to experience significant changes throughout 2023. Sustainable travel, increased use of technology, domestic travel, adventure travel, and solo travel are all expected to be major trends. As travelers become more environmentally conscious and technology-savvy, the industry is evolving to meet these demands. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has made people more cautious about international travel, and many are choosing to explore their own country instead. Overall, the future of the U.S. travel industry is bright, and we can expect to see exciting new developments in the years to come.

This article is brought to you by  The Tourism Academy  - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at  tourismacademy.org . 

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The future of tourism: travel trends for 2021 and beyond

Every year travel trends come and go, however, 2021 is set to be one of tourism’s most significant years to date. As the world slowly recovers from COVID-19 and borders gradually start to open, we expect travel to look a little different than it did pre-pandemic. 

Although nobody knows exactly what will happen, one thing is clear; we won’t be able to travel as freely  (without consideration for our health) as we used to…at least for the foreseeable future. Your position as a tour operator in this rapidly changing industry is an important one as the tourism industry embarks on this next chapter. Governmental regulations, health awareness and the long-lasting attitude effects of a global pandemic will mean changes for the way your business may operate. However, with this comes an exciting opportunity to adapt and innovate, along with the likelihood of travellers being willing to pay more to reduce their COVID-19 exposure. Continue reading to get a glance at what’s in store for the future of tourism in 2021 and beyond. 

Before COVID-19, exploring a crowded city would have been exciting and invigorating. Wandering through bustling markets, enjoying dinner at a bistro brimming with locals and visiting tourist hotspots were often the hallmarks of a fulfilling holiday. Sadly, what once was the source of endless travel memories are now situations that incite fear and anxiety for many.

In a post-COVID-19 world, travellers will be much more cognisant of the need to travel to destinations that make it easy to maintain social distancing practices. Tour operators will need to get creative by designing itineraries that avoid public forms of transportation and crowded tourist areas, as their customers will expect this more considered approach to travel design. This may take the form of itineraries focussing on more remote locations or even the increased popularity of niches such as birding tours and biking tours, where travellers are less likely to come into contact with others.

It’s clear that travel and tourism need to be sustainable ; for the planet, the community, and the industry in general. Taking the principles of sustainable tourism into consideration, socially distant travel is even more important. While promoting safe health practices is, of course, going to be beneficial for the health of the travellers, it is also for the good of the community. Subsequently, these practices will allow tourism to start operating again safely and sustainably, producing economic benefits for those involved as well.

In a post-COVID-19 world, it will be more important than ever for travellers to stay connected as they travel. Gone are the days where people can easily go ‘off-the-grid” as there is now a critical need to stay informed and up to date with the latest travel guidelines. Tour operators that can provide their travellers with detailed online and offline itineraries will be top of the mind for travellers concerned about staying informed. We’ve all seen how quickly situations can change when it comes to COVID-19 so future travellers will likely want to be assured that their expert tour operator will be available to give trustworthy advice at a moments notice while they are in-country. 

Take a look at how Tourwriter’s itinerary chat can help you stay connected with your travellers. 

Tour operators and travel agents who specialise in creating group tours may want to start thinking about how to pivot their business to operate safely and successfully in this new world. One option could be to pivot completely from group travel to 100% FIT travel. Another may involve continuing to offer group travel but only to those groups who already know and trust each other and regularly interact.

In the future, we may see destination popularity being dictated by how well that country or region has controlled the coronavirus. The precautions that are in place, and how the initial outbreak was handled, will reassure travellers that they will be safe while in a particular country or location. This may also, unfortunately, result in hot-spots that were popular prior to the pandemic, disappear due to the crisis and lack of tourism. As a travel designer it will be important to ensure you have a number of locations tucked up your sleeve that you can offer your clients if and when clusters break out elsewhere. 

Not only will popular destinations change, but this mentality is also likely to impact how people travel to and within a destination. The choice of the airline may no longer be solely price driven, rather decisions will be influenced by hygiene standards; e.g. if masks are compulsory or not, seat occupation spacing etc. Within the country, travellers may be more interested in opting for private transport or upgrading to a business class train carriage so that they can stay safe and avoid crowds. 

Take time to keep up to speed with your transportation suppliers and their changing regulations as there will undoubtedly be related questions from your future customers that you will need to answer with confidence. 

With a considerable amount of uncertainty regarding travel safety and contradictory information rife online, travellers will continue to look towards the experts when it comes to planning their trips. Especially in the near future, travel will become increasingly complex, and travellers may engage with agents and tour operators simply to help them manage the complicated airline arrangements and health regulations they must adhere to. 

Putting work in now to align your travel brand as a trustworthy thought leader will put you in good stead to attract customers when travel begins to resume. 

While it is still uncertain as to when the world will be able to freely travel once more, there will be many people worldwide who are already keen to plan a trip to reunite with family and friends as soon as possible. These people are likely to engage a travel expert to coordinate and manage this process for them, due to the complications associated with international travel currently. This emerging trend will likely require less detailed in-country activities, and more focus on providing carefully researched transportation and accommodation plans to and from the reunion destination. 

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People are traveling to make memories in 2024. While everyone’s motivation for booking a trip is unique – whether it’s taking a solo getaway to recharge or embarking on an expedition cruise or safari – the trips that are trending are sure to be transformative, and our American Express Travel Consultants are here to build dream itineraries and help every step of the way.”

Nearly three-quarters of global respondents are into sports, with 71% considering themselves either a “huge” or casual fan. And as easy as it is to watch from your living room, 37% have plans to travel for sports this year. Of those, 38% will average trips of 6 hours or more

Why are these fans going the extra mile in 2024? The driving forces include: watching a favorite sports team in person (35%), witnessing a big sports or cultural event (34%), and seeing a favorite athlete (20%).

In the past few years, Las Vegas has become an even more sought-after destination due to the growing prevalence of professional sports – giving us an even greater opportunity to focus on luxury, experience-based travel. Iconic sports moments continue to come to life in Las Vegas, with no signs of slowing down. Wynn has maximized these city-wide events with complementary bespoke programming, which provide our guests with unique, one-of-a-kind moments only found at our resort. With more major events on the horizon, we have an opportunity to continue innovating our programming so that guests see Wynn and Las Vegas as a can’t-miss destination.”

For some respondents, the major trip they have in mind is an immersive adventure, often somewhere totally remote. For others, it simply means a longer trip that’s full of new and diverse experiences—visiting multiple countries, for example. 63% of respondents who plan to visit more than one country on a single trip in 2024 plan to do so in Europe.

The transformative potential of these trips makes them worth the cost and planning. 66% of respondents agree that they are saving up for a major trip this year, and most respondents (54%) like to plan these trips 3-6 months in advance. For inspiration, travelers turn to friends or family (52%), social media (39%), and travel websites (37%).

At Seabourn, travel is back in full swing, and we’ve seen guests show a thirst for knowledge on our voyages, while enjoying the ultra-luxury, once-in-a-lifetime travel experience that we offer. Not only are travelers hungry for adventure and exploration, but they are engaged and show a desire to immerse in the culture of a region. These trips allow travelers to experience ancient, otherworldly, hard-to-reach landscapes, and stunning wildlife, and inspiring local cultures, illustrating how luxury expedition cruising allows travelers to explore remote destinations and create memories to last a lifetime.”

The most popular new travel companions are me, myself, and I. Solo trips are easier to schedule and tailor exactly to your liking, which makes them great for resetting after a busy week: 57% of respondents agreed that they were more likely to travel solo for a quick weekend getaway than for a longer or more expensive trip.

Either way, solo travelers are becoming an important subset. The two types of destinations where they’re most likely to be found? In a new city (29%) or relaxing at a beach or island (22%).

Solo travel is a wonderful way to unwind and discover a new hobby. Traveling alone also allows you to take ownership of selecting the perfect destination and gives you the ability to curate the ideal itinerary, catered just for you.”

Although booking in advance can bring peace of mind and access to some of the most in-demand attractions, many travelers like to do at least some of their planning as they go: 44% of respondents said they prefer to take a spontaneous trip instead of having all the details planned.

Being open to serendipity and the unexpected is part of the excitement of travel; it allows you to act on tips from locals and discover out-of-the-way spots on your own. Granted, most travelers would rather improvise dining and shopping than, say, hotels. And they’re more likely to plan spontaneous travel this year with family (41%) or a significant other (35%) than alone (27%) or with friends (20%).

Travelers are looking to take spontaneous last-minute trips this year, prioritizing flexibility. For those wanting the ability to be spontaneous with their plans, our team of Travel Consultants can support with last minute, on-the-go travel requests.”

Where Travelers Like To Be Spontaneous

Download the 2024 Global Travel Trends report here.

1 SURVEY METHODOLOGY

This poll was conducted between January 31 – February 8, 2024 among a sample of 2,005 US Adults, 1,007 Australia Adults, 1,002 Canada Adults, 1,002 UK Adults, 1,002 Japan Adults, 1,006 Mexico Adults and 1,005 India Adults who have at least a $50k+ income equivalent and typically travel at least once a year. The interviews were conducted online. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2-4 percentage points. Some geographies may be weighted with fewer variables depending on local census data availability.

2 Gen-Z and Millennials are defined as respondents as being born between 1981 - 2012.

3 GenX are defined as respondents as being born between 1965 - 1980.

4 Baby Boomers are defined as respondents as being born between 1946 - 1964.

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$200 Hotel Credit:  Basic Card Members on U.S. Consumer Platinum Card Account are eligible to receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when they or Additional Platinum Card Members use their Cards to pay for eligible prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings made through American Express Travel (meaning through amextravel.com, the Amex® App, or by calling the phone number on the back of your eligible Card) or when Companion Platinum Card Members on such Platinum Card Accounts pay for eligible prepaid bookings for The Hotel Collection made through American Express Travel (meaning through amextravel.com, the Amex® App, or by calling the phone number on the back of your eligible Card). Purchases by both the Basic Card Member and any Additional Card Members on the Card Account are eligible for statement credits. However, the total amount of statement credits for eligible purchases will not exceed $200 per calendar year, per Card Account. Fine Hotels + Resorts® program bookings may be made only by eligible U.S. Consumer Basic Platinum and Additional Platinum Card Members. The Hotel Collection bookings may be made by eligible U.S. Consumer Basic and Additional Platinum Card Members and Companion Platinum Card Members on the Platinum Card Account. Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Card Members are not eligible for the benefit. To receive the statement credits, an eligible Card Member must make a new booking using their eligible Card through American Express Travel on or after July 1st, 2021, that is prepaid (referred to as "Pay Now" on amextravel.com and the Amex App), for a qualifying stay at an available, participating Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection property. Bookings of The Hotel Collection require a minimum stay of two consecutive nights. Eligible bookings must be processed before December 31st, 11:59PM Central Time, each calendar year to be eligible for statement credits within that year. Eligible bookings do not include interest charges, cancellation fees, property fees or other similar fees, or any charges by a property to you (whether for your booking, your stay or otherwise).

Statement credits are typically received within a few days, however it may take 90 days after an eligible prepaid hotel booking is charged to the Card Account. American Express relies on the merchant to process transactions within the same calendar year that you made the prepaid booking in order to apply the statement credit in the calendar year that it was intended. For example, if you make an eligible prepaid booking on the last day of the year, but the merchant doesn't process that transaction until the next day, then the statement credit available in the next calendar year will be applied to the Card Account, if the purchase is eligible. Statement credits may not be received or may be reversed if the booking is cancelled or modified. To be eligible for this benefit, your Card account must not be cancelled or past due at the time of statement credit fulfillment. If American Express does not receive information that identifies your transaction as eligible, you will not receive the statement credits. For example, your transaction will not be eligible if it is a booking: (i) made with a property not included in the Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection programs, (ii) not made through American Express Travel, or (iii) not made with an eligible Card. Participating properties and their availability are subject to change. If American Express, in its sole discretion, determines that you have engaged in or intend to engage in any manner of abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with this benefit, American Express will not have an obligation to provide and may reverse any statement credits provided to you. If a charge for an eligible purchase is included in a Pay Over Time balance on your Card Account, the statement credit associated with that charge may not be applied to that Pay Over Time balance. Instead, the statement credit may be applied to your Pay In Full balance. Please refer to AmericanExpress.com/FHR and AmericanExpress.com/HC for more information about Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection, respectively.

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Bonuses that may be received with your Card on other purchase categories or in connection with promotions or offers from American Express cannot be combined with this benefit. Any portion of a charge that the Basic Card Member elects to cover through redemption of Membership Rewards points is not eligible to receive points. Additional terms and restrictions apply.

Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. We group certain merchant codes into categories that are eligible for Additional Points. A purchase with a merchant will not earn Additional Points if the merchant’s code is not included in an Additional Points category. Basic Card Members may not receive Additional Points if we receive inaccurate information or are otherwise unable to identify your purchase as eligible for an Additional Points category. For example, you may not receive Additional Points when: a merchant uses a third-party to sell their products or services, a merchant uses a third-party to process or submit your transaction to us (e.g., using mobile or wireless card readers), or you choose to make a purchase using a third-party payment account or make a purchase using a mobile or digital wallet.

To be eligible for this benefit, the Card Account must not be cancelled. If American Express, in its sole discretion, determines that you have engaged in or intend to engage in any manner of abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with this benefit in any way American Express may remove access to this benefit from the Account. For additional information, call the number on the back of your Card or visit americanexpress.com/rewards-info for more information about rewards.

5X Membership Rewards Points for Business Platinum Card:  You will get one point for each dollar charged for an eligible purchase on your Business Platinum Card® from American Express. You will get 4 additional points (for a total of 5 points) for each dollar spent on eligible travel purchases. Eligible travel purchases include scheduled flights and prepaid flight+hotel packages made online at AmexTravel.com, minus returns and other credits. Additionally, eligible travel purchases include prepaid hotel purchases made through American Express Travel, over the phone with our Travel Consultants or made online at AmexTravel.com, minus returns and other credits. Eligible travel purchases do NOT include non-prepaid hotel bookings, scheduled flights and prepaid flight+hotel packages over the phone, vacation packages, car rentals, cruise, hotel group reservations or events, ticketing service, cancellation or other fees, interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. To be eligible for the 5x Membership Rewards® points, you must both reserve and charge the travel purchase with the same eligible Business Platinum Card®. To modify a reservation you must cancel and rebook your reservation. You can cancel and rebook your reservation on AmexTravel.com or by calling a representative of AmexTravel.com at 1-800-297-2977. Cancellations are subject to hotel cancellation penalty policies. If hotel reservations are made or modified directly with the hotel provider, the reservation will not be eligible for this 5X Membership Rewards® point benefit. To be eligible to receive extra points, Card account(s) must not be cancelled or past due at the time of extra points fulfillment. If booking is cancelled, the extra points will be deducted from the Membership Rewards account. Extra points will be credited to the Membership Rewards account approximately 6-10 weeks after eligible purchases appear on the billing statement. Bonuses you may receive with your Card on other purchase categories or in connection with promotions or offers from American Express may not be combined with this benefit. The benefits associated with the Additional Card(s) you choose may be different than the benefits associated with your basic Card. To learn about the benefits associated with Additional Card(s) you choose, please call the number on the back of your Card.

Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. We group certain merchant codes into categories that are eligible for additional points. A purchase with a merchant will not earn additional points if the merchant’s code is not included in an additional points category. You may not receive additional points if we receive inaccurate information or are otherwise unable to identify your purchase as eligible for an additional points category. For example, you may not receive additional points when: a merchant uses a third-party to sell their products or services; or a merchant uses a third-party to process or submit your transaction to us (e.g., using mobile or wireless card readers); or you choose to make a purchase using a third-party payment account or make a purchase using a mobile or digital wallet.

Please visit  americanexpress.com/rewards-info  for more information about rewards.

Pay with Points:  To use Pay with Points, you must charge your eligible purchase through American Express Travel to a Membership Rewards® program-enrolled American Express® Card. Eligible purchases through American Express Travel exclude non-prepaid car rentals and non-prepaid hotels. Points will be debited from your Membership Rewards account, and credit for corresponding dollar amount will be issued to the American Express Card account used. If points redeemed do not cover entire amount, the balance of purchase price will remain on the American Express Card account. Minimum redemption 5,000 points.

See  membershiprewards.com/terms  for the Membership Rewards program terms and conditions.

If a charge for a purchase is included in a Pay Over Time balance on your Linked Account the statement credit associated with that charge may not be applied to that Pay Over Time balance. Instead the statement credit may be applied to your Pay in Full balance. If you believe this has occurred, please contact us by calling the number on the back of your Card. Corporate Card Members are not eligible for Pay Over Time.

Terms and Conditions for the Membership Rewards® program apply. Visit  membershiprewards.com/terms  for more information. Participating partners and available rewards are subject to change without notice.

The value of Membership Rewards points varies according to how you choose to use them. To learn more, go to  www.membershiprewards.com/pointsinfo .

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. is acting solely as a sales agent for travel suppliers and is not responsible for the actions or inactions of such suppliers. Certain suppliers pay us commission and other incentives for reaching sales targets or other goals and may provide incentives to our Travel Consultants. For more information visit  americanexpress.com/travelterms

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Post-pandemic travel: the trends we’ll see when the world opens up again

Lecturer in Tourism, University of Central Lancashire

Disclosure statement

Katerina Antoniou does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of Central Lancashire provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.

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It’s been a while since the question “where should I travel to next?” has felt within reach.

COVID-19 continues to affect travel by forcing governments to impose country-specific bans and restrictions . However, as vaccination programmes roll out, many of us hope to travel again at some point in the near future, even if not immediately. With that in mind, what are the factors that will shape our travel decisions in a post-pandemic era?

Post-COVID tourism

Although significant restrictions are still in place, travel agency adverts have become more frequent recently. According to reports , holiday bookings have once again begun to soar as people look beyond lockdowns.

COVID-19-related travel conditions will complicate holidays for the foreseeable future – including potential measures like requiring people to be vaccinated . The fear is that this will limit foreign travel options for those who haven’t received the vaccine. It may even affect people’s ability to travel domestically. Economic issues will also affect travel globally, since so many people have lost income during the pandemic.

These challenges will shape our decisions when it comes to choosing a holiday. By the time the pandemic ends, the days of choosing holidays based on destination or attractions will be over. Instead, the industry and travellers alike will be much more concerned with personal needs.

Faced with the desire to travel and practical obstacles against it, people are expected to make more considered travel choices. Tourists in the post-COVID era will be less willing to compromise on their next trip. They will have much higher expectations of hospitality service providers and be much more demanding. In order to keep up, the industry should prioritise offering services, facilities and experiences that cater to wellness, health, and overall wellbeing. They will need to focus on high hygiene standards, which tourists are expected to covet.

It won’t be surprising to see trends like health tourism, wellness tourism , spiritual and potentially religious tourism rising in popularity too. Thanks to the pandemic, tourists are paying more attention than ever to these needs whether they’re urgent health concerns, luxury treatments, or the pursuit of physical, intellectual and spiritual wellness after over a year of living with restrictions.

Human-oriented tourism

According to tourism academic Fabio Carbone, post-COVID tourism is also expected to focus more on people than destinations. Those eager to get away from measures like social distancing will likely use travel to embrace existing relationships with loved ones living abroad or seek new encounters. Carbone suggests that because of this, post-Covid tourism will pivot towards prioritising human development, dialogue, and peace.

Popular types of tourism are therefore likely to include: travel for visiting friends and relatives, volunteer tourism, and peace tourism.

Volunteer tourism – or voluntourism – is a niche tourist activity which essentially means volunteering in a foreign destination. Although some question whether it positively contributes to developing countries and underprivileged communities, voluntourism has generated valuable humanitarian work. With economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic having hit developing countries more severely , effective voluntourism isn’t only desired, it’s necessary.

Read more: Dark tourism memorial sites will help us heal from the trauma of coronavirus

Peace tourism , on the other hand, refers to an interest in visiting specific destinations in order to either examine how peace is developed and celebrated there through research or studies, or contribute to a destination’s efforts to establish peace after conflict. Peace tourism typically involves visiting peace memorials or conflict zones with the aim of learning from the mistakes of past wars and helping to resolve or prevent existing conflict.

Examples of peace tourism activities include educational field trips to sites such as the Berlin Wall Memorial and the Hiroshima Peace Park . It might also take the form of attending workshops and conferences among conflict resolution professionals or going on guided peace walks that delve into histories of achieving or searching for peace. Visiting famous peace artworks and peace-themed exhibitions , as well as festivals and perfomances are also considered peace tourism activities.

The tourism industry has a unique opportunity to reflect on its future. If it wants to make an impact, it needs to prioritise providing quality, affordable experiences and putting customers first. Whenever travel resumes in the post-pandemic world, promoting specific destinations and landmarks will no longer make sense. It may be difficult in the face of restrictive and ever-changing travel corridors, but the travel industry has little choice but to remodel holidays around catering to our wants and desires.

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Trends of Modern Tourism Industry

Understanding modern tourism industry.

Within a fast-growing, technology-based society, the majority of leading industries aim to keep up with the latest changes to achieve stable progress. Tourism is generally considered one of the most prosperous business domains, which faced critical challenges over the past year. The dramatic spread of COVID-19 has shaped a new way of building tourism and its underlying structure and made it a fragile industry until nowadays. In this research, tourism will be examined in the context of current trends affecting the industry, characteristics of tourist destinations, and evaluation of these aspects on the international level and their impact on one another.

The Current Trends Affecting National and International Tourist Destinations

The tourism industry and trends shaping its contemporary image in terms of a global business scene are primarily influenced by a wide range of factors, which are external to tourism and beyond its regulation. More specifically, the impact of tourism can be examined in association with various resources and environments consumed by the industry itself (Fig. 1). The most recent tourism and hospitality trends encompass e-tourism, new management approaches, and new supply and demand elements, including low-cost airlines and growth in independent travel (Page and Connell, 2020). The current trends in the travel sector should be regarded according to the division of the urban, rural, coastal, and resort tourism fields, as well as the hospitality industry in the least developing countries. This significantly affects the different types of tourist destinations and how it affects the national economies worldwide.

The Analysis of the Main Tourist Destinations of the World

The main tourist destinations are primarily shaped by the patterns of global investment flows, which create the universal forms of travel and tourism production, including hotel chains and integrated hospitality enterprises. However, the dynamic flow of traveling currently extends to all parts of the globe, thus, intensifies activity at particular locations. According to Page and Connell (2020), such an international investment movement defined the leading role of the world tourism destinations, such as “London, Paris, New York, and Rome” (p. 17). Moreover, these cities own global control over capital flows. In the same way, travel activity is reinforcing within three central regions that govern international patterns, including Europe, North America, and East Asia-Pacific.

From the quantitative perspective, the top ten tourist destinations include France, Spain, the United States, China, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, Germany, and the United Kingdom, ranging from 83.5 million to 39.4 million tourist arrivals accordingly. Based on the income generation, the most popular travel locations imply the following order: United States, Spain, France, Thailand, United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Germany, Japan, and China (CITE). Most importantly, the latter ratio is developed in relation to the percentage of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), impacting the economic growth of the countries. The highest increase in GDP is traced in Thailand (12.6 %) and Spain (5.2 %) (CITE). Nonetheless, the United States obtains the highest total tourism income with over 210 billion $ annually.

The Assessment of the Current Trends Affecting Tourist Destinations

Currents trends affecting pivotal tourist destinations are mainly based on the globalization process. Such a critical process has the power to connect the diversified cultures on the international level, emphasizing inequities and the gap between the developed and developing nations. Therefore, these two major global destinations are based on cultural contact and the international capital, utilizing tourism destinations. It is important to consider that local communities and resource endowments are built to profit from the tourism activity. However, compared to the global leaders in hospitality, the less developed destinations face the reinforced inequalities. In addition, the spread of the world pandemic severely restricted the opportunities of the current tourism industry and altered the modern trends, which significantly impact the future of the travel domain.

The main current tourism trends include leisure travel, increased automation service, mobile bookings, personalization, sustainability and eco-travel, transformation, experience and solo journey, and safety and hygiene approach to travel. Moreover, the modern tendencies affecting tourist destinations encompass both travelers and market trends. According to Kozak and Baloglu (2012), the first aspect refers to more educated tourists, enhanced personal mobility, attitude towards cultural diversity, demand for individualized experience, and technology-oriented customers. The second aspect incorporates increased tourism marketing responsibility, emphasis on disaster and crisis planning, higher-speed transportation, and tourism diversification.

The Analysis of the Future Trends in Tourist Destinations

The number of tourists within the modern travel industry represents only one of the several determining features of the future of a changing tourism landscape. Ryan (2018) states that tourist trade today entails “a virtual space” that defines current perceptions and expectations regarding tourist destinations (p. 197). Also, such a space guides the consumers to particular locations and disseminates the appraisals regardless of more conventional modes of promotion, given the industry’s perspective. Therefore, the current potential of virtual and extended reality in the near future shapes one of the future trends in tourist destinations, including the use of advanced technologies and artificial intelligence. Such a tech-savvy approach will considerably continue to define the essential practices and behaviors in the travel sector.

Despite the external factors influencing the tourism industry, which are beyond one’s control, several tourism-related factors affect the future trends in this sector. Such a system serves as a groundwork for two underlying considerations, including exogenous factors and those within the control and factors outside the management (Fig. 3). As claimed in the table below, the future trends in travel and hospitality are based on critical societal and political changes, as well as safety and global security. Future trends also embrace the vital approaches towards combatting global environmental issues, including climate change and health challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic (Fig. 4). Most importantly, tourist destinations must develop environmentally-friendly policies to preserve their competitive advantage on a high level within a future marketplace.

The Characteristics of Tourist Destinations and the Relationship to their Appeal

The market appeal of tourist destinations can be examined at a geographic level, wherein they can attract visitors at a local market, regionally, nationally, or even internationally. Some of the main attractions appeal to a particular group of tourists based on the demographic level (Page and Connell, 2020). For instance, Disneyland is a global tourist destination point; however, it is more oriented to younger families with children and sometimes older people. At the same time, Universal Studios is a movie-targeted place attracting universal age groups. Apart from providing appeal in a particular destination, tourist attractions serve as the focal points for increased consumer activity and money spending. It is specifically important when the tourism forms are part of the comprehensive development strategy or area restoration approach. As a result, the salient characteristics of the tourist destinations reinforce the place’s appeal to the visitors and, thus, eliminates poverty in a particular region.

The Cultural, Social, and Physical Characteristics of Tourist Destinations

The European and worldwide tourist destinations remain the leading actors in the travel sector with a new tourist attraction introduced annually, obtaining a strong, appealing factor. Moreover, it is a general approach to advertising key tourist destinations via social media networks. Some of the most advertised destinations over the past years include “Turkey, Brazil, China, and India” (Chin, Lo, Razak, Pasbakhsh, and Mohamad, 2020, p. 3). When evaluating how the characteristics of a leading tourist destination affect its appeal, several factors need to be considered. In general, tourists select one destination over another for a particular reason based on cultural appeal, the destination’s characteristics and attractions, and the ability to access the area. Chin et al. (2020) highlight the key features that affect the appeal of the tourist destination, including “infant mortality, life expectancy, level of poverty, and migration from rural to urban” (p. 10). With this said, the destination appeals and tourism infrastructure represent a physical product as they both are capable of providing physical satisfaction to the area’s visitors.

It is important to note that the concept of destination appeal has faced an increased interest in rural tourism in the modern travel industry. The reason for such transformation is that it can facilitate the destination’s attractiveness and engage more tourist visits. The destination appeals are commonly associated with the people (social factor), food, history, and culture (cultural factor), as well as climatic conditions, landscape features, and tourism-related activities (physical factor) (Chin et al., 2020). Such factors comprising natural resources, cultural heritage, and outdoor activities play a leading role in defining the influence on the appealing aspects to captivate increased level of visitors to tourist destinations.

The cultural factors impacting tourist attractions’ appeal include local religion and beliefs, food and drink, art heritage, historical sites, language, and main cultural events. Altogether, they represent the cultural richness of the region and define the choices of tourists’ appeal. For instance, the United Kingdom, France, and Spain are known for their abundant ethnic foundation; thereby, they attract visitors with the help of museums, libraries, historical monuments, and cultural events to reinforce the cultural inheritance of the destinations (Page and Connell, 2020). According to Joshi, Poudyal, and Larson (2016), it is essential to preserve such cultural resources within the unique natural environment, specifically among exotic cultures, to maintain authenticity and appeal to tourist destinations.

The social characteristics of the travel destinations and places involve the core social culture customs and safety measures of the country, city, or a small rural destination, unique for each tourist attraction. The physical factors comprise climate, natural environment, and ecology that serve the visitors’ preferences and tastes during travel (Page and Connell, 2020). The physical beauty of the tourist destination implies the collection of its cities, natural green and water resources, and rural sites. Concerning the effect of such characteristics on the tourist destination appeal, each country presents its leading position in the particular sector. For example, the United Kingdom is significantly impacted by its cultural characteristics due to the prevailing culture and tradition in this region that attract tourists worldwide.

Instead, France is led by its physical characteristics, namely geographical factors, such as islands, rivers, mountains, flatbeds, and forests. More specifically, Alps Mountain is a unique tourist destination with an increased appeal annually (Page and Connell, 2020). Spain, in turn, attracts its visitors through social features, including national and religious social groups. However, some characteristics might also have an opposite effect, including countries with the enhanced level of terrorism, violence, crime, and unreliable local law enforcement, undermining tourists’ safety and health. In addition, the over-commercialized tourist destinations can cause crowded spaces and rapid increase and abundance of the urban infrastructure, which has to be regulated by the authorities.

The Characteristics of Tourist Destinations and their Impact on Tourist and Tourism

According to the current research, tourist destinations obtain particular social, physical, and cultural characteristics that affect the international tourism sector differently. All the factors comprise both positive and negative impacts on the tourist attractions and, therefore, the travel domain in the specific country in general. Given that tourism is an integral part of economies in developed and developing countries, the industry contributes approximately nine percent of the global domestic product (GDP) (Joshi et al., 2016). As such, touristry became a highly competitive business and economic sector in a global arena led by globalization. Moreover, the industry is characterized by complex dynamics, meaning that it is extremely vulnerable to political, socioeconomic, and environmental change. Such aspects define the tourists’ preferences and choices of tourist destinations, impacting the tourism domain on the international level.

The Characteristics of a Developing Tourist Destination

It is essential to examine the complex characteristics of tourist destinations to understand its correlation with tourist behavior and tourism that promotes sustainable tourism development on a global level. Szromek (2019) described that tourist destinations address “various environmental and sociocultural impacts” throughout the development stage (p. 5). There is a particular set of characteristics that define certain stages of development of a tourist area. Such features are united into major groups, including “destination characteristics, marketing response, economic impact, social impact, and environmental impact” (Szromek, 2019, p. 5). More specifically, the developing tourist attractions are currently characterized by the rapid advancement in modern technologies. Therefore, developing destinations are defined by technological infrastructure, sustainable development, universal accessibility, tourist interaction with the environment, and quality experience.

The current research also defines the particular factors impacting the international tourist numbers and their selection patterns regarding specific tourist destinations. With this said, Joshi et al. (2016) analyze the factors related to policies and governmental regulation; the socioeconomic context; business, facilities, and tourism infrastructure; and aspects of natural and cultural resources. Destination characteristics define the individual development phases of tourism, including “number of visitors, growth rate, the capacity of beds, occupancy rate, service prices, expenses per person, visitor type, brand and attractiveness” (Szromek, 2019, p. 7). The main characteristics of tourist destinations also imply international receipts, policy, environment preservation, safety and security, health and hygiene, price competitiveness, human resources and affinity, infrastructure, and natural and cultural endowments. Another critical characteristic of tourist attractions implies the relationship between national policy and international tourism receipts. The existing domestic regulations should prioritize travel and tourism to generate enhanced tourism revenue.

The Impact of a Tourist Destination’s Characteristics on its Appeal to Tourists

Tourism primarily relies upon a positive tourism experience, which requires concurrent positive outcomes from the physical, geographical, and sociocultural factors concerning tourist destination and society. Hence, the travel industry’s sustainable and robust development is maintained by the quality and delivery of service, hospitality, and the diversity and availability of choices for tourists. According to econometric studies, tourism demand is directly dependent on “tourist income, the relative price of tourism product in destination versus the country of origin, substitution effects, and the exchange rate” (Joshi et al., 2016, p. 833). Furthermore, the above-mentioned international receipts factor mainly reflects the duration of tourists’ stay and their financial input to the tourist destination. In a similar way, tourists decide to select the commodity that delivers the maximum level of utility and satisfaction compared to other available alternatives.

It can be argued that the core of tourists’ rational choices and decisions within the travel process is mainly concentrated on the highest satisfaction that the tourist destination can provide. Also, each tourist is searching for a unique travel experience according to their individual demands and tourism goals. This facilitates a variable that differs substantially from country to country. The well-developed national policies considerably impact the international image of the destination and, thus, attract an increased number of tourists and associated revenue. However, the most fundamental concern in the modern travel industry is based on the rapidly growing demand for experiences within unique natural environments or among exotic cultures. As such, the competitive side of each tourist destination is significantly affected by its capacity to provide extraordinary tourist experience, intensity, and diversity, which will continue to affect the destination’s appeal to tourists in the future.

Touristry remains the most demanded concern for modern society as it enables crucial worldwide connections and helps people discover the world. Its position in a global arena is defined by the current and future trends, the relationship between tourist destination and their appeal, and how the destination’s characteristics impact tourists and tourism in general. Summing up, tourism is a global phenomenon addressing rapid development and growth in both developed countries and newly emerging economies. The enhanced understanding of tourism demand and tourists themselves as consumers is crucial to reinforce and maintain stable progress of the industry despite the critical challenges and crises in other domains.

Chin, C. H., Lo, M. C., Razak, Z., Pasbakhsh, P., & Mohamad, A. A. (2020). Resources confirmation for tourism destinations marketing efforts using PLS-MGA: The moderating impact of semirural and rural tourism destination. Sustainability, 12 (17), 1–23.

Joshi, O., Poudyal, N. C., & Larson, L. R. (2016). The influence of sociopolitical, natural, and cultural factors on international tourism growth: a cross-country panel analysis. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 19 (3), 825–838. Web.

Kozak, M, & Baloglu, S. (2012). Managing and marketing tourist destinations: Strategies to gain a competitive edge . Routledge.

Page, S. J., & Connell, J. (2020). Tourism: A modern synthesis . Routledge.

Ryan, C. (2018). Future trends in tourism research – Looking back to look forward: The future of “Tourism Management Perspectives.” Tourism Management Perspectives, 25 , 196–199. Web.

Szromek, A. (2019). An analytical model of tourist destination development and characteristics of the development stages: Example of the island of Bornholm. Sustainability, 11 , 6989.

UNWTO (2020). World tourism barometer. World Tourism Organization, 18 (5), 1–24.

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Travel technology trends in 2023

From searching your next trip options, all the way to arriving at the hotel…the evolution of travel technology is exciting, vast and always growing.

We asked our technology teams around the world what they think will be a big trend in 2023.

Cross-market capability

Lisa Wang, Director of Solutions Engineering, Asia, FCM Travel  

There is a growing need for tech solutions that easily consolidate booking options and ease payment, no matter which country you live in. This is about ultimately delivering a wider range of content and varieties of transportation modes into one platform.

For example, some countries rely heavily on rail such as Japan, but others have a huge low-cost-carrier market like India. Some of our customers have travellers in both countries so it’s important to present both country’s travellers with a consistent experience, even if their product selections and travel options behind the scenes are different. It’s a lot of work, but the flow on effect and customer benefits are huge.

In payment, the ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ options, digital wallets, and even blockchain, are all gaining momentum in Asia. When it comes to travel, how to pay different service provider via one gateway and also receive an instant refund is becoming crucial.

Data-driven sustainability

Harcher Batravil, Solutions Engineer, Americas, FCM Travel

I’m going to merge two buzzwords together here, as the trend I think that’s going to sweep travel technology this year is data-driven sustainability.

Travel professionals know why leaning on their data is more crucial than ever. The whole driver behind leaning on data is credibility and clarity. If you do the work to make sure your data is clean and usable, then there isn’t a much clearer picture available of your travel programme’s operations.

And that’s where the two concepts start to crossover. The main concern we hear when it comes to building sustainability into travel programmes is the looming uncertainty of where to start. But just like we’ve advised that all major decisions should be based on accurate data, that advice also stands here.

It’s a simple formula, although not always simple to implement. Data science + democratised information x traveller engagement at every step of the travel process = an eco-friendly future.

Decision makers at the organisational level need to analyse their carbon footprint at the vertical level, but then the key is to share that information with travellers. They need to understand their own individual impact and realise that their choices can make a difference. That means AI-powered analytics that provide both prescriptive and predictive reporting, and traveller decision-support tools that appear during and at point-of-booking.

AI-powered bots

Jonathan Clark, Chief Technology Officer, FCTG Corporate Australia

Since the ChatGPT AI engine was released late last year, there’s been a lot of discussion around how smart this AI engine is for different kinds of work in our space. The team ran some existing software code past the ChatGPT chatbot to test it. It was able to test the code for its accuracy as well as write a heap of new code in just a couple of minutes.

The outcome was impressive in terms of seeing how far the technology had come and how quickly it was able to return code for a specific question. However, I don’t see these chatbots taking over anyone’s jobs; far from it. 

Where AI can be applied is for activities such as processing documents, speeding up workflow processes, hotel rate and airfare checking mechanisms, as well as tracking the ‘sentiment’ from client feedback on online booking tools. Being able to interpret the sentiment of large volumes of client feedback on our technology helps our team to focus on any weaknesses or issues with our current technology quickly and prioritise our workstack. This means we’re able to start working on jobs that are most important to the customer faster.

End-to-end tech stacks

David Sykes, Technical Lead, Europe, FCM Travel

It’s always been a growing area, but companies are increasingly more open to embracing technology for the entire travel experience. From shopping and booking to using mobile apps and expense management; all eyes remain on tech to deliver a seamless and often contactless experience. For bookings, it’s expected that online booking tool (OBT) adoption will increase rapidly, particularly as more tools are turned back on again post-pandemic. There’s an increased emphasis on the end-user experience and making booking as seamless and simple a process as possible. For the travel journey itself, it’s all about the mobile app, but it has to work smoothly in the background and with offline services. The “one-stop shop” phrasing may have been around for a while now but does reflect what companies want; everything in one place. Multiple sources of content, company and individual preferences, loyalty numbers, communication, itineraries, travel alerts….the list is endless.  

And this is not just for the traveller, but for travel buyers and travel bookers too. When you factor in policy controls, reporting, communication, sustainability…there’s a growing number of data points within the technology to consider. The tech stack capability in a travel programme will be a big priority for many organisations to get their data in order, and then have the agility to implement change. 

AI in virtual and physical form  

Abdel Abatouy, Chief Technology Officer & Chief Information Officer, Asia, FCM Travel In Singapore, some companies are already using AI for business travel-related expense monitoring and reporting, which can automatically detect fraud and forged receipts. This technology is intended to improve the traveller experience and also to reduce manual reporting. Robotics also has its place in more physical locations. We saw recently that the Malaysia Budget & Business Hotel Association (MYBHA) is working with a series of partners to use robotics to improve the hotel guest experience and enhance traveller safety. Some features from one particular machine, the BUTLERBOT W3, include autonomous elevator use and a zero-contact privacy-focused room delivery.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for robotics to become more mainstream in the travel industry.

Beating the battle of lost bags

Bonnie Smith, General Manager, South Africa, FCM Travel

Many people that travelled in 2022 may have been pleased to be back in the air again, but there was a big question worrying them. Would my bag be there at the other end? The headlines about lost, delayed or damaged luggage were everywhere. According to a report from the US Department of Transportation, nearly 1.5 million pieces of luggage fell victim to this fate in the first half of 2022.

Current methods, such as barcodes, are clearly no longer up to the job, prompting many travellers to invest in tracking tools such as Apple AirTags and Smart Luggage ID tags. Just as TMCs can determine the whereabouts of their travellers at any given time, the introduction and integration of Bluetooth technology into travel platforms could signal the end of luggage going AWOL.

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The Future of Travel Writing, According to the Experts

• Posted by by Robin Catalano
• July 17, 2020
• 9 minute read

The future of travel writing is forever in flux, but more so given these tumultuous times for the industry. Robin Catalano spoke with a plethora of experts who commented on the past, present, and future for travel writers.

The predictions about post-pandemic travel are many. Wary travelers will stick to close-to-home experiences. Travel “seasons” will last just weeks or days , as governments turn lockdowns on and off like a faucet to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed. Family and multigenerational travel will be all the rage.

While there’s little certainty about which of these forecasts will come true once we’re able to travel freely again, one thing is clear: the way we write about travel needs to change.

Some of these changes are in direct response to how COVID-19 has altered the way we live and move in the world. Others are long overdue in a genre born of colonialism, and that has often favored white men and people of privilege. 

To take a deeper look at how travel writing has evolved—and should continue to develop—we asked a variety of experts to weigh in on a series of questions. 

Editor’s Note: Given the extensive insight offered by these experts, we will simply relay the questions and share select answers, adding no additional commentary.

The Experts:

• Pauline Frommer , author, co-president of FrommerMedia, and editorial director of Frommer’s Guidebook
• Rana Good , travel writer and founder of Naïra NYC, an editorial platform for women of color
• Stephanie Elizondo Griest , award-winning travel author and associate professor of creative nonfiction at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill 
• Amar Grover , freelance writer and photographer
• Tim Hannigan , award-winning narrative history author, guidebook author, and travel journalist
• Tracy Kaler, travel writer, blogger, and co-author of  New York: 48 Hours
• Tim Leffel , author, blogger, and the North America Conference Director of TBEX
• Laurie McMillin , professor of rhetoric and composition at Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio, and editor of the literary travel journal AWAY
• Carrie Miller , award-winning travel journalist and author of  100 Dives of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Underwater Destinations
• Ashley Rossi , travel writer and editor
• Robert Stock , freelance writer and former editor of the New York Times Travel section
• Ketti Wilhelm , journalist and sustainability travel blogger at Tilted Map

Creators: Get insights + tips to help you thrive.

The evolution of travel writing.

In some ways, travel writing has changed significantly, and in others, it has stubbornly stuck to old techniques and tropes. What have been the biggest changes to travel writing since you’ve been in the industry?

Griest: When I started out, it was completely a white male club. Now it’s mostly a white male club. [laughs] You don’t have to look any further than Best American Travel Writing as early as 2010 to see it—there are hardly women in it. And the Norton Book of Travel [1987; one of the definitive anthologies of travel writing]: of 50 or 60 essays, women only wrote four or five of them.

McMillin: The evolution is a bit uneven. The critical literature on travel writing has raised a lot of questions about the male voice and gaze of travel writing. 

When I look at the popular writing in the US, it tends to be mostly consumable and not very experimental. I find in the UK, there’s a lot more innovative, mixed-genre, literary travel writing.

Stock: I think one good development is that there’s much more of a service orientation. It’s more helpful to the reader.

Miller: For a while we saw these compilations—“I traveled to 100 countries” or “I climbed a dozen peaks.” It got a little oversaturated. We’re seeing less of that.

I miss long-form pieces. There’s a real craft to it and it’s difficult to do, but it’s the form I think highlights travel writing the best. I think there’s an opportunity to tell really good stories with pieces that are 2,000 to 3,000 words. I abhor listicles, but I write them because that’s what clients want. I think it’s a tremendous disservice—like sound bites of travel writing. 

Alternative Travel Stories

As travel writing has evolved, one narrative has dominated: the intrepid man (and sometimes woman) going out into the unknown on a physically demanding adventure. What place to “smaller” stories of cultural or personal exploration occupy in today’s travel writing landscape?

McMillan: The types of travel writing people are being encouraged to consume comes out of the popular magazines. It’s a masculinist approach. I’m interested in stories beyond adventure—stories of displacement, immigration, exile. Then it really begins to complicate the privileged nature of travel. 

Grover: I’ve always thought good travel writing can fuse these elements, but I don’t think they’re of equal value. At heart I believe travel writing’s most useful focus should be cultural—to explain places and peoples in the spirit of understanding, under the guise of curiosity. 

Miller: Some of the best stories I’ve written have been these slower-paced explorations—studying Venetian glassmaking, learning to knit in a Scottish community. This is the point of travel writing—to introduce yourself to something you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Leffel: When I launched PerceptiveTravel.com in 2006, I originally was going to call it “Small Travel Stories” because I wasn’t seeing any of those stories in the print publishing world. I wanted to publish the homeless travel stories that mainstream editors wouldn’t touch, the more intimate personal stories, the destinations with no commercial appeal, the local people behind the scenes who don’t make the glossy pages where we see celebrity profiles and $2,000 suitcases. While we’ve won stacks of “best travel writing” awards and gotten lots of stories into book anthologies, our traffic is anemic compared to those focused on listicles and “48 Hours in X” roundups.

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First-Person Narratives

Over the past few years, several publications have distanced themselves from the first-person narrative. For example, when the current New York Times Travel editor, Amy Virshup, took over the section in 2018, she wrote , “In general I want to take the word ‘I’ out of our coverage.” Atlas Obscura’s current writers’ guidelines include travelogues under the category “things we can rarely use.” What are the advantages and disadvantages of relying on third-person narrative? 

Stock: Third-person stories have a feeling of authority about them. They read like a news stories. But travel is immensely personal experience. I have always felt it was more accurate and fairer to the reader if it was first person. 

Leffel: While third-person narratives can work well—look at the great ones in Outside , Men’s Journal , or Wired— done with less intensity and research time, they can seem detached and kind of clueless. I think of all the terrible travel reporting I’ve seen in major magazines where the article was clearly written by some junior editor sitting at a desk in New York who has hardly been anywhere. There’s no personality to them because the person has to revert to very basic third-person reporting.

Hannigan: I’m actually very uneasy—as a reader and a practitioner and an academic—about travel writing that doesn’t use the first person. Traditionally, travel writing of all types—guidebooks, journalism, literary travelogues—has tended to try to accrue authority, to say, “Trust me, I’m the expert here.” And this is where it can often be ethically problematic. Hoary old tropes, fragments of colonial discourse and cultural prejudice, or just persistent practical inaccuracies—all get reinforced when delivered in an obviously “authoritative” voice.

For me, travel writing’s potential redemption lies in the first-person voice. It’s a way of foregrounding its subjectivity, writing more honestly, making it clear that this was all done by  one person , who arrived from somewhere else, carrying all sorts of cultural baggage, and probably didn’t stick around too long. To me, asking for third-person narratives in the interest of “authority” is a deeply conservative and nonprogressive approach.

Parachute Travel vs. Local Writers

In a similar vein, many publications have expressed the desire to move away from so-called parachute travel and toward deep reportage by local or embedded writers. Should only writers who have lived in a destination be the ones to cover it?

Miller: Absolutely not. There’s validity to having both voices in the conversation, but I think that seeing something with fresh eyes is hugely valuable. It comes down to the craft.

Frommer: For the last six years, the vast number of travel writers we’ve hired are journalists based in the destinations they cover. This gives readers a deeper understanding of the destination and culture.  

Grover: Knowledge and experience should be the guiding lights, and these don’t necessarily flow from simple residence. To some extent this might depend on the story’s depth. 

Rossi: If you’re a travel writer, your natural inclination is just to absorb everything around you. These are things you probably wouldn’t be doing if you lived there. You have a different purpose when you’re a tourist. 

Stock: A travel section isn’t for people who are going to live in a place; it’s for people who are going to visit. The experience of a visit is going to be very different. 

Friends in the travel industry: Get free access to our industry resource library

Pay rates and reporting.

The push for deep reportage raises a more complicated question: considering the falling pay rates for writers—it’s not unusual to see rates of $75 to $400 for a 1,500-word “deeply researched” story—is deep reportage a realistic expectation?

Hannigan: Not really—but then it hasn’t been for years, to be honest. Travel writing has been dominated by the fly-by-night hack and elite drifter with a “private income” for decades.

Grover: Well, to borrow an expression, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys! As rates head south, deep reportage gets increasingly unrealistic. This really is a problem. It may be that the old exclusivity that some publications required even for really quite unsensational features may have to be reconsidered.

Miller: If they want quality writing and quality pitches and quality fact-checking and reporting, they’ve got to pay well. If you only pay someone $200 to write the story, you’re only going to get $200 worth of research and work. 

It’s part of a larger conversation about fair wages. Just as an example, I used to get royalties for reuse. I’ve seen one of my pieces republished 18 times, and I’ve only gotten paid for the initial writing of it. But if you start to put too many clauses in your contract about requesting royalties for digital reuse, you get labeled “difficult to work with.” 

Pay rates are part of the discussion around diversity in travel. Learn about Wanderful’s Moving Forward events

Press Trips & Travel Writing

Some publications won’t publish a writer’s work if was part of a press trip, or included any other form of compensation from a DMO or brand. Should press trips be prohibited for travel articles?

Stock: [In the 1970s at the New York Times,] many travel writers were affluent housewives and people of independent means who were just in it to be comped for trips. When I took over the travel section, all of the stories were positive. The Florida stories would be placed with the Florida ads—you follow me. I took the job with the conditions that there was no comping, and the stories had to be warts and all.

Kaler: I don’t think any publications should ban press trips. Travel is expensive. Travel writers generally don’t get paid very much. To make a trip you pay for worthwhile, the number of articles you have to write just to break even is off the charts. You might have to write four articles just to pay for a flight. 

Miller: I am much more suspect of travel stories written by writers who didn’t visit the destination at all and researched the location from their desk, rather than stories by writers who accepted tourism board support to visit a place. Most of the writers I know and respect, especially experienced writers, can write independently from any proffered support. In an ideal world, sure, I think travel publications should fund writers’ travel; that’s the cleanest approach. But it’s also unrealistic, especially with travel publications operating on ever-tightening budgets.

The Future of Travel Writing for Print Publications

Print publications are folding at an alarming rate, and many of the survivors have cut back on content. In a post-COVID-19 world, does it seem possible for travel writers to make a living solely in the genre?

Leffel: I personally think it’s going to be a very tough slog trying to be a travel writing freelancer anymore without a lot of steady online gigs or another vertical you are writing about as well. There will just be too many freelancers going after fewer and fewer content slots at fewer and fewer travel publications. . . . We’ve seen this death by 1,000 cuts taking place for two decades now. This pandemic just sped the end up a bit.

Rossi: I think it’s smart to diversify. Whether it’s topics like travel gear or things you can do at home to recreate a travel experience, lifestyle is a great middle ground that you can relate to travel. 

Wilhelm: I also do content marketing, communications, Italian translation. 

Good: I’m also an SEO consultant, which is more lucrative. The only travel writers I know who make a really good living have a grandfathered-in column or they hustle constantly. You have to go really big with volume, but I don’t know how original or creative the work is.

Travel brands and content creators: Check out the Women in Travel Summit

Women Travel Writers

Women have been writing about travel since the fourth century, but are still at a disadvantage in traditional publishing. Surveys show that publishing houses submit more books by male writers for literary prizes, and book reviews more often spotlight the work of male authors. Of this 2020 list of the 86 greatest travel books of all time only one-sixth are by women. How should women approach their roles in the travel-writing landscape post-COVID-19?

Xi: What I’ve found with my students is that they often don’t ask for assignments or are quick to take rejection. If you get a rejection, you go back again. Men are more likely to go at it again even if they get knocked back; they don’t take it as a personal criticism. And men talk louder. You have to talk louder if you want to be heard. 

Wilhelm: I’d like to see more travel books written by women, not just blogs. Is it because women aren’t getting the attention they deserve, or because they’re focusing on other topics? Do they think travel writing isn’t serious, or that they don’t have enough clout? Being self-critical is wonderful, but it would be nice if we weren’t the only ones being self-critical.

Frommer: I’ve found that the quality of the writing has plummeted over the years. I’ve gotten pitches where I’ve seen sentences that don’t have a verb in them. It’s cliché ridden, it’s grammatically incorrect, is not done with an eye toward history and culture and accuracy. More than 50 percent of our writers are women. Regardless of gender, writers need to focus on the craft.

Check out part two in our series , which looks at how the digital world has shaped travel writing, the role of influencers post-pandemic, how to make travel writing more inclusive, and how we as storytellers should guide the conversation on safety and environmental sustainability.

Save it for future reference!

Robin Catalano

Robin Catalano believes in the power of storytelling to connect communities and cultures. She’s applied her creative approach to writing for magazines, books, blogs, websites, and digital and print marketing. She has published more than 2,000 blog posts and 100 articles in print and digital outlets including the Boston Globe, Gourmet, Matador Network, Travel Awaits, Berkshire Living, Berkshire HomeStyle, and a variety of other regional publications. The travel editor of the Greylock Glass, Robin is also in the process of developing the new coastal travel blog Once More to the Shore. She is the summer 2020 Writer-in-Residence at Arrowhead, the former home of Herman Melville, in Pittsfield, Mass.

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Essay On Travel

500 words essay on travel.

Travelling is an amazing way to learn a lot of things in life. A lot of people around the world travel every year to many places. Moreover, it is important to travel to humans. Some travel to learn more while some travel to take a break from their life. No matter the reason, travelling opens a big door for us to explore the world beyond our imagination and indulge in many things. Therefore, through this Essay on Travel, we will go through everything that makes travelling great.

Why Do We Travel?

There are a lot of reasons to travel. Some people travel for fun while some do it for education purposes. Similarly, others have business reasons to travel. In order to travel, one must first get an idea of their financial situation and then proceed.

Understanding your own reality helps people make good travel decisions. If people gave enough opportunities to travel, they set out on the journey. People going on educational tours get a first-hand experience of everything they’ve read in the text.

Similarly, people who travel for fun get to experience and indulge in refreshing things which may serve as a stress reducer in their lives. The culture, architecture, cuisine and more of the place can open our mind to new things.

The Benefits of Travelling

There are numerous benefits to travelling if we think about it. The first one being, we get to meet new people. When you meet new people, you get the opportunity to make new friends. It may be a fellow traveller or the local you asked for directions.

Moreover, new age technology has made it easier to keep in touch with them. Thus, it offers not only a great way to understand human nature but also explore new places with those friends to make your trip easy.

Similar to this benefit, travelling makes it easier to understand people. You will learn how other people eat, speak, live and more. When you get out of your comfort zone, you will become more sensitive towards other cultures and the people.

Another important factor which we learn when we travel is learning new skills. When you go to hilly areas, you will most likely trek and thus, trekking will be a new skill added to your list.

Similarly, scuba diving or more can also be learned while travelling. A very important thing which travelling teaches us is to enjoy nature. It helps us appreciate the true beauty of the earth .

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Conclusion of the Essay on Travel

All in all, it is no less than a blessing to be able to travel. Many people are not privileged enough to do that. Those who do get the chance, it brings excitement in their lives and teaches them new things. No matter how a travelling experience may go, whether good or bad, it will definitely help you learn.

FAQ on Essay on Travel

Question 1: Why is it advantageous to travel?

Answer 1: Real experiences always have better value. When we travel to a city, in a different country, it allows us to learn about a new culture, new language, new lifestyle, and new peoples. Sometimes, it is the best teacher to understand the world.

Question 2: Why is travelling essential?

Answer 2: Travelling is an incredibly vital part of life. It is the best way to break your monotonous routine and experience life in different ways. Moreover, it is also a good remedy for stress, anxiety and depression.

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Hospitality industry looks strong for 2023 – despite recession fears

EY Americas Real Estate, Hospitality & Construction Consulting Leader

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Despite economic headwinds stoking fears of a 2023 recession, the hospitality industry still defies expectations and posts strong numbers..

• Travel demand, while currently robust, may be impacted if companies need to cut costs in the face of a worsening economic outlook.
• The industry should continue to focus on efficiencies at the hotel and corporate levels, prioritizing customer experience, analytics and automation.
• Transaction activity is likely to be slower; due diligence is critical so teams are prepared when the right deal comes along.

T here is one cautionary note that is always important to keep in mind when evaluating the hospitality industry. Market performance of hospitality has exceeded other industries such as technology and retail, with the gap widening in the second half of the year.¹ Add the fact that revenue per available room (RevPAR) has exceeded GDP growth during the current economic cycle, and 2023 should be a good year for the hospitality sector (see graphic).

• As per a CBRE study, during the 2009 recession, 10.2% of the properties that experienced a decline in RevPAR saw their rooms revenue drop by more than 30%. On average, these properties also suffered a 35.3% drop in total revenue, but the decline in Gross operating profit averaged 57.0%.
• As per a CBRE study, in 2001, properties that experienced a decline in RevPAR, only 2% saw RevPAR fall by more than 30%. On average, these properties suffered a 35.3% drop in total revenue which resulted in a 54.2% decline in Gross operating profit.
• The impact of Covid-19 ended the nine-year trend of profit growth and positive RevPAR for U.S. hotels since 2010, with a significant upwards spike of RevPAR starting in 2020.

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“Historically there has been a strong correlation between GDP growth and RevPAR,” said Umar Riaz, EY Americas Hospitality Sector Leader, in a recent interview with HOTELS Magazine. “But it’s my opinion that given the current dynamics of the travel industry, even if there is a mild recession in the next six months or so, the travel industry will still perform strongly.”

The post-pandemic urge to travel remains strong, which should drive continued growth in 2023. In the US, RevPAR was up 8.1% in 2022 from 2019, and Europe was up 6.1% for the same period. Asia, driven primarily by China, was the weak spot with a 31.2% RevPAR decline from 2019 to 2022. The industry’s average daily rate (ADR), which measures the average rental revenue earned by an occupied room per day, was up 13.6% last year in the US and 18.5% in Europe, when compared with 2019 figures.²

Business travel is also poised for recovery as companies ramp up their travel budgets. Trade shows and conferences are selling out, reflecting the pent-up demand that persists across all industries to get out of the office. Another factor in the industry’s resurgence is the growing work-from-home (WFH) segment of the workforce. In some cases, those employees build their travel plans around both business and leisure. Bleisure travel, where business travelers add on a day or budget extra time in their work trip for sightseeing or some other type of leisure activity, is a growing trend. The result of these market developments is more revenue and continued economic recovery for the hospitality sector.

Reasons for optimism in hospitality sector

The EY organization projects that the global economic picture is mixed heading into 2023, depending on the region, but the long-simmering slowdown will likely turn into a global recession. In the US, the economy is visibly cooling because of persistent inflation, rising borrowing costs, deteriorating private sector morale and rapidly slowing global economic activity. Elevated inflation and a lingering energy crisis will lead to a moderate recession in the Eurozone. In China, the economic outlook remains uncertain, with growth constrained by the recently lifted zero-COVID-19 policy, a lingering property sector downturn and weakening global trade activity.

However, several factors contribute to optimism for the hospitality sector in 2023:

• Leisure demand, group business travel poised to remain strong: Consumer surveys show that most people are planning at least one leisure trip over the next six months. Rising inflation might mean that consumers will make different choices when they travel, but demand still remains strong. As for group business travel, key statistics, such as a convention center booking increase of 13% in 2023 relative to 2022, point to a strong year for group travel.³ According to a survey conducted by American Express, 65% of respondents expect their spend on meetings and events to increase in 2023.⁴
• Business travel recovery: According to a recent survey by Morgan Stanley of global corporate travel managers, travel budgets are likely to be 98% of 2019 levels, with nearly half the respondents expecting an increase of budgets relative to 2019.⁵
• China’s re-opening: Before the pandemic, China was the world’s largest outbound travel market, with Chinese travelers taking 154 million trips and spending $255 billion.⁶ With the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions, Chinese travelers will begin to travel again in 2023. While there are still significant airline capacity constraints, there will be a measurable impact on both the domestic and international hospitality industries.
• The rise of the digital nomad:  According to a recent EY survey of companies , 87% said that COVID-19 has had a profound effect on the workplace, with 72% saying that they now have a hybrid remote/office approach and 75% saying that they anticipate no central office in the foreseeable future. As these workplace trends take hold and people become untethered to their offices, these digital nomads will become even more mobile and will work from places where they want to travel.
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Spending associated with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that was passed in the US in 2022 should lead to additional spending on hotels.

Deals market could see a slowdown

One aspect of the hospitality sector that isn’t expected to be so strong in 2023 is the transaction market. 

With the Fed continuing to raise interest rates in an attempt to drive down inflation, the cost of borrowing money will continue to go up. As a result, transaction activity is likely to be slow in 2023. Deals will still get done, and there will be opportunities to create value and drive growth through M&A activity in the hospitality sector. Transaction due diligence will be even more critical to identifying the right transaction, given the market circumstances. In some cases, 2023 will be a good time to focus on organic growth. But teams still need to monitor what’s happening in the industry and be prepared should the right deal come along.

Boomerang workers?

During the pandemic, the hospitality industry lost much of its workforce as travel restrictions forced hotels to make severe staffing cuts. The industry’s unemployment rate leapt from 5.7% in February 2020 to 39.3% in April 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).⁷ Many of these workers took jobs in the technology sector, which desperately needed to fill positions to keep up with sudden demand created by lifestyle changes that came about due to the pandemic.

Three years later, the world is adjusting again. While tech companies shed jobs in response to the state of the economy in 2023, the hospitality industry is now ready to hire in response to the expected increase in travel. One of the sectors that had the biggest job growth in December 2022 was travel and leisure. Hotels that have struggled to provide the same level of service and amenities they did prior to the pandemic may be able to fill some of these positions and get closer to full strength.

Bottom line: 2023 should be a good year for the travel and hospitality industry.

The hospitality industry has much to look forward to in 2023 as travel demand continues to grow faster than expected over the last few years. Consumer research reveals that leisure and group business travel remains strong and new workplace trends allow people to travel more as they can work from anywhere. While the transaction market slows down, there is still opportunity to find a good deal while still focusing on organic growth.

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How Indians Are Traveling Now: Takeaways From MakeMyTrip’s First Trend Report

Bulbul Dhawan , Skift

April 22nd, 2024 at 10:09 AM EDT

MakeMyTrip shares insights into changing preferences of Indian travelers as the Indian tourism industry is poised for significant growth in 2024.

Bulbul Dhawan

Indian travelers have an increased interest in weekend getaways and spiritual tourism, according to online travel agency MakeMyTrip’s first-ever travel trends report . Searches for destinations with or around religious spots increased by 97% in the last two years, the platform stated in the report, which was released on Monday.

Spiritual tourism is also leading the growth of tourism in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. MakeMyTrip recorded a 585% increase in searches for Ayodhya in 2023. Gains were 343% for Badrinath, and 359% for Ujjain. 

In the domestic hotels category, weekend getaways have seen the highest growth. Popular travel destination Jim Corbett has seen an year-on-year increase of 131% in terms of search volumes, followed by Ooty and Munnar. “A large number of travelers are driving to these destinations from nearby metros,” MakeMyTrip stated in the report. 

Skift’s earlier report had mentioned how the Indian tourism industry is poised for significant growth, with estimates projecting a revenue of $24 billion in 2024 .

Increased Discretionary Spend on Travel

The number of travelers taking more than three trips a year in 2023 has grown by 25% as compared to 2019. Indians are also spending more discretionary income on travel, MakeMyTrip said. There has also been an increased interest in domestic travel and travel to unexplored destinations in the country, especially because of the country’s improved infrastructure. 

Staycations and experience travel increased in 2023. Family travel bookings witnessed a 64% year-on-year increase, while solo travel bookings increased by 23%. Two people traveling together accounted for 50% of all bookings, MakeMyTrip shared. It also recorded December and May as the most preferred months for travel. 

Spontaneous Domestic Trips, But Planned International Travels

According to the report, Indians are spontaneous travelers when it comes to domestic bookings. As much as 46% of domestic flight bookings were done in less than a week before the date of travel, it stated. 

International bookings, however, witnessed a longer planning period, with 51% of the international flight bookings having been done at least 15 days before departure. One-third of all international bookings were made more than a month in advance. 

MakeMyTrip observed the same pattern in hotel bookings. More than 50% of the domestic hotel bookings for leisure were made less than a week before travel. One-third of international hotel bookings were made at least 30 days in advance. 

Preferences of Indian Travelers

As much as 30% of all international travel searches from India were for Dubai, Bangkok, and Singapore. “London, Toronto, and New York were the most searched long-haul destinations,” MakeMyTrip stated in the report. There has also been an interest in international travel during long weekends, as the platform recorded a surge in searches for Bali, Bangkok, Phuket, and Singapore. 

When it comes to domestic travel, two-thirds of the travelers prefer to pre-select their flight seats. During international travel, this figure drops to 40%, the platform shared. Additionally, indigenously developed unified payments interface (UPI) is the most preferred mode of payment for Indian travelers and accounts for 36% of all transactions. 

India is also witnessing an increase in the popularity of travel gift cards. Half of the travel gift cards are gifted on the occasion of weddings, while the other 50% are gifted on occasions such as birthdays and festivals.

Hotels continue to be the most popular type of accommodation, with searches for hotels increasing by 39% year-on-year in 2023. Couples and family travelers formed the majority of the guests booking for hotels. 

Alternate accommodations witnessed a 24% increase in searches. Friends and larger groups preferred to book homestays, apartments, and villas, while more solo travelers favored hostels. 

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The Skift India Report is your go-to newsletter for all news related to travel, tourism, airlines, and hospitality in India.

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Tags: flight bookings , flight search , hotels , india , india outbound , india travel , international travel , makemytrip , middle class , online travel agencies , online travel companies , religious travel , skift india report , tourism , travel spending , Travel Trends

Photo credit: Weekend getaways have seen the highest growth in the domestic hotels category. Uriel Mont / Pexels

India travel trends: Search for spiritual destinations surges 97%, Delhi scores high in inquiries

S piritual destinations are stealing the show in India's travel market with such locations recording a 97 percent surge in searches in the last two years, according to an analysis by online travel aggregator (OTA) MakeMyTrip.

Searches for Ayodhya grew 585 percent, Ujjain by 359 percent and Badrinath by 343 percent in 2023 over the previous year, said the report launched by the OTA on April 22.  Tier-2 and tier-3 cities are embracing spiritual journeys, it added.

The report also added that people taking more than three trips per year has grown by 25 percent in 2023 as compared to 2019.

Where India travels

On the international front, 30 percent of all foreign travel searches from India are for Dubai, Bangkok and Singapore, while London, Toronto and New York are the most searched long-haul destinations.

Searches for emerging international destinations grew by multi-fold in 2023 and the hot favourites include Hong Kong, Almaty, Paro, Baku, Da Nang and Tbilisi. Travel to unexplored destinations has increased which has led to over 30 percent growth in searches for 16 emerging destinations. As many as 31 unique destinations contribute to 60 percent of searches from all six metros including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Delhi NCR and Goa are the most searched destination from all six metros. Delhi has the highest share in terms of searches in 2023 at 11.4 percent, followed by Mumbai at 7.2 percent, Bengaluru at 5.4 percent, and Goa at 5.3 percent.

In the domestic flights category, tier II cities have emerged as the highest growth destinations. Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram Indore and Bhubaneshwar lead with maximum searches.

Travel sentiment touched an all-time high in November 2022 with seven out of 10 people planning travel, the OTA said. It added that there has been 45 percent growth in searches as compared to the pre-pandemic period. As many as 100 million people are actively searching for travel on MakeMyTrip platform annually.

How India travels

Family travel bookings surged by 64 percent in 2023 as compared to 2022, followed by solo travel booking a 23 percent growth.

Two people travelling together make for 50 percent of all bookings.

Indians continue to make last minute travel plans with a significant portion of travel bookings in India are made spontaneously, with 46 percent of domestic flights booked less than a week before the travel date. On the other hand, about half of all international bookings are made at least two weeks in advance. Only one-third of international bookings are made more than a month before the travel date, suggesting a flexible approach to international travel planning among Indian travellers.

For flight bookings, women prefer to pre-book window seats and men pick aisle seats. Tomato cucumber cheese lettuce sandwich is the most ordered in-flight meal on domestic flights. Vegetarian Hindu meal is the most ordered in-flight meal on international flights.

Delhi travellers are over-indexed on booking domestic flights less than a week ahead of travel date while travellers from Kolkata have a higher inclination to book flights over three months in advance for both international and domestic destinations.

Where India stays

Alternative accommodations including homestays and villas recorded 24 percent growth in bookings in 2023 on MakeMyTrip as Indians are searching for stays that provide an emotional connection with culture and nature, the platform said.

Hostels and apartments recorded maximum search growth of 39 percent and 31 percent respectively in 2023.

For hostels and apartments, the preference is for those properties which cost less than Rs 2,500 per night but for villas, it is higher. Close to 20 percent of family travellers searched for properties with tariffs over Rs 10,000 per night last year.

More than 50 percent of the family travellers and 75 percent of the solo travellers booked a property for stay below Rs 4,500 .

Weekend getaways emerged as the highest growth destinations in the domestic hotels category. Jim Corbett leads with 131 percent growth in searches on MakeMyTrip followed by Ooty and Munnar. A large number of these hotel customers are driving to these destinations from nearby metros.

People from Maharashtra contribute to highest domestic hotel searches. Travellers from Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka searched more for villas while maximum searches were done for hostels in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa.

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How Pew Research Center will report on generations moving forward

Journalists, researchers and the public often look at society through the lens of generation, using terms like Millennial or Gen Z to describe groups of similarly aged people. This approach can help readers see themselves in the data and assess where we are and where we’re headed as a country.

Pew Research Center has been at the forefront of generational research over the years, telling the story of Millennials as they came of age politically and as they moved more firmly into adult life . In recent years, we’ve also been eager to learn about Gen Z as the leading edge of this generation moves into adulthood.

But generational research has become a crowded arena. The field has been flooded with content that’s often sold as research but is more like clickbait or marketing mythology. There’s also been a growing chorus of criticism about generational research and generational labels in particular.

Recently, as we were preparing to embark on a major research project related to Gen Z, we decided to take a step back and consider how we can study generations in a way that aligns with our values of accuracy, rigor and providing a foundation of facts that enriches the public dialogue.

A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience and behavior within generations.

We set out on a yearlong process of assessing the landscape of generational research. We spoke with experts from outside Pew Research Center, including those who have been publicly critical of our generational analysis, to get their take on the pros and cons of this type of work. We invested in methodological testing to determine whether we could compare findings from our earlier telephone surveys to the online ones we’re conducting now. And we experimented with higher-level statistical analyses that would allow us to isolate the effect of generation.

What emerged from this process was a set of clear guidelines that will help frame our approach going forward. Many of these are principles we’ve always adhered to , but others will require us to change the way we’ve been doing things in recent years.

Here’s a short overview of how we’ll approach generational research in the future:

We’ll only do generational analysis when we have historical data that allows us to compare generations at similar stages of life. When comparing generations, it’s crucial to control for age. In other words, researchers need to look at each generation or age cohort at a similar point in the life cycle. (“Age cohort” is a fancy way of referring to a group of people who were born around the same time.)

When doing this kind of research, the question isn’t whether young adults today are different from middle-aged or older adults today. The question is whether young adults today are different from young adults at some specific point in the past.

To answer this question, it’s necessary to have data that’s been collected over a considerable amount of time – think decades. Standard surveys don’t allow for this type of analysis. We can look at differences across age groups, but we can’t compare age groups over time.

Another complication is that the surveys we conducted 20 or 30 years ago aren’t usually comparable enough to the surveys we’re doing today. Our earlier surveys were done over the phone, and we’ve since transitioned to our nationally representative online survey panel , the American Trends Panel . Our internal testing showed that on many topics, respondents answer questions differently depending on the way they’re being interviewed. So we can’t use most of our surveys from the late 1980s and early 2000s to compare Gen Z with Millennials and Gen Xers at a similar stage of life.

This means that most generational analysis we do will use datasets that have employed similar methodologies over a long period of time, such as surveys from the U.S. Census Bureau. A good example is our 2020 report on Millennial families , which used census data going back to the late 1960s. The report showed that Millennials are marrying and forming families at a much different pace than the generations that came before them.

Even when we have historical data, we will attempt to control for other factors beyond age in making generational comparisons. If we accept that there are real differences across generations, we’re basically saying that people who were born around the same time share certain attitudes or beliefs – and that their views have been influenced by external forces that uniquely shaped them during their formative years. Those forces may have been social changes, economic circumstances, technological advances or political movements.

When we see that younger adults have different views than their older counterparts, it may be driven by their demographic traits rather than the fact that they belong to a particular generation.

The tricky part is isolating those forces from events or circumstances that have affected all age groups, not just one generation. These are often called “period effects.” An example of a period effect is the Watergate scandal, which drove down trust in government among all age groups. Differences in trust across age groups in the wake of Watergate shouldn’t be attributed to the outsize impact that event had on one age group or another, because the change occurred across the board.

Changing demographics also may play a role in patterns that might at first seem like generational differences. We know that the United States has become more racially and ethnically diverse in recent decades, and that race and ethnicity are linked with certain key social and political views. When we see that younger adults have different views than their older counterparts, it may be driven by their demographic traits rather than the fact that they belong to a particular generation.

Controlling for these factors can involve complicated statistical analysis that helps determine whether the differences we see across age groups are indeed due to generation or not. This additional step adds rigor to the process. Unfortunately, it’s often absent from current discussions about Gen Z, Millennials and other generations.

When we can’t do generational analysis, we still see value in looking at differences by age and will do so where it makes sense. Age is one of the most common predictors of differences in attitudes and behaviors. And even if age gaps aren’t rooted in generational differences, they can still be illuminating. They help us understand how people across the age spectrum are responding to key trends, technological breakthroughs and historical events.

Each stage of life comes with a unique set of experiences. Young adults are often at the leading edge of changing attitudes on emerging social trends. Take views on same-sex marriage , for example, or attitudes about gender identity .

Many middle-aged adults, in turn, face the challenge of raising children while also providing care and support to their aging parents. And older adults have their own obstacles and opportunities. All of these stories – rooted in the life cycle, not in generations – are important and compelling, and we can tell them by analyzing our surveys at any given point in time.

When we do have the data to study groups of similarly aged people over time, we won’t always default to using the standard generational definitions and labels. While generational labels are simple and catchy, there are other ways to analyze age cohorts. For example, some observers have suggested grouping people by the decade in which they were born. This would create narrower cohorts in which the members may share more in common. People could also be grouped relative to their age during key historical events (such as the Great Recession or the COVID-19 pandemic) or technological innovations (like the invention of the iPhone).

By choosing not to use the standard generational labels when they’re not appropriate, we can avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes or oversimplifying people’s complex lived experiences.

Existing generational definitions also may be too broad and arbitrary to capture differences that exist among narrower cohorts. A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience and behavior within generations. The key is to pick a lens that’s most appropriate for the research question that’s being studied. If we’re looking at political views and how they’ve shifted over time, for example, we might group people together according to the first presidential election in which they were eligible to vote.

With these considerations in mind, our audiences should not expect to see a lot of new research coming out of Pew Research Center that uses the generational lens. We’ll only talk about generations when it adds value, advances important national debates and highlights meaningful societal trends.

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Why Your Big Sister Resents You

“Eldest daughter syndrome” assumes that birth order shapes who we are and how we interact. Does it?

By Catherine Pearson

Catherine Pearson is a younger daughter who still leans on her older sister for guidance all the time.

In a TikTok video that has been watched more than 6 million times, Kati Morton, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Santa Monica, Calif., lists signs that she says can be indicative of “eldest daughter syndrome.”

Among them: an intense feeling of familial responsibility, people-pleasing tendencies and resentment toward your siblings and parents.

On X, a viral post asks : “are u happy or are u the oldest sibling and also a girl”?

Firstborn daughters are having a moment in the spotlight , at least online, with memes and think pieces offering a sense of gratification to responsible, put-upon big sisters everywhere. But even mental health professionals like Ms. Morton — herself the youngest in her family — caution against putting too much stock in the psychology of sibling birth order, and the idea that it shapes personality or long term outcomes.

“People will say, ‘It means everything!’ Other people will say, ‘There’s no proof,’” she said, noting that eldest daughter syndrome (which isn’t an actual mental health diagnosis) may have as much to do with gender norms as it does with birth order. “Everybody’s seeking to understand themselves, and to feel understood. And this is just another page in that book.”

What the research says about birth order

The stereotypes are familiar to many of us: Firstborn children are reliable and high-achieving; middle children are sociable and rebellious (and overlooked); and youngest children are charming and manipulative.

Studies have indeed found ties between a person’s role in the family lineup and various outcomes, including educational attainment and I.Q . (though those scores are not necessarily reliable measures of intelligence ), financial risk tolerance and even participation in dangerous sports . But many studies have focused on a single point in time, cautioned Rodica Damian, a social-personality psychologist at the University of Houston. That means older siblings may have appeared more responsible or even more intelligent simply because they were more mature than their siblings, she said, adding that the sample sizes in most birth order studies have also been relatively small.

In larger analyses, the link between birth order and personality traits appears much weaker. A 2015 study looking at more than 20,000 people in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States found no link between birth order and personality characteristics — though the researchers did find evidence that older children have a slight advantage in I.Q. (So, eldest daughters, take your bragging rights where you can get them.)

Dr. Damian worked on a different large-scale study, also published in 2015 , that included more than 370,000 high schoolers in the United States. It found slight differences in personality and intelligence, but the differences were so small, she said, that they were essentially meaningless. Dr. Damian did allow that cultural practices such as property or business inheritance (which may go to the first born) might affect how birth order influences family dynamics and sibling roles.

Still, there is no convincing some siblings who insist their birth order has predestined their role in the family.

After her study published, Dr. Damian appeared on a call-in radio show. The lines flooded with listeners who were delighted to tell her how skewed her findings were.

“Somebody would say: ‘You’re wrong! I’m a firstborn and I’m more conscientious than my siblings!’ And then someone else would call in and say, ‘You’re wrong, I’m a later-born and I’m more conscientious than my siblings!” she said.

What personal experience says

Sara Stanizai, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Long Beach, Calif., runs a virtual group with weekly meet-ups, where participants reflect on how they believe their birth order has affected them and how it may be continuing to shape their romantic lives, friendships and careers.

The program was inspired by Ms. Stanizai’s experience as an eldest daughter in an Afghan-American family, where she felt “parentified” and “overly responsible” for her siblings — in part because she was older, and in part because she was a girl .

While Ms. Stanizai acknowledged that the research around birth order is mixed, she finds it useful for many of her clients to reflect on their birth order and how they believe it shaped their family life — particularly if they felt hemmed in or saddled by certain expectations.

Her therapy groups spend time reflecting on questions like: How does my family see me? How do I see myself? Can we talk about any discrepancies in our viewpoints, and how they shape family dynamics? For instance, an older sibling might point out that he or she is often the one to plan family vacations. A younger sibling might point out that he or she often feels pressured into going along with whatever the rest of the group wants.

Whether or not there is evidence that birth order determines personality traits is almost beside the point, experts acknowledged.

“I think people are just looking for meaning and self-understanding,” Ms. Stanizai said. “Horoscopes, birth order, attachment styles” are just a few examples, she said. “People are just looking for a set of code words and ways of describing their experiences.”

Catherine Pearson is a Times reporter who writes about families and relationships. More about Catherine Pearson

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