Expedia Group—which includes popular travel brands such as Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo—has unveiled Unpack '24, a comprehensive analysis revealing what’s motivating travelers and where they’re going next year.
The research is based on the company's robust first-party travel data, plus a global consumer survey of 20,000 travelers.
"At Expedia Group, we have extensive first-party travel data that we use to enhance and curate experiences for our travelers across Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo. These insights shape our travel forecasts, revealed in Unpack '24, enabling our travelers to be the first to discover and book the most desired trips before they become well-beaten paths," said Jon Gieselman, President of Expedia Brands, in a statement.
"From 'dry tripping' to events like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé performances, and the rising allure of destinations like Perth, Palermo, and Paros, these trends begin to define the travel landscape in 2024."
Unpack ’24 includes eight new travel trends for 2024:
The TV Shows That Will Inspire Travel
A young woman walks by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (Photo Credit: Contiki)
Pop culture will continue to inspire travel in the new year with beloved TV shows helping to promote trips to new places, including:
- Thailand inspired by “The White Lotus” season 3.
- Romania inspired by “Wednesday” season 2.
- Malta inspired by the new “Gladiator 2” film.
- Paris inspired by “Emily in Paris” season 4.
- Scottish Highlands inspired by the remaining seasons of “Outlander.”
- London, Bath and Windsor, UK inspired by the new season of “Bridgerton” and “The Crown” season 6.
- Korea inspired by “Squid Game” season 2.
- Florida Keys & Bahamas inspired by the new Apple TV show “Bad Monkey.”
- Australia inspired by both Baz Luhrmann’s “Faraway Downs” and the Mad Max prequel “Furiosa.”
- Greece inspired by new spy action thriller “Argylle.”
Destination Dupes
Rue du Petit Champlain, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. (Photo Credit: Lauren Breedlove)
The "dupe" trend of people choosing affordable alternatives to popular products and places is poised to continue next year. According to Expedia, the 2024 destination dupes all experienced a notable uptick in searches over the past year, with global searches for the top five destinations on the list more than doubling year-over-year.
- Taipei (dupe for Seoul)
- Pattaya (dupe for Bangkok)
- Paros (dupe for Santorini)
- Curaçao (dupe for St. Martin)
- Perth (dupe for Sydney)
- Liverpool (dupe for London)
- Palermo (dupe for Lisbon)
- Quebec City (dupe for Geneva)
- Sapporo (dupe for Zermatt)
- Memphis (dupe for Nashville)
Tour Tourism
Taylor Swift and Beyoncé helped drive travel and tourism in 2023 with their respective Eras and Renaissance tours and Expedia predicts that Tour Tourism will continue to thrive in 2024.
Swift Eras Concert Goers in Minneapolis (Photo Credit: Courtesy Meet Minneapolis)
Nearly seven in 10 survey respondents said they are more likely to travel to a concert outside their own town, with more than 40 percent saying they’d travel for a concert as an excuse to visit a new place. Meanwhile, 30 percent of travelers say they would travel outside of their home city for a concert because tickets were cheaper elsewhere.
Surprising places on Expedia's list of top tour tourism destinations are Kuala Lumpur, Edmonton, and Mexico City.
Outside In
Expedia Group found that 42 percent of travelers book vacation homes with amenities they either cannot afford to have at home or that they want to try out before they buy themselves. What's more, nearly 30 percent say they would choose a vacation home with outdoor amenities.
Outdoor hot tub at the Denali Cabins. (photo courtesy of Pursuit Collection) (Photo Credit: Pursuit)
The top trending outdoor amenities include a hot tub, cold plunge or barrel sauna, a fire pit, barbecue or outdoor kitchen, ping-pong tables, padel tennis courts, pickleball courts and lawn games and access to fruit trees or a vegetable patch.
Dry Tripping
There's growing interest in living a low- or alcohol-free lifestyle. Not only are beverage brands releasing nonalcoholic products but hot hotels and resorts are stocking minibars with zero-proof options and offering mocktail-making experiences, Expedia notes.
More than 40 percent of travelers say they are likely to book a detox trip in the next year, and half said they would be interested in staying at hotels that offer easily accessible alcohol-free beverage options.
Additionally, one in four says the top reason for drinking less on vacation is to stay in control and feel better emotionally and physically. Interestingly, attending sporting events was the top reason travelers indicated they’d be likely to reduce alcohol consumption while traveling.
Vibe Check-In
Expedia points out that a hotel’s overall "vibe" is becoming a strong indicator of travelers’ hotel choices. Guest reviews mentioning the word vibe have increased an average of 1,090 percent year-over-year and nine out of 10 travelers say the vibe of a hotel is important when booking.
Popular vibes being sought out include "Modern Vibe" and "Industrial Vibe" to "Retro Vibe" and "Margaritaville Vibe." According to travelers, the top element of a vibe is customer service, more than music and the interior or lighting of the hotel.
The interior lobby area inside the Songtsam Linka Retreat Lhasa. (Photo Credit: Songtsam Linka Retreat Lhasa)
Go-ccasions
One in four travelers said they are looking for "any excuse" to get away with their loved ones in 2024.
In addition to annual anniversaries and milestone birthdays, interestingly, work-related occasions are one of the most popular trip catalysts, Expedia found. Research shows that many travelers would book a weekend to celebrate retirement, a new job, a promotion, or quitting a job.
Generative AI
Only 6 percent of travelers used generative AI tools like ChatGPT to plan their trip in 2023. However, in 2024, Expedia Group predicts the "generation of generative AI" travelers will emerge. Survey data shows that half of travelers are interested in using generative AI to plan their next trip, and as many as one in three say it’s very useful when making travel plans.
Nearly 40 percent of travelers say they would use this tech to find a stay, 35 percent would plan activities and things to do, 33 percent would compare flight options, and one in five travelers would change or cancel their travel plans using generative AI.
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