As 2023 draws to a close, travel giants Expedia, Abritel and Hotels.com are scrutinizing past trends. They’re ready to outline key travel trends for 2024. Insights from internal data and a thousand-traveler survey reveal eight trends. These new phenomena look set to shape the travel landscape in 2024.
“We see travel in 2024 defined by detox breaks, concert tourism featuring stars like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé, and a surge in vacation rentals,” says Jon Gieselman, Expedia Brands’ president. “All these trends will create memorable family time,” he adds.
What are these eight ‘dupe’ destinations for 2024?
Just as in 2023, films and series keep influencing travelers’ desires. Over half of French individuals aged 18-44 admit to researching or booking trips based on TV and film locations. Indeed, 51% have already done so, and 35% believe TV series and films significantly influence their travel plans.
Pop culture lovers headed to Romania after Netflix released “Wednesday.” Similarly, fans of “Emily in Paris” gave themselves a Parisian detour. Chicago also saw a visitor surge thanks to “The Bear”‘s premier season.
Travelers seeking budget and tranquility are favoring ‘dupe’ destinations. These lesser-known alternatives to bigger cities offer a similar experience at lower costs and fewer crowds. Searches for these spots have surged year-on-year, with the top five witnessing over double the traffic last year:
- Taipei (alternative for Seoul): +2,786%
- Paros (alternative for Santorini): +193%
- Curaçao (alternative for Saint-Martin): +185%
- Perth (alternative for Sydney): +109%
- Liverpool (alternative for London): +97%
- Palermo (alternative for Lisbon): +89%
- Québec (alternative for Geneva): +60%
- Memphis (alternative for Nashville): +16%
We also witnessed rising interest on Expedia.fr in 2023 for these three destinations:
- Istria (alternative for Dalmatia): +171%
- Bergen (alternative for Stockholm): +102%
- Krakow (alternative for Prague): +81%
Music tourisms trend continues, bolstered in 2023 by Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour and Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ tour, encouraging fans to travel far and wide to attend concerts.
The report also highlighted increased interest in detox vacations, allowing for a break from alcohol and a spotlight on a healthier lifestyle.
When choosing hotels, ambiance is a primary factor for 3/4 of the French; style-oriented establishments are in vogue. Traveling families and friend groups incline towards holiday rentals with outdoor amenities.
Finally, Expedia Group suggests that travelers are likely to utilize ‘generative AI’ more heavily in planning their trips. 50% of French people aged between 18-34 view AI as a useful tool for saving planning time and assessing flight options and dupe destinations.
