Booking.com’s most extensive travel predictions research to date has identified the needs and wants of future travellers that industry operators should be planning for.
Drawing on research among more than 27,000 travellers across 33 countries and territories, including more than 1000 from New Zealand, combined with Booking.com’s insights as a leading digital travel platform, the findings point to key behavioural shifts that are must-knows for the industry throughout the coming year.
- • ‘Surprise and delight’ takes the main stage as travellers seek out the unknown
Next year travellers will increasingly surrender themselves to the unknown and venture into uncharted territory, with nearly half (48 per cent) keen to book a surprise trip where everything down to the destination is unknown until arrival.
This potential shift in destination decision-making paves the way for lesser known locations and experiences, with 49 per cent preferring to venture off the beaten path and one in five (22 per cent) seeking to travel with strangers.
Flexibility will be key with the majority (47 per cent) preferring to have no plans set in stone prior to travelling in 2024, while over two thirds (63 per cent) will opt to travel with loose plans so they can change direction based on what feels good in the moment – creating strong potential for last-minute bookings.
Technologies that help enable this intent to embrace spontaneity will play a key role in empowering this cohort. The explosion of AI, which has already seen the launch of Booking.com’s AI Trip planner in beta in markets like the US, is going mainstream in 2024: one third (34 per cent) of Kiwi travellers would trust AI to plan a trip for them. Tech-enabled flexible services that give travellers the option to cancel, change plans, and buy now, pay later at the press of a button will be equally integral.
- • Savvy travellers will level up budget-friendly itineraries with ad-hoc extravagance
Fueled by the cost of living crisis alongside the mainstream stealth wealth trends of 2023, travellers in 2024 will be taking a save and splurge approach to itinerary building, seeking moments of luxury as an add-on to budget-conscious basics.
Luxury experiences will be bolted on to offer the best of both: close to half (45 per cent) of travellers will be willing to pay for day passes to use the amenities in a five star hotel rather than actually staying there, while 34 per cent would pay to rent a nicer car than they drive at home to travel in style. Tech will be relied on as a source of inspiration, with half (53 per cent) of travellers wanting insights and tips from AI when on holiday to upgrade experiences with suggested ancillaries and deals.
- • Sustainability innovation and experiences rooted in purpose sought by discerning travellers
Misconceptions that comfort and exceptional design are solely associated with luxury travel are diminishing, thanks to a growing movement of industry operators presenting inventive and aesthetically pleasing responses to significant environmental and social challenges.
Sustainability remains at the forefront when it comes to the experiences mindful travellers are looking for, with interest in sustainable itineraries that help them contribute to conservation efforts while offering exclusive access to a deeper understanding of how those contributions manifest. A large number are interested in sustainable travel apps where they can unlock rewards (48 per cent), such as experiences with locals in off-the-beaten-path areas (59 per cent) or visiting remote locations that tourists otherwise have limited access to (50 per cent).
Travellers are increasingly in search of jaw-dropping architecture that has environmental features at its heart, with two in five (41 per cent) looking for accommodation that has wow-factor sustainability innovation. 46 per cent want to see sustainability in action, while two thirds (62 per cent) want to see the outside brought indoors with green spaces and plants in accommodations on holiday, so ensuring that efforts are highlighted visually and through clear content will be vital.
- • Culinary history, provenance and originality will inform a deeper level of gastro-tourism
Accommodations and experiences that can elevate the traditional history, geography and craftsmanship of local cuisine will be in hot demand for next-gen gastro-tourists as more than half (56 per cent) of Kiwis are more interested in learning about the origins of a destination’s ‘must-eat’ delicacies this year than they were in the past.
The majority (87 per cent) want to try indigenous dishes and heritage flavours in 2024. Industry operators can further tap into this by offering experiences that take travellers on trails that tell the story behind the food they serve, bringing pride and income to communities around the globe.
- • Elevated rest and relaxation as an antidote to the challenges of modern life
Next year will usher in an era of amplified relaxation that goes beyond the staples of wellness. Sleep tourism, for example, will step up in popularity with sleep concierges and cutting-edge tech to serve the 53 per cent who want to travel in 2024 to solely focus on uninterrupted shut-eye.
This effect taps into the expected rise of water-centric travel; three quarters (74 per cent) agree that being close to water instantly makes them feel more relaxed, with 42 per cent interested in water-centric holidays in 2024. Experiences such as floating yoga, water sound baths and snow meditation will boom, as well as ice therapy retreats, underwater hotels and mermania.
For more information about Booking.com’s 2024 Travel Predictions, visit the official report here.
