2024 travel trends: what the experts predict (2024)

Sign up to The Week's Travel newsletter for destination guides and the latest trends.

The year of 'surprise travel'?

(Image credit: aanbetta/Shutterstock)

"Surprise travel" may become the big trend of 2024, said David Farley on theBBC. A survey of 27,000 travellers in 33 countries byBooking.comfound that 52% are "keen" to book a surprise trip where "everything down to the destination is unknown until arrival". In the last decade, "more and more surprise trip companies have popped up", Farley added, and the "element of mystery" is "tempting travellers to seek a new way to see the world".

Mongolia and Nairobi included in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel

(Image credit: Narantungalag Dashtseren/Shutterstock)

In its "Best in Travel" report for 2024, Lonely Planet has predicted the world's top 50 countries, regions, cities, best value and most sustainable destinations. Looking at the top places to "unwind, connect, eat, learn and journey", there's "plenty to pack in" over the next year. Destinations highlighted in the report include Mongolia (country), Western Balkans' Trans Dinarica Cycling Route (region), Nairobi in Kenya (city), Spain (sustainable) and The Midwest, USA (best value).

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Set-jetting continues to take off

(Image credit: Carole Bethuel/Netflix)

Travellers turning to their TV sets and movie screens for inspiration "shows no signs of stopping in 2024", said Expedia Group. In its "Unpack '24: The Trends in Travel" survey, more than half of travellers have researched or booked a trip to a destination "after seeing it on a TV show or movie", and one in four admit that TV shows and films "are even more influential on their travel plans than they were before". In fact, travellers say TV shows influence their travel decisions more than Instagram, TikTok and podcasts.

In its "set-jetting forecast", the group predicts the "entertainment-inspired destinations" tourists will be heading to in 2024. The top picks include Thailand, inspired by "The White Lotus" season three; Romania, inspired by "Wednesday" season two; Malta, inspired by the new "Gladiator 2" film; and Paris, inspired by "Emily in Paris" season four.

Music tourism 'accelerates'

Palate-led holidays and UK getaways

(Image credit: PoB Hotels)

PoB Hotels' "Cultivating Luxury" market trends report found that palate-led holidays and increased domestic getaways in the UK were among the key findings for 2024. Food and drink "undeniably take centre stage" in "capturing the attention" of domestic travellers, commanding an impressive 82% of their interests. A significant 54% of affluent high net worth individuals (HNWIs) plan to enjoy "three or more" leisure holidays within the UK in the upcoming year, reflecting a "notable increase on the previous 12 months". And a considerable 27% of affluent/HNW travellers anticipate taking UK trips "lasting three or more nights" in the coming year.

Cultural exploration and quaint cities

(Image credit: Tomasz Guzowski/Shutterstock)

"Cultural exploration" will "more than ever" be a priority for travellers, Skyscanner said in its 2024 travel trends report. Expect "gig trippers" to jet off to see their favourite artists and "budget bougie foodies" to seek out the very best food experiences. When it comes to the destinations that are whetting would-be tourists' appetites, the metasearch engine and travel agency has seen an increase in searches for "quaint cities" such as Vigo in Spain (+1,235%) and Bydgoszcz in Poland (+313%). Meanwhile, the cost-of-living crisis remains "top of mind" with Skyscanner's "Everywhere" search tool being the "top search destination for travellers globally".

Journeys with 'a sense of purpose'

(Image credit: Pavel Svoboda Photography/Shutterstock)

The founders of luxury travel company Black Tomato predict that travellers will be looking to journey with "a sense of purpose" in 2024. With ever increasing demands on time, and the desire to make travel truly count, travellers want to create "positive and lasting change" – not only in the destinations they visit, but in their own lives.

"What we've uncovered," said Black Tomato, is that the feeling a trip ultimately evokes "greatly informs the destination booked". For groups "craving togetherness", journeys which "strengthen bonds and connection" are "prioritised". Black Tomato has picked out "off-grid" Peru, Morocco's Tangiers, the Mitre Peninsula in remotest Argentine Patagonia, and New Zealand's waterways on its 2024 destination hotlist.

The new Michelin Guide 'keys'

(Image credit: dotshock/Shutterstock)

The Michelin Guide will award hotels with "keys" as part of a "new rating system" launching in 2024, said the Visit California PR Pulse Report. The system will be aimed at recognising hotels based on factors including "location, design, service, uniqueness and value". As it does for restaurants, the guide said it intends to independently recommend hotels that "constitute true destinations" and will propose a new selection of more than "5,000 remarkable hotels in 120 countries".

Fodor's 2024 'No List'

(Image credit: Kirk Fisher/Shutterstock)

Most travel experts recommend places to go in their annual reports, but Fodor's has a "No List" of nine regions to "reconsider" in 2024. The travel guide company said it's not a "round-up of spots we revile", it's a "declaration of places we revere". However, the "frenzied admiration", and "incessant need to experience them", are "not sustainable".

The 2024 No List focuses on three main areas of tourist impact: overtourism, rubbish production, and water quality and sufficiency. For overtourism, Venice in Italy, Athens in Greece, and Mount Fuji in Japan are highlighted. Rubbish production no-gos include San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in California, Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, and the Atacama Desert in Chile. While water quality and sufficiency has impacted Lake Superior in North America, the Ganges River in India, and Koh Samui in Thailand.

Explore More

The Big TripTravel DestinationsCulture

2024 travel trends: what the experts predict (2024)

FAQs

What are the travel industry predictions for 2024? ›

Despite expectations for travel costs to rise 3.5% year-over-year in 2024, travelers have an average of about 4.9 trips planned per person, a 2% rise above 2019 levels, according to a survey of over 500 U.S. travelers by Jefferies.

What is the trend in air travel in 2024? ›

Finally, Amex says that 2024 will be a notable year for spontaneous trips or what they're calling “on-a-whim travel.” Nearly 80 percent of travelers say they plan to take a spur-of-the-moment trip, while 44 percent of respondents even expressed a preference for a spontaneous trip instead of having all the details ...

Read On ›

What is the surprise travel trend in 2024? ›

"Surprise travel" may become the big trend of 2024, said David Farley on the BBC. A survey of 27,000 travellers in 33 countries by Booking.com found that 52% are "keen" to book a surprise trip where "everything down to the destination is unknown until arrival".

Learn More ›

What is the skip generation travel trend in 2024? ›

One of the travel trends to look for in 2024 is skip-generation trips. This is when grandparents travel with their grandchild sans children, thereby skipping a generation. According to the 2023 U.S. Family Travel Survey, grandparents choose to take a skip-generational trip to be able to bond with their grandchild.

Know More ›

Will travel slow down in 2024? ›

Skift Research believes the industry will return to normal, writes Head of Research Seth Borko. Skift Research said in its newly published 2024 Global Travel Outlook that revenue growth for the travel industry will likely decelerate. However, Borko writes the slowdown isn't a sign of weakness.

Learn More ›

What is the travel trend in 2025? ›

In 2025 expect tour buses to be less popular. There's a growing desire for travelers to see how local people really live in other countries. This is the basis of immersive travel. Such immersion can be achieved through homestays and local service projects led by community leaders.

Learn More ›

Is travel expensive in 2024? ›

“July 2024 stands out with the highest rate, marking an 85% increase compared to July 2019,” a company representative told CNBC Travel. The price for luxury train travel is also soaring, with rates for Accor's yet-to-be-opened La Dolce Vita Orient-Express climbing 75% in 16 months.

What will travel be like in 2040? ›

According to the study, travel as we know it is on a course to become extinct by 2040 if action isn't taken now—but that doesn't mean that we'll live in a world in which nobody goes anywhere. Rather, you can think of it more like a complete shift (a negative one!) in terms of the places we visit and when we visit them.

Tell Me More ›

Are baby boomers traveling? ›

Highlights: Baby Boomers Travel Statistics

Baby boomers spend over $120 billion annually on leisure travel. Baby boomers account for 80% of luxury travel spending. 99% of baby boomers plan to take at least one leisure trip per year. 45% of baby boomers prefer to travel internationally.

Why Gen Z loves to travel? ›

Gen Z's influence is driving a shift toward authentic and immersive experiences. They seek out destinations and activities that offer cultural immersion, local experiences, and opportunities for self-discovery. They are also likelier to choose off-the-beaten-path destinations and engage in sustainable travel practices.

Keep Reading ›

How likely is Gen Z to travel? ›

Let's take a look at how they plan, book, and manage their travel itineraries. Gen Z are frequent travelers, making an average of three leisure trips every year. 60% of Gen Zers planned to travel by air in 2023. 42% of Gen Zers travel to spend time with family or friends.

Show Me More ›

How much will the U.S. spend on travel in 2024? ›

U.S. Travel forecasts $28.7 billion in U.S. international spending in 2024, about 78.8 percent of 2019 levels. By 2027, such spending is expected to reach $29.8 billion, still lagging recovery at about 82 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

Does the travel industry have a future? ›

The future of the tourism industry is expected to undergo significant changes and transformations due to various factors, including technological advancements, evolving traveler preferences, environmental concerns, and global events.

Know More ›

What does the future hold for the travel industry? ›

Travel and tourism GDP is predicted to grow, on average, at 5.8 percent a year between 2022 and 2032, outpacing the growth of the overall economy at an expected 2.7 percent a year. ⁵. So, is it all systems go for travel and tourism? Not really. The industry continues to face a prolonged and widespread labor shortage.

Learn More ›