Revenge travel, brocations, babymoons, staycations, bleisure…you’ve heard about them all, and they’re still around. 2024 follows suit and ushers in some interesting travel trends that will be popping up on your radar soon.
Dupe Travel – The TikTok beauty trend has manifested its way to the travel industry, this time offering budget-friendly alternatives to destinations that carry a bigger price tag. Spotted on Expedia’s list of destination dupes for 2024: Taipei, Taiwan, which is a Seoul, South Korea dupe, Memphis, a dupe for Nashville and Curacao, a dupe for St. Martin.
Dry-Tripping – 2024 is expected to see a rise in sober travel options, a trend that began in 2023 and is gaining popularity now, especially among many Gen-Zers embracing alcohol-free lifestyles. Dry towns such as Ocean City, New Jersey make great travel choices as do niceties like minibars with zero-proof brews and mocktails.
Culinary Travel – Will people travel for food? They sure will. Culinary travel is expected to grow as one of 2024’s hot travel trends. Spirit enthusiasts will most likely be leading the pack and raising a glass (or two!) in legendary distilleries and wineries in places such as Belgium, Ireland and France.
Set-Jetting continues – Visiting a location after seeing it on a TV show or movie is still topping 2024 travel trend charts, i.e., searches for Romania following the release of Wednesday on Netflix and Sicily, the main filming location for the second season of HBO’s series The White Lotus.
Purposeful Travel – Globe-trotters of every age are sinking their hearts into places that hold a personal and deeper meaning in 2024. Maybe it’s a trip to the country of your ancestors or a bucket-list voyage to somewhere you’ve always dreamed of visiting. High hopes accompany this type of travel, so destinations – please don’t disappoint.
Immersion Travel – This trend, also known as experiential travel, is riding high in the new year. Travelers are looking for an authentic experience that immerses them in true local culture, not “guest” culture. So, for the most part, people aren’t country-hopping anymore, instead focusing on experience-intense week or longer stays where they live as the locals do.
Multi-Gen Travel – Families that live far go far. And they do it together. Everyone is much more geographically scattered these days, so they’re meeting up and vacationing together at a fascinating destination they all can enjoy. This trend will extend into 2024. See our blog on keeping multi-generational travel pain points at bay.
A-Ok with AI – Travel experts predict a broadening number of travelers to turn to AI to assist with planning their next trip. AI for travel planning has received mostly positive reviews, although many users are quick to state that further fact-checking may be necessary. As for on-site, AI is great for routine requests, but in no way can replace the personal connection a destination has with its guests.
Tour Tourism – In 2024, look for superfans to travel to cities and even countries to catch concerts by their favorite performers. A great example is Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour – with tickets out of reach for most – both expensive and unavailable in their hometown.
Go-ccasions – This term is entering the ring a lot these days. In its purest form, a go-ccasion is a somewhat spur-of-the-moment trip for anything the traveler deems special – birthday, new job, gotcha day for your rescue pet, whatever feels worth celebrating. Just go with it.
Cool European Hotspots – According to data released during Virtuoso Travel Week in 2023, cooler European climates such as the Alps and Scandinavia are growing in popularity, and visitation is really expected to heat up during the summer of 2024.
Italy Stays Strong – Italy’s immense popularity in 2023 is predicted to continue well into the new year. Many industry leaders also believe Japan will step into the limelight in 2024 with an interest surge in Japanese art, culture and food.
Travel trends continue to take shape in 2024. Stay in the know and learn how the latest shifts in consumer decision-making, destination selection and motivation can be the basis for your marketing masterpiece. Contact Lynn Kaniper at 609.466.9187 ext. 117 or lkaniper@danacommunications.com today.
