Emerging 2024 Travel and Hospitality Trends

By Maria A. Ossa

In 2023, travellers moved the world and the hospitality industry ahead. Tourists filled airports, breathed new life into destinations, packed stadiums and restaurants, and infused hotel lobbies with renewed energy. A new Golden Age of travel and hospitality seems here to stay.

The upcoming new year promises to be an even more transformative period, reshaping how we explore, experience, and embrace our world. Let’s take a closer look at the trends set to redefine travel in the coming year.

New Trip Planning Timelines and Behavior

Recent insight from Google’s privileged survey data shed light on the dynamic nature of trip planning cycles. Travellers, particularly those willing to pay a premium, indicated that their research phase spanned at least one month from initial planning stages to booking. Additionally, the survey emphasized the importance of an ‘intuitive and seamless booking process’ as a significant factor influencing booking decisions.

As we plan for 2024, it’s clear that campaign strategies, media initiatives, and organic outreach must align with these emerging and ever-changing planning timelines. For brands and destinations, these new timelines highlight the significance of a strong UX design and the integration of streamlined booking interfaces to facilitate a hassle-free process for potential guests.

Culinary Trips Popularity Rises

Ten years ago, culinary travel was hardly on the menu. Now, it’s the main course for many, particularly among millennials and Gen Z travellers. We will see significant growth with this trend in 2024: 70% of Virtuoso advisors have seen an increase in culinary travel, and 20% of clients book trips with a food and wine focus. More than a mere indulgence, these kinds of trips have evolved into immersive experiences, offering a deeper understanding of culture through local cuisines. The rising popularity of culinary tourism stems from travellers seeking authentic gastronomic adventures that go beyond mere dining. They are looking for connection and understanding. The 2024 traveller craves hands-on cooking classes, visits to local markets, and interactions with chefs, all woven into the fabric of a destination’s identity.

Brands and destinations can capitalize on this trend by curating unique culinary experiences showcasing local flavours, collaborating with renowned chefs, hosting food festivals, and promoting food trails celebrating regional specialties. By embracing and amplifying their unique cuisines, destinations can entice travellers, fostering a lasting connection between culture, cuisine, and exploration.

Wellness Goes Beyond the Spa

Post-pandemic, there’s a heightened focus on health and wellness. Travellers now seek destinations that offer more than sightseeing. Instead, they seek rejuvenation through meditative hikes, deep ocean diving, and relaxation that extends beyond the spa. “The biggest changes emerging out of the pandemic have been a desire for privacy, nature, and mental health,” says Marcella Metzger, founder and travel designer at Premier Wellness Travel. Hotels are adapting to this trend by integrating wellness into their amenities, offering healthy menus and top-notch fitness facilities.

To capitalize on this trend, brands and destinations can align their offerings by curating wellness programs and partnering with local experts to create unique experiences. Highlighting serene landscapes and promoting wellness-centric events will cater to evolving traveller preferences and distinguish brands and destinations in a competitive market, all while providing holistic and unforgettable experiences.

Indigenous Tourism on the Rise

Indigenous tourism is experiencing a remarkable surge in popularity, drawing travellers in search of authentic cultural immersion and connection. This trend represents a shift towards experiences honouring and celebrating indigenous cultures, traditions, and heritage. “Travellers have long been enthusiastic about Indigenous tourism experiences: activities and adventures dedicated to all things pre-colonial. Recently, though, tour operators have noted that travellers want more transparency regarding how Indigenous communities are identified and compensated…The travel industry has a long history of using Indigenous communities as backdrops, or even props, in tourism experiences. Today, these groups are increasingly controlling the experiences and profiting from them,” Fast Company reports.

Travellers are increasingly interested in engaging and learning from Indigenous communities, from participating in age-old rituals to storytelling sessions and craft workshops. Brands and destinations can seize this opportunity by partnering with Indigenous communities to co-create respectful and authentic experiences. In Canada, the newly launched The Original Original campaign leverages this by aiming to further develop widespread recognition of authentic Indigenous experiences nationwide. In Puerto Rico, Live Boricua is a similar campaign that invites visitors to experience the island the Boricua way. A movement born out of Puerto Rico with insights and experiences driven by Puerto Ricans. Embracing and promoting indigenous tourism enriches the travel landscape and fosters meaningful connections between travellers and the diverse cultures that shape our world.

Memories > Things

2023’s trend of quiet luxury has evolved into valuing memories and experiences over possessions. We’re seeing a rising trend of travellers prioritizing meaningful moments over material goods, seeking to collect memories that last a lifetime. This trend emphasizes the importance of absorbing, soul-enriching experiences, from intimate cultural encounters, to breathtaking landscapes, to participating in local cooking classes as ultimate souvenirs. Brands and destinations can leverage this trend by creating unforgettable moments and emotional connections for their guests. Put the gift shop on the back burner and start curating experiences that speak to local culture within your destinations.

Daycations on the Rise

Although flight travel is expected to rise in 2024, some hotels and resorts are looking to take a different approach to welcoming new guests to their properties. Daycations are surging in popularity, reflecting a shift in travel preferences towards shorter, engrossing getaways. The line between private member clubs and hotels is beginning to blur, and properties are turning to the local community for patronage. This trend caters to individuals seeking brief but impactful experiences, allowing them to escape their routine and indulge in a day of relaxation, explorations, or adventure without the commitment of a longer trip. Staycations offer a spectrum of possibilities, from spa retreats to outdoor excursions, cultural immersions, or simply a serene weekend getaway in a nearby hotel.

Cutting-edge hotels are beginning to dabble with the subscription base model for locals, allowing them to experience property amenities at a fixed rate, offering a steady revenue in addition to those guests who are long-distance travellers. Destinations and hotels can capitalize further on this trend by curating weekend staycation packages, offering unique activities and promoting easily accessible and picturesque spots for day trips. However, it’s crucial for brands to ask themselves: Is it beneficial for our business model to establish a club-style membership program? Once these members are enrolled, how can you sustain these packages while ensuring a seamless experience for traditional guests.?

AI as the Travel Know-It-All

In 2023, generative AI won headlines and demanded our attention. Millions of us experimented with chatbots and image generators, awed by the capabilities of this burgeoning technology. 2024 is expected to be the year in which travellers embrace this technology throughout their travel journey. Already, we’re seeing that travellers are using AI tools to recommend where to stay, to help with itinerary outlines, and to find the best times to book flights. Expedia’s 2024 Trends in Travel reports: “Nearly 40% of travellers would be likely to use it to help find a hotels or vacation rental, a third would use it to compare flight options or simply get inspiration on where to go, and 35% would use it to find activities and things to do.”

For destinations, brands, and hotels, it’s important to start thinking about how accessible your information is to these kinds of AI models. Having rich content on your website that will hit the criteria AI travel assistants are searching for will help you jump to the top of the results and capitalize on this trend in the upcoming year.

Destination “Dupes” Follows “Set-Jetting”

In 2023, the emerging trend among younger travelling generations was ‘Set-Jetting,’ showcasing a growing fascination among travellers to visit destinations where trendy or iconic movies and TV shows were filmed. This upcoming year, the trend amongst younger travellers is ‘dupes.’ TikTok popularized the idea of a ‘dupe,’ or more affordable alternatives to popular and high-end products. Unsurprisingly, the concept is increasingly taking off in the world of travel.

Expedia’s 2024 trend reports have awarded the ‘dupe’ badge of honour to these top alternatives to 2024’s trending destinations, some of which saw a rise in popularity thanks to their appearance in movies or TV shows. Palermo is Lisbon’s dupe, Taipei is a dupe for Seoul, and Paros is a dupe for Santorini. These locations are just as trip-worthy as their tried-and-true doppelgängers, but you’ll pay less, learn more, and, ideally, fewer tourists will be there with you. Destination dupes are locations that are a little unexpected, sometimes more affordable, but every bit as delightful as the more known sites.

The Future of Travel

As we get ready to step into 2024, the travel and hospitality industry is navigating a landscape shaped by lessons of the past and the possibilities of the future. Embracing these trends means evolving to meet the needs of travellers worldwide. It’s an exciting time where innovation meets exploration. At VERB, we’re travel, marketing, and social media industry leaders. Our talented team can work with your brand to stay ahead of the trends in 2024 and better promote your offerings to the most accurate demographic.

Contact us to learn more about our marketing services, or visit some of our partners to get inspired for your next adventure.

Maria Ossa is a Social Media Coordinator at VERB Interactive — a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.