Based on our research for major travel trends in 2024, we’ve put together several curated collections around twelve themes, showcasing the best of our images to help guide you through the consumer landscape in travel.
We found that many of these trends have an overarching narrative of people seeking more meaningful experiences, whether relating to sustainability or human connections with other cultures, and a desire to learn about world around us, from the earth’s flora and fauna to the stars and planets in the sky.
Read on to find out what’s trending in travel right now, and to discover our top twelve travel themes for 2024.
New and Hidden Perspectives
Travellers will have a reinvigorated zest for exploring and discovering new places, especially if they are less well known and off the beaten path. This feeds into the demand for more authentic and meaningful travel experiences coupled with the desire to forge deeper human connections with locals.
Hilton’s 2024 Trends Report finds that travelers are prioritising experiences more than ever, with 85% putting these at the top of their reasons for travel, and 81% looking forward to exploring the unknown.
We showcase two new collections that show both up-and-coming travel locations and hidden, unusual perspectives of some of the most familiar sites.
In our New Perspectives collection follow the journey from the breathtaking steppes of Mongolia to the shores of the Swahili coast.
Then, get a fresh outlook with our Hidden Perspectives collection, where we’ve cherry-picked the best of lesser-known scenes from the most famous places in the world.
Cool-Cationing
This emerging trend might not appeal to the sun-seekers, but the rise of Cool-Cationing is hard to ignore. With the recent record-breaking high temperatures in Europe, travellers are now just as likely to consider visiting colder and more moderate climates, which has led to a surge in popularity for northern destinations such as Finland, Norway, Iceland and Scotland.
In the Virtuoso 2024 Luxe Report, a whopping 82% of travellers are looking at booking trips to destinations with moderate climates in 2024. The fact that these holiday spots may be less crowded is likely another appealing aspect.
With families considering more scenic and adventurous holidays in colder climes, embrace the chill with our Cool-Cationing collection.
Sustainable Tourism
Perhaps one of the more predictable trends, but undoubtedly of the more crucial ones, eco-tourism is continuing to gain momentum, allowing travellers to make a positive difference in finding purpose and to create more meaningful experiences within local communities. Examples of this type of travel include trips to wildlife conservation areas, learning sustainable crafts, or even just travelling to a destination by train or boat with a smaller carbon footprint.
Last year 69% of tourists were actively seeking sustainable travel – that desire continues with younger generations who are especially concerned about climate change.
As well as being more conscientious in finding sustainable travel options, holiday makers will be keeping an eye on the travel industry, looking at how tour operators and hotel owners are supporting environmental initiatives before booking trips with them.
Discover how travellers are ‘taking only memories, leaving only footprints’ in our Sustainable Tourism collection
Solo Travel
Another growing travel trend is solo travel, with recent surveys showing that 68% view themselves as ‘independent’ travellers, and that life transitions are big drivers of this trend. Lifestyles and social expectations are shifting away from some of the traditions of the past, with younger people focusing on life goals other than marriage and starting families early on in life, and so are more likely to be single and travelling individually than ever before.
Some travel companies are working to do away with the financial obstacle of ‘single supplements’ and move towards specialising in connecting people for adventures of a lifetime instead.
Personal growth, wanting to meet new people and feeling independent are just a few more examples of why the desire for solo travelling for all ages is steadily on the rise.
Step out on your own terms and check out our curated Solo Travel collection here
Travel Encounters
Even though lockdowns are now well and truly behind us, the world will never be the same again after the pandemic, and the post-pandemic desire for more immersive travel experiences continues to flourish. Echoing the New and Hidden Perspectives trend above, 40% of global travellers will travel to learn about different cultures and destinations, while 26% will travel to learn about their own culture and heritage.
Naturally, food plays an integral part for travellers wanting to experience different cultures as deeply as possible. As they start to look at booking trips in 2024, about half of travellers’ top focus is on culinary experiences, and this is the case across all generations.
Sharing these unique cultural experiences with family and loved ones is also an important part of this trend. Explore our Travel Encounters collection here.
Astro Tourism
This year, we’ll see an increase in wellness retreats and spas looking to create spaces for guests to view the night sky, which is just as well, as 2024 is set to be a big year for star gazers. Scientists have predicted the best Northern Lights displays in 20 years with eclipses and meteor showers to see by those happy to travel to locations which offer the best seats in the house.
A study has revealed that one third of people can’t see the Milky Way from their homes, prompting this desire to travel far and wide to see astrological events. Parisians for example, would have to travel 900km to places such as central Spain or Scotland in order to view the night sky with no light pollution.
Retreating to destinations free from pollution, traffic or crowds and being able to focus exclusively on celestial subjects is undoubtedly beneficial for well-being and mindfulness, feeding into the interest in digital detoxes.
Travel with us to parts of the world with no light pollution or crowds, and be awe-struck by constellations in starry skies in our Astro Tourism collection.
Mature Travellers
Over 50s have more confidence in their finances and are therefore more likely to travel than younger generations. With more time too, they’re finding a new zest for life and the desire for travel is growing – over 56% of this age group have already booked a holiday for 2024.
We’ve also seen that there’s a growing trend for ‘Skip-gen travel’, with grandparents seizing the opportunity to spend quality time holidaying with their grandchildren.
Uncover our collection showing how the over 50s age group is experiencing the cultures and activities that other countries have to offer in our Mature Travellers collection.
Tour Tourism
Have you got tickets for a festival or to see a favourite artist this year? Maybe you’re combining a holiday with a concert? If so, you’ll be far from alone. 2024 will see more music fans than ever inspired to combine travelling for gigs with sights of the local area.
Once-in-a-lifetime experience destinations such as Auckland, Sydney and Singapore will be where some of the biggest artists are performing.
Explore our collections and discover 6 concerts not to miss –
Luxury Influencer
Younger travellers (between the ages of 18 – 34) will put experiences before material possessions and are therefore willing to spend more when booking holidays. The resulting demand for luxury travel experiences is very high in this age bracket.
On the other side of this coin, influencers on social media with large followings provide a form of escapism for those who are unable to get away, whilst showcasing travel inspiration for those who can.
We’re also still seeing the effects of being able to travel again after the pandemic, with 69% of UK luxury travellers intending to spend more on their trips than before the pandemic, the highest figure in Europe.
Explore some of the most aspirational holiday destinations and be influenced by our Luxury Influencer collection
Wild Feasting
Wild Feasting provides hyper-local culinary experiences in natural environments, and this amalgamation of food and travel trends is fueled by the rise in demand for more meaningful and environmentally conscientious experiences, allowing travellers to be connected with the natural world through foraged ingredients.
In Sweden, you can book a table in a beautiful location from a network of outdoor restaurants, forage for food, then cook it using a recipe from a Michelin chef.
In 2024, a greater range of wild feasting opportunities will give urbanites the chance to connect over food.
Get a taste of this trend and tuck in to our Wild Feasting collection
Travel in Motion
We cannot ignore the emerging and growing trends of how we consume travel content for 2024.
In video clips we experience both the sights and sounds of live moments from around the world – ideal for grabbing more attention from content consumers. Technology Apps such as TikTok and Instagram have encouraged more and more User Generated Content with a growing number of Travel Vloggers on YouTube.
Journey with us to sights far afield with video highlights in our Travel in Motion collection
Holiday Snaps
In reaction to the perfect online lives we are constantly exposed to, sharing our imperfect lives and experiences is the perfect antidote. We recognise that actually enjoying travel sights, scenes and experiences are often more important than spending too much time taking the perfect photo. Often, the one-off serendipitous events that capture a brief feeling of being ‘in the moment’ are ones that’ll be remembered most.
With the rise in the demand for authenticity, showing believable and relatable content is one of the strongest ways companies and brands can connect with their customers.
Build a sense of authenticity with your audience and explore our Holiday snaps collection
We hope you found this guide interesting and informative, maybe even leaving you inspired to take a trip a little different to your usual summer holiday!