Tourism Trends

Tourism trends refer to the evolving patterns and preferences in the travel industry. These trends are important as they reflect changes in traveler behavior, emerging destinations, technological advancements, and shifts in the global economy and society. Understanding these trends is crucial for tourism businesses to adapt, innovate, and remain competitive. They help in anticipating future market demands, improving tourism experiences, and driving sustainable and responsible tourism development. Keeping up with these trends ensures the industry can meet the dynamic needs of travelers and capitalize on new opportunities.

Key Takeaways

  • Wellness & Retreat Tourism: Focuses on health-improving travel.
  • Eco-Travel: Reflects raising ethical and sustainability concerns, including options like volunteer conservation work.
  • Personalization in Tourism: Increasing demand for tailored travel experiences, aligning closely with individual preferences.
  • Cultural Tourism: Increasing interest in authentic cultural experiences, involving local traditions and historical insights.
  • Bleisure Travel: Blending of business and leisure travel, often extending business trips for leisure purposes.
  • Virtual Reality (VR) in Tourism: Use of VR technology to enhance visitor experiences, both for planning trips and during travel.
  • Space Tourism: Emerging trend with growing interest in travel beyond Earth, offering a unique and futuristic experience.
  • Travel Tech for Efficiency: Increasing the use of technology to streamline travel processes.
  • Accessible Tourism: Focus on inclusivity, ensuring travel opportunities are available for people with various disabilities.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

New trends and innovations continually disrupt industries, and the tourism industry is no exception. Keeping pace with these emerging tourism trends can help businesses stay competitive and cater to customers’ needs. Some of these trends have been a direct or indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read on to learn more about the key trends within tourism for 2024.

Keeping up with the Latest Tourism Trends: Why It Matters to Your Business

Whatever aspect of the tourism sector your business is involved in, you need to keep your finger on the pulse. Formerly beloved concepts and products go out of style, replaced by more modern elements that capture more of the market. New destinations, new technologies, and means of transport have caused major shifts in the industry. Early adoption of new trends is vital.

The Factors Responsible for Upcoming Tourism Trends

A trend can be defined as a generalized change in a situation or behavior or a general direction in which things are transpiring. Several developments in tourism have led to changes in consumer behavior and business processes, meaning they are responsible for emerging tourism trends.

One of these developments has been a fundamental change in technology use, especially in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This has led to the increased adoption of robotics and AI-powered technology in hotels. It has also led to changes in customer behavior through the rise of voice control and search.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, travelers still focus more on hygiene and safety, needing contactless payments and remote working. Meanwhile, environmental concerns have added to the local-first approach of many customers and have given rise to trends related to organic food and eco-travel.

Tourism Trends - Trend Importance

20 Opportunities and Tourism Trends for 2024

Following the current tourism trends in response to increasing consumer actions due to the coronary pandemic is essential. However, most patterns have arisen from more general shifts in customer behavior. Below, you can see both general hospitality developments and ways to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. There are various tourism trends based on more general changes in consumer behavior, like the need for healthy and organic food & drinks, sustainability, personalized service, the rising demand for digitalization, and the use of technology.

1. Wellness & Retreat Tourism Trends

Few tourism trends are growing as rapidly as wellness and retreat tourism, according to the Wellness Tourism Market research report by Fact.MR, the global wellness tourism market is expected to reach $2.3 trillion by the end of 2033. This kind of tourism can be described as being primarily motivated by self-improvement. It typically involves traveling in a way that contributes positively to a tourist’s physical and mental health or knowledge and awareness.

Wellness and retreat tourism takes many forms, from visiting meditation retreats or yoga retreats to staying at health spas or healthy eating retreats. In the past, vacations were often seen as a time to let go and indulge in food and alcohol, but many modern tourists actively seek trips to escape everyday temptations.

Example: Tapping Into The Wellness Tourism Boom

2. Solo Travel

Leisure travel was a family affair or something that couples undertook together. While that’s still the case for many, more and more people are choosing to strike out on their own. Enjoying a solo trip is no longer so unusual, and tourist trends increasingly reflect this. The needs of solo travelers are diverse.

Some want to travel without the distraction of a companion. Others are young singles looking for social activities or to find a partner. Some widowed seniors even use long-term hotel stays or cruises as a luxurious alternative to conventional elder care. These tourism trends are set to grow and grow.

Video: 15 Perfect Destinations For Any Solo Traveler

3. Eco-Travel

The concerns and mores of the customer base heavily influence tourism trends. As a new generation becomes increasingly relevant in the marketplace, the ideals driving their purchasing decisions create new tourism trends. Eco-travel is just one example of these tourism trends, reflecting a growing concern among today’s travelers for ethical and sustainable tourism options and is only growing. According to the Ecotourism Global Market Report 2023 by Research and Markets, the global ecotourism market is expected to reach $331.62 billion by 2027.

Eco travel includes simple changes, such as the availability of carbon credits when booking a flight or the option to rent an electric instead of a conventional vehicle. More sophisticated examples might include tourism with a volunteer element, perhaps working on a nature reserve or engaging in conservation work.

Video: Ecotourism – A Sustainable Way To Travel

4. Local Experience

Today’s tourists don’t want to be insulated from the places they visit inside a cultural bubble. They want to engage with and participate in the local culture. From enjoying local cuisine to celebrating regional festivals and holidays, local experiences are set to become some of the top tourist trends to watch.

One example of a popular local experience would be visiting Japan during a major festival, renting formal Japanese clothes to wear, consuming regional delicacies, and engaging in traditional games or cultural activities. Another might be a long stay with a host family in the destination country to learn more about the local culture.

Video: A Local Travel Guide of Amsterdam

Video: Food Travel Vlog about Local Food in Hong Kong

5. Sleep Tourism Trends

Like wellness and retreat tourism trends, sleep tourism is a rapidly growing area of the tourism industry. As the name indicates, this kind of tourism places a strong emphasis on sleep. The aim of sleep tourism is to gain high-quality sleep in sufficient quantity and return from the trip well-rested and ready to tackle everyday life.

Again, this kind of tourism can take many different forms. Some sleep tourism destinations focus on meditation, while others prioritize soundproof rooms, an absence of technology and distractions, or rooms where light can be fully blocked out. Service providers tend to invest heavily in great beds, duvets, and pillows.

Example: Sleep SPA Tourism

6. Personalization

You’re probably familiar with those ads that pop up on social media and certain other websites, ads related to things you’ve looked at or purchased online. This is just one example of personalization. As well in marketing tourism more effectively, personalization can apply to every aspect of the tourist experience.

Today’s consumers expect experiences that closely match their preferences, from destinations to accommodation and activities they’ll engage in. The more closely an experience can be tailored to a client’s desires and expectations, the more likely they are to return and use the same service again.

Matthias Dybing

Matthias Dybing, Co-Founder & Director at Nuvho

“Personalization ranks among the most important tourism trends to focus on, but the modern popularity of third-party booking platforms hinders personalization efforts. This creates a divide between direct bookers and indirect bookers, even though customers are usually unaware of the difference between the two approaches.

Most hotels want to reward customers for making a booking rather than direct bookers for choosing the right method. Yet, with third-party bookings, pre-arrival communication is often restricted, and data is often retained by the third-party platform, not your hotel. To achieve the best customer experience, hotels, and third parties must agree to share information that will ultimately benefit the customer through improved personalization.”

Click here to read more revenue management tips from our Hospitality Expert Panel.

Video: Personalized Marketing by Nicole Martin

You can read more detailed information and examples of personalization marketing in tourism in the article “Ways Personalization Marketing is Used in the Tourism Industry.”

7. Indigenous Tourism

Many emerging tourism trends are geared toward making tourism more ethical and less harmful. Another example is the growth of indigenous tourism, which can be described as tourism experiences owned and operated by indigenous people. This helps to ensure these people benefit most from the tourism in their area.

For tourists, indigenous tourism provides exciting opportunities to take on new experiences in a way that is completely authentic. These experiences could involve staying in traditional accommodations, eating traditional foods, experiencing life in remote locations, or temporarily living as indigenous people live.

Example: Indigenous Tourism Industry

8. Healthy and Organic Food

Healthy food and the kind of fare consumed by tourists used to be antonyms in the minds of many travelers, with holidays traditionally representing a chance to break one’s diet and indulge in forbidden treats. Today’s travelers know that delicious and nutritious are not exclusive concepts.

Demand for excellent cuisine with a view to better nutrition drives new tourism trends. Modern tourists want to know that their food is as healthy as delicious. The organic food movement also affects tourism trends, with more eateries and hotels offering organic options. Other special diets are also represented.

Video: Organic Holiday in Italy

9. Nostalgic Travel Options

Tourism trends are also increasingly being impacted by a generalized thirst for nostalgia among the public, and nostalgic travel options represent a significant opportunity for businesses. Nostalgia can inform travel decisions in several ways, such as a longing for simpler times and encouraging travelers to book trips to remote locations.

Alternatively, nostalgia could see travelers focus on domestic trips, particularly on places they visited when they were younger. Some travelers may also focus on destinations with which they have a long-established connection, such as through films they have enjoyed, video games they have played, or music they love.

Nostalgic Travel Type Description Key Features
Retro Destination Tours Guided tours to destinations known for preserving a specific historical era or cultural period. Focus on exploring sites, architecture, and attractions that evoke a sense of nostalgia. Visit iconic historical landmarks and museums.
Immerse in the culture and traditions of a bygone era.
Knowledgeable guides provide historical insights.
Heritage Rail Journeys Train journeys using vintage or historic locomotives, offering a nostalgic travel experience. Scenic routes often traverse picturesque landscapes, providing a blend of history and adventure. Ride on restored antique trains with period décor.
Enjoy breathtaking views of scenic landscapes.
Recreate the romance of old-fashioned rail travel.
Vintage Accommodation Stays Lodging experiences in historic hotels, inns, or guesthouses with well-preserved architecture. Emphasis on recreating the ambiance and charm of a bygone era, enhancing the overall guest experience. Stay in carefully restored properties with period furnishings.
Experience attentive service reminiscent of the past.
Immerse in the atmosphere of historical elegance.

10. Safety & Hygiene Tourism Trends

Whether it is airlines, cruises, hotels, restaurants, or bars since the outbreak of COVID, safety, and hygiene standards have been paramount. With this in mind, several tourism trends are related to this, such as increased cleaning, socially distanced seating, providing hand gel, and enforcing masks in some settings.

This is also now a vital part of tourism marketing, with companies needing to clarify their hygiene and safety policies and measures to keep customers safe. The threat of COVID has meant people are more reluctant to travel and visit tourism hot spots, so they must be persuaded that it is safe.

The “Hygiene is the New Marketing Message for Hotels” post explains this trend in more detail.

11. Artificial Intelligence

As well as the aforementioned chatbots, artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important to the tourism industry. Machine learning technology is now firmly entrenched in the marketing of the tourism sector, with AI helping to personalize the experience of finding and booking tours and trips.

AI is also increasingly valuable in contexts such as smart hotel rooms, identifying the likely needs of guests and fine-tuning the environment and services to fit the guest’s needs and preferences. Artificial intelligence is finding applications everywhere, from customer service to security. Future AI tourism trends to watch out for might include self-driving vehicles and virtual guides for tourism.

Video: AI for Marketing & Growth 

Video: Example Hotel Chatbot

Find more detailed information and examples of artificial intelligence use cases in the tourism industry in the article “How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Travel Industry.”

12. Robots, Chatbots, and Automation

One of the more eye-catching examples of these particular tourism trends is Connie, the Hilton Hotel chain’s robot concierge. Other hotels have also got in on the robot-staff trend, installing interactive robots to handle certain reception duties or even having them serve food and drink to visitors.

However, this kind of novelty application is far from the only one. Many customers now book their travel and accommodation with the help of internet chatbots, specifically tailored AI, which can handle queries and assist customers with useful information when human operators are unavailable.

Video: Alibaba’s ‘Future Hotel’ Uses Robots

Video: Autonomous Security Robots for Airports

In the article “Robots in the Tourism Industry: Real-World Examples”, find more detailed information about how to use robots in the tourism industry.

13. Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT is relevant to many tourism trends. IoT devices are gadgets equipped with a microprocessor and digital connectivity, allowing them to connect to and be controlled from the internet. IoT devices include heating and cooling systems, entertainment systems, and other items often found in a hotel room, giving rise to “smart” hotel rooms.

The IoT is also used to integrate services in a hospitality setting, for example, by allowing guests to book activities (a session in the hotel’s spa, swimming in the pool, training in the gym, etc.) or request such things as room service or extra linen via a hub or a smartphone application.

Example: Iot for Airports

Video: IoT Monitoring for the Restaurant Industry

Find more detailed information about the ‘Internet of Things’ in the tourism industry in the article “How the Internet of Things (IoT) Can Benefit the Tourism Industry.”

14. Recognition Technology

Recognition technology is one of those increasingly important travel and tourism trends that’s starting to creep into many different areas. One of the most familiar recognition technology applications for a frequent traveler is the bank of automatic gates at some borders.

The gates can read the data on the traveler’s passport or ID card and match it to their face using a camera and facial recognition technology. Recognition technology is one of the big tourism trends in the hospitality industry, with voice recognition becoming increasingly popular as a method of control in smart hotel rooms.

Video: KLM’s Smart Pack Assistant on Google Home

Video: Airports Roll Out Facial Recognition Technology

Find more detailed information about Recognition technology in the tourism industry in the articles “How Can Voice Control Benefit the Tourism Industry?” and “Ways Facial Recognition Can Be Used in the Travel Industry.”

15. Voice Search & Voice Control

With home smart speakers growing in popularity and mobile assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Bixby, more tourism customers are turning to voice search. For those in the tourism industry, it is important to capture these guests by structuring website content properly so it appears in voice search and allows for voice bookings.

Tourist information is a key part of the customer experience with many companies, and voice control and AI can be invaluable here. Moreover, hotel rooms can include smart speakers or other IoT devices that are compatible with voice control, allowing users to more easily turn devices on and off or change settings within their rooms.

Video: Example #1 Voice Search & Assistant within Travel Industry

Video: Example #2 Voice Search for Booking Your Holiday

Check out “How Can Voice Control Benefit the Travel Industry?” for further insights.

16. Growth of Contactless Payments

Contactless payments have been a staple in technology in tourism for some time now. Still, the emergence of options like Google Pay and Apple Pay has helped take this to the next level, meaning customers do not need to carry around a debit card or credit card to pay for meals, hotel stays, transport, and other services.

Allowing contactless payments has enabled tourism companies to reduce friction and improve the speed of check-ins and check-outs. It also means goods can be paid for swiftly, encouraging spontaneous purchases. With the coronavirus, contactless payments are in greater demand than ever, as staff and customers often prefer to avoid handling cash.

Video: How Do Contactless Payments Work?

Read “4 Reasons Why Contactless Payments are Becoming Popular Within the Travel Industry” for more information.

17. Customer Experience 2.0

Of course, the customer experience has always been central to the tourist industry. With new technologies and an ever-broadening array of tourist options, enhancing the customer experience has never been more vital. In the final analysis, customer experience will make or break your business.

Fine-tuning the experience can make the difference between creating a loyal repeat customer who boosts your business via word of mouth and one who drops out at the booking stage. Everything from the web interface where your clients book their trips to the last day of their journey must be as enjoyable as possible.

Video: Technology and Customer Experience Across the Travel Industry

In the article “8 Ways to Improve Customer Experience in the Travel Industry,” you will find eight of the most effective ways for those in the tourism industry to improve customer experience for customers.

18. Virtual Reality Tourism Trends

Virtual reality is another major tourism trend disrupting the industry, and capitalizing on the technology can give you an edge over rivals who have not yet adopted it. Through online VR tours, customers can experience hotel interiors, restaurant interiors, outdoor tourist attractions, and more from their homes.

Crucially, they can do this at the decision-making phase of the customer journey. This can be the difference between customers completing a booking or backing out. VR is especially useful after COVID-19, where customers may need extra encouragement to press ahead with their plans.

Most modern VR tours are web-based and can be viewed through any mainstream web browser. The quality of the VR tour and the extent of immersion can then be improved further through VR headsets.

Video: A Guided Virtual Reality City Tour Through Rome

Video: Atlantis Dubai Virtual Hotel Tour

Find more detailed information and examples about how virtual reality can benefit your business in the article “How Virtual Reality is Transforming the Travel Industry”.

19. Augmented Reality (AR)

Where VR simulates entire environments and experiences, augmented reality combines real-world experiences and virtual elements. A familiar example would be the smartphone game Pokémon Go, where imaginary creatures are superimposed on real-time footage of the player’s environment. In the tourist industry, this is very useful: instead of fantasy monsters.

AR smartphone apps can show tourists information about the area they’re exploring. This could be historical details about buildings and landmarks or listings and menus for entertainment venues and local eateries. Museums use AR increasingly, allowing visitors to view artifacts with their original appearance as a virtual overlay. Other augmented reality applications might include internet-enabled virtual maps.

Video: Menu AR – a menu of restaurants in augmented reality

Video: Example Augmented Reality Within the Hotel Industry

Find more detailed information and examples about how augmented reality can benefit your business in the article “How Augmented Reality is Revolutionising the Travel Industry”.

20. Virtual Reality & Metaverse Travel

Virtual reality and metaverse travel are among the most important tourism trends the industry is trying to capitalize on. Virtual reality technology allows for the recreation of real-world environments within a digital setting, which allows customers to gain a sense of what a location is like before booking.

The metaverse takes this to the next level by allowing social interactions within this digital environment. This means bookings can be made while still exploring, and customers can communicate with travel agents or other potential travelers. The “Metaverse Travel: How the Metaverse Will Change the Travel Industry” article explains more.

What Are the Biggest Tourism Trends Related to Marketing?

Marketing has a major role to play in the success of any hotel, and marketers must be able to keep pace with emerging tourism trends in this area. Examples of these trends include an increased focus on local customers, the rise of virtual reality-based marketing techniques, and a need to prioritize voice search.

Read the “Tourism Marketing: Brand New Marketing Tips to Boost Your Results“ article to learn more about these tourism marketing trends and various other useful tourism marketing strategies.

What Are the Biggest Tourism Trends Related to Technology?

Some of the most important tourism trends impacting customer behavior and influencing the industry are technology-related. Examples include voice recognition technology, contactless payments, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, facial recognition, and the continued rise of the Internet of Things.

Check out our “Key Technology Trends Emerging in the Travel Industry in” article for more information on technology trends related to tourism, complete with explanations for why each trend is important.

Learn More About Tourism Trends Through Tourism Courses

Specialized tourism courses can be highly valuable for those pursuing careers in the industry because they teach about tourism trends, along with important skills, strategies, and techniques related to management, marketing, finances, and much more. Various courses are available, ranging from short courses to full-time degrees.

You can find out much more about the courses on offer, what they cover, how they can benefit you, and where you can actually study them by reading “Tourism Course: A Complete Overview of Courses & Tourism Educators”.

The Most Popular Tourism Job Boards

Keeping up-to-date with the latest tourism trends can be essential for finding work and achieving career success in the tourism industry. Of course, another essential part of finding work is searching for vacancies, and one of the best ways to do this is to visit dedicated tourism job boards.

Read “Tourism Jobs: The Best Tourism Industry Job Boards for Your Career” for more information on job boards, including a breakdown of different platforms focused on the hospitality industry, airlines, the cruise industry, and more.

List of Travel Agencies to Improve Your Bookings

In recent years, the biggest tourism trend has been the change from off-line travel agencies to online travel agencies. When customers search online for travel products or services, they often seek information on the websites of travel agencies instead of consulting individual company websites. It is wise to connect to travel agencies, so you are present and can be found through their channels.

In “List of travel agencies to connect your business to” you will find a comprehensive list of different travel agency platforms. You can learn more about how travel agencies can contribute to increasing your bookings.

Tourism Trends FAQs

Technology affects the tourism industry by improving booking processes, enhancing customer service with AI, providing travelers with more information and convenience through mobile apps, and offering immersive experiences with VR and AR.

Tourism is rising due to increasing global affluence, improved transportation networks, digital connectivity making travel more accessible, a growing interest in exploring new cultures and destinations, and the industry’s adaptation to post-pandemic safety and health measures.

Tourism is popular because it satisfies diverse interests, from exploring new cultures and landscapes to seeking relaxation and luxury. It’s driven by a desire for new experiences, increased global connectivity, and improved disposable income levels.

Tourism demand refers to consumers’ desire and willingness to spend on travel and tourism-related services. It’s influenced by various factors, such as economic conditions, cultural trends, marketing efforts, and natural or man-made attractions.

Yes, tourism will change in the future, driven by technological advancements, changing traveler expectations, environmental considerations, and global socio-economic shifts. The industry will continue to evolve to meet new challenges and cater to the next generation of travelers.

Embracing the latest tourism trends is vital for success. Whether adding IoT devices to a hotel’s rooms or creating an AR app to guide your customers around their destination city, it’s never too early to adopt these crucial trends for your business model.

Want to Learn More About Trends in Related Industries?

It is essential to be aware of all the upcoming trends in the hospitality & tourism-related industries. While some trends can affect multiple industries, some are specific to the industry. You can learn more about trends within different industries in the following articles.

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This article is written by:

Martijn Barten
Hi, I am Martijn Barten, founder of Revfine.com. I am specialized in optimizing revenue by combining revenue management with marketing strategies. I have over 15 years of experience developing, implementing, and managing revenue management and marketing strategies and processes for individual properties and multi-properties.