Travel is back! After three years of pandemic, the travel industry has largely returned to its previous level in the past year. So, January is early booking time again! That’s why we’ve put together the most exciting travel trends for 2024 and looked at how the travel industry is developing, both inside and outside of the Tradedoubler network. Find out more about the development of the travel industry, travel planning with AI, set-jetting, destination dupes, and which destinations will be particularly popular in 2024!
Travel in a nutshell: Insights into the Tradedoubler network
Our figures from the Tradedoubler network show that the travel industry is returning to its former strength. In the first quarter of 2023, our travel programmes generated around 41% of total order value. This figure was 31% in Q1 2022 and just 7% in the Covid-19 year 2021. The upward trend in the travel industry is likely to continue this year: In the first two weeks of the new year, our travel programmes generated around 39% of the total order value.
A closer look at the figures from last year shows that consumers were particularly keen to book in calendar weeks two to five. It is also clear to see that the order value generated by travel slowly but steadily decreases from March onwards. That means that anyone who wants to benefit from the early booking business you should hold on tight, especially in the next few weeks until the end of February.
The Travel Trends 2024
Trend #1: Set-Jetting This trend means traveling to places that serve as a backdrop for films, series, or social media events. That also confirmed the Expedia Travel Trend Report 2024: In the survey, more than half of travellers stated that they were inspired by TV series or films when planning a trip. One example is the search queries related to the HBO series “The White Lotus”. Searches for Hawaii (first season) and Sicily (second season) have increased by 300% on Expedia and Hotels.com (Expedia, 2023).
Trend #2: Away from Mass Tourism and Destination Dupes In times of over tourism in popular holiday destinations such as Italy, Indonesia, Greece and Thailand, many travellers are drawn to more secluded places. The latest trend for 2024 is vacations in undiscovered holiday destinations. That also fits with a phenomenon which is currently going viral on TikTok: Destination Dupes. These are holidays in places that are quieter and cheaper than popular destinations but are just as beautiful as their well-known twins – real duplicates. Examples of destination dupes include Pattaya instead of Bangkok, Paros instead of Santorini or Perth instead of Sydney.
Trend #3: Travel planning with AI Since the launch of ChatGPT, artificial intelligence has been a part of our everyday lives – including in the travel industry. For example, travellers can use chatbots to collect suggestions for their next trip, compare hotel offers, plan their itinerary, check entry requirements, get travel tips and so on – there are no limits to the imagination. The potential behind this is considerable: According to a global survey by the Expedia Group, almost 40% of respondents would use generative AI to find holiday accommodation or a hotel, a third would use it to compare flights and get inspiration for their destination, and 35% would use AI to search for holiday activities (Expedia, 2023).
In addition to these trends, other travel trends have already established in the past year. They include sustainable travel, road trips and camping, travelling by car, last-minute trips, and luxury travel, which are becoming increasingly popular.
Quotes from our travel partners
“Package holidays are very popular again this year. Many people are booking a holiday to Crete or Majorca. But Lake Garda and long-haul destinations such as Zanzibar and Thailand are also in high demand. Anyone looking for a cheap holiday should book early. Prices for holidays rose significantly last year and are likely to go up again slightly this year. In the early booking phase, it is easier to find a favourable offer or benefit from discount campaigns.”
“This year’s trend among our users shows growing enthusiasm for individual travel experiences, particularly through motorhome holidays and road trips as well as trips to individual bucket list destinations.In 2024, Egypt remains one of our favourite travel destinations, while the fascination with attractive long-haul destinations such as the USA and Australia continues. Insider tips such as Albania and South Korea are becoming increasingly popular.”
Anke Sygulka, Head of Key Account Management, Urlaubstracker
“With the expansion of the flight route network, Condor strives to connect more and more people globally. As a result, the requirements for digital marketing are also becoming increasingly intertwined as well as more complex. Additionally, these demands are enhanced by the very different legal framework conditions in the various markets. Partnerships with companies like Tradedoubler help us to achieve this growth internationally and tackle resulting challenges together.”
January is the early booking season, so make sure the travellers can find your offers. Whether you run a hotel, airline, tour company, comparison website, or any related business. Take the opportunity to realise international growth in the travel industry efficiently.
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