Travel Experience Trend Tracker – Fall 2024
A deep dive into the super bookers of your travel activity
Here are the key takeaways:
If you just look at spend, you'll miss the trend.
It’s no secret. The post-COVID travel boom has slowed down. But two trends remain stable:
Experiences over possessions
People are still spending their time and money on experiences instead of material things.
This is a great sign.
This is a great sign.
Passionate travelers continue to propel the travel industry forward
The people who have always spent money on travel are still driving the market.
In periods of stagnation, it's crucial to focus on this audience
Because travel is down…
but travel passions and ambitions are not.
Travel spending may be down...
Travel spending is down compared to last year — and consumers are less willing to spend on flights and hotels than before.
Die Reiseausgaben sind im Vergleich zum letzten Jahr rückläufig - und die Verbraucher sind weniger bereit, für Flüge und Hotels auszugeben als früher.
El gasto en viajes ha descendido en comparación con el año pasado, y los consumidores están menos dispuestos que antes a gastar en vuelos a y hoteles a .
Travel Experiences (OTAs)
Travel Experiences
Travel (all)
Flights
Accommodation
But the macro trend for experiences is on the up
When it comes to experiences overall, the long-term trend hasn’t slowed. In fact, people continue to choose experiences over material things.
Wenn es um Erlebnisse insgesamt geht, hat sich der langfristige Trend nicht verlangsamt. Tatsächlich ziehen die Menschen weiterhin Erlebnisse materiellen Dingen vor.
En cuanto a las experiencias en general, la tendencia a largo plazo no se ha frenado. De hecho, la gente sigue prefiriendo las experiencias de a las cosas materiales de.
Taking a wider view, the experience industry is growing
Since 2019, travel experiences have grown +33%, while OTAs have grown +188%.
This makes OTAs the fastest growing travel vertical, far outpacing travel growth overall (+16% since 2019).
This makes OTAs the fastest growing travel vertical, far outpacing travel growth overall (+16% since 2019).
33%
Travel Experiences
188%
Travel Experiences
(OTAs)
(OTAs)
Who is an Explorer?
“Explorers” are the biggest spenders, and likely the drivers of the experience trend.
Here's what sets them apart.
Here's what sets them apart.
An Explorer is someone who...
Took 12 trips in the past 2 years — 20% more than the average traveler
Does more of all types of travel activities than any other traveler
Represents ~60% of the entire activities spend globally
Looks for high-quality tours and experiences
Explorers do more on vacation than the average traveler
Activities done in the past year
Leisure attractions ticketsCultural monuments, museums or galleriesCity walking toursTheme parksNational park admissionsBoat or bus toursDay trips with guideAdventure toursWorkshops and lessons
50%
Explorers
VS
43%
Average Travelers
Who’s doing what?
Explorers (as their name suggests) do multiple trips per year. From family vacations to exotic getaways, the activities they book while traveling differ greatly depending on who they’re with and where they’re going.
So how do we begin to understand who’s booking activities, if they’re taking multiple trips: with their family, their friends, or even alone?
Who are the most common travel companions?
It’s most common for people to travel with partners, but solo travel is seeing a significant uptick, especially amongst women.
50%
With Partner
48%
With family
26%
Friends
35%
Solo travelers
11%
Pets
6%
Groups
Your travel companion is the biggest influence on which experiences you book
Partner trips are the most common, and couples are most likely to consider a wider variety of activities.
Leisure attraction tickets
Theme parks
City walking tours
Workshops and lessons
Boats or bus tours
Leisure attractions tickets
Workshops and lessons
Adventure tours
National park admissions
National park admissions
Adventure tours
City walking tours
Cultural monuments, museums or galleries
Adventure tours
Cultural monuments, museums or galleries
Cultural monuments, museums or galleries
Theme parks
Cultural monuments, museums or galleries
Day trips with guides
National park admissions
Travelers think about experiences in four segments
Cultural, natural, and historical attractions and landmarks
Leisure attractions, theme parks, stadium tours, zoos and aquariums
Boat, bus, vehicle tours, and day trips
Small group walking tours, adventure tours, and immersive activities
People who booked cultural, historic, and natural monuments…
- Are most likely university educated
- Almost 60% said they traveled with their partners
- Italian and Spanish travelers visited museums most, and Americans were most likely to have visited a national park
People who book leisure activities and shows…
- Are most likely to travel with children / their families (61%)
- Are most likely to do “staycations” (38%)
- Are more likely to be American (+11% vs average)
People who booked boat, bus, and bike tours…
- Are most likely to book their accommodation in advance (4.9 months!)
- Have the highest average incomes
- Almost 60% are Gen Z or Millennials
People who book walking tours and niche activities…
- Are more likely to be urbanites (+14%) and favor city breaks
- Are more likely to travel with their partner (57% of tours)
- Have the longest average vacation length (4.6 days)
Where you live makes a difference
Europeans are 2.3x more likely to do a walking tour than Americans
One third of all Americans said they’d visited a theme park in the past 12 months
6/10 Spaniards and Italians favor museums and cultural monuments — more than any other nationality
Download the full report to get more insights and boost your conversions
What’s included:
Detailed prompts on how to improve your offering and increase visibility
Data and insights to help you define your marketing strategy
An in-depth look at experience industry projections for 2025
It’s yours
Your new report contains the latest industry data, collated by our experts and broken down into actionable points.
Read it now and jump on the latest trends, learn how to improve your offering and understand your target market better than ever.
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