group travel trends 2022

The future of group travel: top 10 trends & insights for 2022

We’re sharing the newest group travel trends and insights with you, so you can be in the know when picking where to go next year.

by Emily Houston

October 1, 2021

As we near the end of 2021, we have our hearts set on all the travel opportunities to come in 2022. Think: twirling a plate of truffle pasta in Florence, making your friends go green with envy when they see your photos at the Cliffs of Moher, or even finally catching that creamsicle-colored Santorini sunset. That’s why we’re sharing the newest group travel trends and insights with you, so you can be in the know when picking where to go next year.

1. Italy, Greece, and Ireland take the cake as the most popular countries to visit

Europe has our hearts. But are we really surprised? It’s home to foods that are more than worth an overnight flight and there’s a country for every type of traveler. With a range of travel styles to choose from, it’s easy for travelers to find a tour of Italy, Greece, Ireland, and beyond that speaks to them. The love for Europe doesn’t stop there. The UK, Scotland, and Spain round out the top six destinations across the globe that travelers are most interested in visiting. Talk about the ultimate destinations for history, culture, and a little bit of Mediterranean sunshine.

Discover best-selling trips to Italy, Greece, and Ireland

Venice, Florence & Rome (9 days)

The Greek Islands: Mykonos, Santorini & Crete

Ireland: Traditions of the Emerald Isle

See all of our Europe tours >

2. Travelers are also dreaming of visiting Australia

Outside of Europe, Australia’s the destination travelers are most interested in visiting. While Australia isn’t one of the countries we’re traveling to right now , it hasn’t stopped people from planning ahead for when they can take a trip to the Land Down Under. From feeling the pulse of city life in Melbourne, to snorkeling alongside the stunning wildlife in the Great Barrier Reef, and even seeing UNESCO-listed icons like the Sydney Opera House, Australia really has it all.

Plan for a future trip to Australia

Highlights of Australia & New Zealand

Australia & New Zealand

Highlights of Australia: The Great Barrier Reef to Sydney

See all of our Australia tours >

3. Expect a big boom in group travel throughout 2022

People are ready to get off their couches and back out into the world! More than half of travelers (62% to be exact!) are looking to travel in 2022, while another 43% have their sights set on a 2023 adventure. An additional 16% of people are looking even further out and planning their first international trip for 2024. More groups on the road = more bucket list moments, shared memories, and connections made with locals around the globe.

Explore trending tours for 2022

Kenya Wildlife Safari: Mount Kenya, Maasai Mara & Amboseli

Costa Rica: Rainforests, Volcanoes & Wildlife

London, Paris & Rome

4. Shoulder season edges out the off-season as the most popular time to travel

While we love a good excuse to take a trip in the off-season , 57% of people are planning trips for the shoulder season. That’s May and September! Those are the months right before and after peak travel season, plus those months are usually when the weather is just right. May and September are also when many local celebrations take place, like Oktoberfest , which gives travelers a chance to see the more festive side of their destination.

Travel on these top trips in May and September

Oktoberfest: Germany, Switzerland & Austria

Barcelona, Southern France & the Italian Riviera

Grand Tour of Italy

5. Solo travel is taking over

A quarter of travelers prefer to go solo ! Want to know the best part of going solo on a guided tour? It’s that you’re not really solo, you’re surrounded by our travel experts and a group of like-minded travelers. Plus, you’ll enjoy the ease of having all the details handled, and the peace of mind knowing we’re there for you wherever you go.

See tours created just for solo travelers

Greek Islands for Solo Travelers: Crete & Santorini

Ireland for Solo Travelers

U.S. National Parks for Solo Travelers: The Grand Canyon to Zion

See all of our Solo Tours >

6. Multi-Country Tours are trending

40% of people prefer to see as much as possible over visiting just one country. Good thing our Multi-Country Tours make it easy to visit more than one place during a trip—especially if you’re going to Europe. Psst… these are our six favorite Multi-Country Tours . Stopping in a variety of destinations gives you the chance to experience more cultures, cuisines, and landscapes. Sounds like a travel trifecta to us!

Book these popular Multi-Country Tours today

Italy & Greece

Highlights of England, Scotland & Ireland

Grand Tour of Portugal & Spain: Porto to Barcelona

See all of our Multi-Country Tours >

7. One to two weeks is the ideal amount of time to be away

61% of people like to take trips that are between seven and 14 days long. Even if you’re short on time, you don’t need to skimp on experiencing alllll the highlights. When you go guided, you say goodbye to wasting time standing in line or wandering around trying to decide what’s worth seeing next. You’ll get to skip the lines and see the top sites with expert local guides on all of our tours .

Set off on these weeklong trips in 2022

Ancient Egypt: Giza, Luxor & Cairo

A Week in Greece: Athens, Mykonos & Santorini

A Week in Costa Rica: San José, Arenal & Guanacaste

8. People want to visit somewhere new, instead of an old favorite

84% of travelers want to go to places they’ve never been before. Building and tackling a bucket list is one of the joys of seeing the world, and travelers love to cross new places off their list whenever they can. Will 2022 be the year you check a World Wonder or UNESCO-listed site off your list?

Take these bucket list trips in 2022

Israel, Jordan & Egypt: Petra to the Pyramids

Grand Tour of Peru: Machu Picchu to Lake Titicaca

Iceland: Reykjavik & the Northern Lights

9. Art, history, and adventure are among travelers’ top interests

Traveling is all about finding trips that really suit your style. For most people, this means picking a tour that highlights the art, history, or adventure found in a particular region. Have a different interest in mind? Our travel styles have got you covered. From Castle Tours to Safari & Wildlife trips and even Food & Wine getaways, you can experience the world on carefully crafted itineraries tailored to your specific interests.

Browse trips by your travel style

Adventure Tours

History Tours

Art & Culture Tours

Take our Tour Match quiz to find a trip that fits your interests or browse all of of our travel styles >

10. Travelers value ease of purchase and the overall tour experience

Where you go on tour, what you do, and how easy it is to pay for that dream trip are by far the most important aspects people value in a travel company. Lucky for you, AutoPay , our interest-free payment plan, makes it easy to book your tour for just $99 down and pay for it over time. Plus, when you go guided with us we handle all the details—and we truly mean all the details. From booking hotels and transportation to securing expert local guides and skip-the-line tickets to top attractions, we take care of all the logistics. That means your only responsibility is to sit back and enjoy the sites and scenery on tour.

In addition to all those benefits of going guided , we also provide the industry-leading EF COVID Care Promise to all travelers. In the rare instance you’re diagnosed with COVID-19 or need to quarantine while on tour, we’ll be there to assist you. For no additional cost , we’ll cover food and lodging, reschedule your flights home if we booked them, and coordinate translation services.

Check out these immersive tours to top destinations

Greece’s Cyclades Islands: Naxos & Paros tour

Ireland: The Wild Atlantic Way

Food & Wine: Northern Italy & the Italian Riviera

See all of our Small Group Tours >

Which future travel trends are getting you excited to get out and see the world in 2022? Tell us on our Facebook page !

About the author

Emily Houston

Emily loves the simple travel moments—like watching hours pass by in minutes while sharing a meal and a laugh (or many) with her friends and family. Outside the office, you'll find Emily listening to anything and everything John Mayer, attempting to cook a New York Times recipe, or dreaming up her next trip.

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What is the future of travel?

All aboard! After the pandemic upended life and leisure as we know it, travel is roaring back. The industry is set to make a full recovery by the end of 2024, after losing 75 percent of its value in 2020. Much of this has been so-called “revenge travel,” or people embarking on international or bucket list trips that were delayed by the pandemic. But domestic travel is recovering quickly too and is set to represent 70 percent of travel spending by 2030.

Get to know and directly engage with senior McKinsey experts on travel and tourism

Margaux Constantin is a partner in McKinsey’s Dubai office, Matteo Pacca is a senior partner in the Paris office, and Vik Krishnan is a senior partner in the Bay Area office.

We’ve done a deep dive into the latest travel trends and how industry players can adjust accordingly in The state of travel and hospitality 2024 report. Check out the highlights below, as well as McKinsey’s insights on AI in travel, mass tourism, and much more.

Learn more about McKinsey’s Travel, Logistics, and Infrastructure Practice .

Who are today’s travelers, and what do they want?

In February and March 2024, McKinsey surveyed  more than 5,000 people in China, Germany, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom, and the United States who had taken at least one leisure trip in the past two years. Here are six highlights from the results of that survey:

• Travel is a top priority, especially for younger generations. Sixty-six percent of travelers we surveyed said they are more interested in travel now than before the COVID-19 pandemic. And millennials and Gen Zers  are traveling more and spending a higher share of their income on travel than their older counterparts.
• Younger travelers are keen to travel abroad. Gen Zers and millennials who responded to our survey are planning nearly an equal number of international and domestic trips in 2024. Older generations are planning to take twice as many domestic trips.
• Baby boomers are willing to spend if they see value. Baby boomers still account for 20 percent of overall travel spending. They are willing to spend on comforts such as nonstop flights. On the other hand, they are more willing to forego experiences to save money while traveling, unlike Gen Zers who will cut all other expense categories before they trim experiences.
• Travel is a collective story, with destinations as the backdrop. Travelers both want to hear other travelers’ stories and share their own. Ninety-two percent of younger travelers were inspired by social media in some shape or form for their last trip.
• What travelers want depends on where they’re from. Sixty-nine percent of Chinese respondents said they plan to visit a famous sight on their next trip, versus the 20 percent of European and North American travelers who said the same. Respondents living in the UAE also favor iconic destinations, as well as shopping and outdoor activities.

Learn more about McKinsey’s  Travel, Logistics, and Infrastructure Practice .

What are the top three travel industry trends today?

Travel is back, but traveler flows are shifting. McKinsey has isolated three major themes for industry stakeholders to consider as they look ahead.

• The bulk of travel spending is close to home. Seventy-five percent of travel spend is domestic. The United States is currently the world’s largest domestic travel market, but China is set to overtake it in the coming years. Stakeholders should make sure they capture the full potential of domestic travelers before turning their attention abroad.
• New markets such as India, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe are growing sources of outbound tourism. Indians’ travel spending is expected to grow 9 percent per year between now and 2030; annual growth projections for Southeast Asians and Eastern Europeans are both around 7 percent.
• Unexpected destinations are finding new ways to lure travelers and establish themselves alongside enduring favorites. Rwanda, for example, has capitalized on sustainable tourism by limiting gorilla trekking permits and directing revenue toward conservation.

Introducing McKinsey Explainers : Direct answers to complex questions

For a more in-depth look at these trends, check out McKinsey’s State of travel and hospitality 2024   report .

How will AI change how people travel?

In the 1950s, the introduction of the jet engine dramatically reduced travel times, changing the way people traveled forever. Now AI is upending the industry  in a similarly fundamental way. Industry players down to individual travelers are using advances in generative AI (gen AI) , machine learning , and deep learning  to reimagine what it means to plan, book, and experience travel. “It’s quite clear,” says McKinsey partner Vik Krishnan , “that gen AI significantly eases  the process of travel discovery.”

For travel companies, the task now is to rethink how they interact with customers, develop products and services, and manage operations in the age of AI. According to estimates by McKinsey Digital, companies that holistically address digital and analytics opportunities have the potential to see an earnings improvement of up to 25 percent .

McKinsey and Skift Research interviewed executives from 17 companies across five types of travel business. Here are three key findings on how travel companies can reckon with emerging technologies, drawn from the resulting report The promise of travel in the age of AI :

• Segmentation. Companies can use AI to create hyperspecific customer segments to guide how they interact with and serve customers. Segmentation can be based on a single macro characteristic (such as business versus leisure), or it can be so specific as to relate to just one customer.
• Surprise and delight. In the travel context, gen AI could take the form of digital assistants that interact with customers throughout their journeys, providing personalized trip itineraries and tailored recommendations and helping to resolve unexpected disruptions.
• Equipping workers better. AI tools can free up frontline workers’ time, allowing them to focus more on personal customer interactions. These tools can also shorten the training time for new hires and quickly upskill  the existing workforce.

AI is important, yes. But, according to Ella Alkalay Schreiber, general manager (GM) of fintech at Hopper, “The actual challenge is to understand the data, ask the right questions, read prediction versus actual, and do this in a timely manner. The actual challenge is the human thinking, the common sense .”

How is mass tourism changing travel?

More people are traveling than ever before. The most visited destinations are experiencing more concentrated flows of tourists ; 80 percent of travelers visit just 10 percent of the world’s tourist destinations. Mass tourism can encumber infrastructure, frustrate locals, and even harm the attractions that visitors came to see in the first place.

Tourism stakeholders can collectively look for better ways to handle visitor flows before they become overwhelming. Destinations should remain alert to early warning signs about high tourism concentration and work to maximize the benefits of tourism, while minimizing its negative impacts.

Destinations should remain alert to early warning signs about high tourism concentration and work to maximize the benefits of tourism, while minimizing its negative impacts.

For one thing, destinations should understand their carrying capacity of tourists—that means the specific number of visitors a destination can accommodate before harm is caused to its physical, economic, or sociocultural environment. Shutting down tourism once the carrying capacity is reached isn’t always possible—or advisable. Rather, destinations should focus on increasing carrying capacity to enable more growth.

Next, destinations should assess their readiness to handle mass tourism and choose funding sources and mechanisms that can address its impacts. Implementing permitting systems for individual attractions can help manage capacity and mitigate harm. Proceeds from tourism can be reinvested into local communities to ensure that residents are not solely responsible for repairing the wear and tear caused by visitors.

After risks and funding sources have been identified, destinations can prepare for growing tourist volumes in the following ways:

• Build and equip a tourism-ready workforce to deliver positive tourism experiences.
• Use data (gathered from governments, businesses, social media platforms, and other sources) to manage visitor flows.
• Be deliberate about which tourist segments to attract (business travelers, sports fans, party groups, et cetera), and tailor offerings and communications accordingly.
• Distribute visitor footfall across different areas, nudging tourists to visit less-trafficked locations, and during different times, promoting off-season travel.
• Be prepared for sudden, unexpected fluctuations triggered by viral social media and cultural trends.
• Preserve cultural and natural heritage. Engage locals, especially indigenous people, to find the balance between preservation and tourism.

How can the travel sector accelerate the net-zero transition?

Global warming is getting worse, and the travel sector contributes up to 11 percent of total carbon emissions. Many consumers are aware that travel is part of the problem, but they’re reticent to give up their trips: travel activity is expected to soar by 85 percent  from 2016 to 2030. Instead, they’re increasing pressure on companies in the travel sector to achieve net zero . It’s a tall order: the range of decarbonization technologies in the market is limited, and what’s available is expensive.

But decarbonization doesn’t have to be a loss-leading proposition. Here are four steps  travel companies can take toward decarbonization that can potentially create value:

• Identify and sequence decarbonization initiatives. Awareness of decarbonization levers is one thing; implementation is quite another. One useful tool to help develop an implementation plan is the marginal abatement cost curve pathway framework, which provides a cost-benefit analysis of individual decarbonization levers and phasing plans.
• Partner to accelerate decarbonization of business travel. Many organizations will reduce their business travel, which accounts for 30 percent of all travel spend. This represents an opportunity for travel companies to partner with corporate clients on decarbonization. Travel companies can support their partners in achieving their decarbonization goals by nudging corporate users to make more sustainable choices, while making reservations and providing data to help partners track their emissions.
• Close the ‘say–do’ gap among leisure travelers. One McKinsey survey indicates that 40 percent of travelers globally say they are willing to pay at least 2 percent more for carbon-neutral flights. But Skift’s latest consumer survey reveals that only 14 percent  of travelers said they actually paid more for sustainable travel options. Travel companies can help close this gap by making sustainable options more visible during booking and using behavioral science to encourage travelers to make sustainable purchases.
• Build new sustainable travel options for the future. The travel sector can proactively pioneer sustainable new products and services. Green business building will require companies to create special initiatives, led by teams empowered to experiment without the pressure of being immediately profitable.

What’s the future of air travel?

Air travel is becoming more seasonal, as leisure travel’s increasing share of the market creates more pronounced summer peaks. Airlines have responded by shifting their schedules to operate more routes at greater frequency during peak periods. But airlines have run into turbulence when adjusting to the new reality. Meeting summer demand means buying more aircraft and hiring more crew; come winter, these resources go unutilized, which lowers productivity . But when airlines don’t run more flights in the summer, they leave a lot of money on the table.

How can airlines respond to seasonality? Here are three approaches :

• Mitigate winter weakness by employing conventional pricing and revenue management techniques, as well as creative pricing approaches (including, for example, monitoring and quickly seizing on sudden travel demand spikes, such as those created by a period of unexpectedly sunny weather).
• Adapt to seasonality by moving crew training sessions to off-peak periods, encouraging employee holiday taking during trough months, and offering workers seasonal contracts. Airlines can also explore outsourcing of crew, aircraft, maintenance, and even insurance.
• Leverage summer strengths, ensuring that commercial contracts reflect summer’s higher margins.

How is the luxury travel space evolving?

Quickly. Luxury travelers are not who you might expect: many are under the age of 60 and not necessarily from Europe or the United States. Perhaps even more surprisingly, they are not all millionaires: 35 percent of luxury-travel spending is by travelers with net worths between $100,000 and $1 million. Members of this group are known as aspirational luxury travelers, and they have their own set of preferences. They might be willing to spend big on one aspect of their trip—a special meal or a single flight upgrade—but not on every travel component. They prefer visibly branded luxury and pay close attention to loyalty program points and benefits .

The luxury-hospitality space is projected to grow faster than any other segment, at 6 percent per year  through 2025. And competition for luxury hotels is intensifying too: customers now have the option of renting luxurious villas with staff, or booking nonluxury hotels with luxury accoutrements such as rainfall showerheads and mattress toppers.

Another critical evolution is that the modern consumer, in the luxury space and elsewhere, values experiences over tangible things (exhibit).

Luxury properties may see more return from investing in a culture of excellence—powered by staff who anticipate customer needs, exceed expectations, create cherished memories, and make it all feel seamless—than in marble floors and gold-plated bath fixtures. Here are a few ways luxury properties can foster a culture of excellence :

• Leaders should assume the role of chief culture officer. GMs of luxury properties should lead by example to help nurture a healthy and happy staff culture and listen and respond to staff concerns.
• Hire for personalities, not resumes. “You can teach someone how to set a table,” said one GM we interviewed, “but you can’t teach a positive disposition.”
• Celebrate and reward employees. Best-in-class service is about treating customers with generosity and care. Leaders in the service sector can model this behavior by treating employees similarly.
• Create a truly distinctive customer experience . McKinsey research has shown that the top factor influencing customer loyalty in the lodging sector is “an experience worth paying more for”—not the product. Train staff to focus on tiny details as well as major needs to deliver true personalization.

What’s the latest in travel loyalty programs?

Loyalty programs are big business . They’ve evolved past being simply ways to boost sales or strengthen customer relationships; now, for many travel companies, they are profit centers in their own right. One major development was that travel companies realized they could sell loyalty points in bulk to corporate partners, who in turn offered the points to their customers as rewards. In 2019, United’s MileagePlus loyalty program sold $3.8 billion worth of miles to third parties, which accounted for 12 percent of the airline’s total revenue for that year. In 2022, American Airlines’ loyalty program brought in $3.1 billion in revenue, and Marriott’s brought in $2.7 billion.

But as this transition has happened, travel players have shifted focus away from the original purpose of these programs. Travel companies are seeing these loyalty programs primarily as revenue generators, rather than ways to improve customer experiences . As a result, loyalty program members have become increasingly disloyal. Recent loyalty surveys conducted by McKinsey revealed a steep decline in the likelihood that a customer would recommend airline, hotel, and cruise line loyalty programs to a friend. The same surveys also found that airline loyalty programs are driving fewer customer behavior changes than they used to.

So how can travel brands win customers’ loyalty back? Here are three steps to consider:

• Put experience at the core of loyalty programs. According to our 2023 McKinsey Travel Loyalty Survey , American respondents said they feel more loyal to Amazon than to the top six travel players combined, despite the absence of any traditional loyalty program. One of the reasons for Amazon’s success may be the frictionless experience it provides customers. Companies should strive to design loyalty programs around experiential benefits that make travelers feel special and seamlessly integrate customer experiences between desktop, mobile, and physical locations.
• Use data to offer personalization  to members. Travel brands have had access to customer data for a long time. But many have yet to deploy it for maximum value. Companies can use personalization to tailor both experiences and offers for loyalty members; our research has shown that 78 percent  of consumers are more likely to make a repeat purchase when offered a personalized experience.
• Rethink partnerships. Traditionally, travel companies have partnered with banks to offer cobranded credit cards. But many credit card brands now offer their own, self-branded travel rewards ecosystems. These types of partnerships may have diminishing returns in the future. When rethinking partnerships, travel brands should seek to build richer connections with customers, while boosting engagement. Uber’s partnership with Marriott, for example, gives users the option to link the brands’ loyalty programs, tapping into two large customer bases and providing more convenient travel experiences.

In a changing travel ecosystem, travel brands will need to ask themselves some hard questions if they want to earn back their customers’ loyalty.

Learn more about McKinsey’s Travel, Logistics, and Infrastructure Practice . And check out travel-related job opportunities if you’re interested in working at McKinsey.

Articles referenced include:

• “ Updating perceptions about today’s luxury traveler ,” May 29, 2024, Caroline Tufft , Margaux Constantin , Matteo Pacca , and Ryan Mann
• “ The way we travel now ,” May 29, 2024, Caroline Tufft , Margaux Constantin , Matteo Pacca , and Ryan Mann
• “ Destination readiness: Preparing for the tourist flows of tomorrow ,” May 29, 2024, Caroline Tufft , Margaux Constantin , Matteo Pacca , and Ryan Mann
• “ How the world’s best hotels deliver exceptional customer experience ,” March 18, 2024, Ryan Mann , Ellen Scully, Matthew Straus, and Jillian Tellez Holub
• “ How airlines can handle busier summers—and comparatively quiet winters ,” January 8, 2024, Jaap Bouwer, Ludwig Hausmann , Nina Lind , Christophe Verstreken, and Stavros Xanthopoulos
• “ Travel invented loyalty as we know it. Now it’s time for reinvention. ,” November 15, 2023, Lidiya Chapple, Clay Cowan, Ellen Scully, and Jillian Tellez Holub
• “ What AI means for travel—now and in the future ,” November 2, 2023, Alex Cosmas  and Vik Krishnan
• “ The promise of travel in the age of AI ,” September 27, 2023, Susann Almasi, Alex Cosmas , Sam Cowan, and Ben Ellencweig
• “ The future of tourism: Bridging the labor gap enhancing customer experience ,” August 1, 2023, Urs Binggeli, Zi Chen, Steffen Köpke, and Jackey Yu
• “ Hotels in the 2030s: Perspectives from Accor’s C-suite ,” July 27, 2023, Aurélia Bettati
• “ Tourism in the metaverse: Can travel go virtual? ,” May 4, 2023, Margaux Constantin , Giuseppe Genovese, Kashiff Munawar, and Rebecca Stone
• “ Three innovations to solve hotel staffing shortages ,” April 3, 2023, Ryan Mann , Esteban Ramirez, and Matthew Straus
• “ Accelerating the transition to net-zero travel ,” September 20, 2022, Danielle Bozarth , Olivier Cheret, Vik Krishnan , Mackenzie Murphy, and Jules Seeley
• “ The six secrets of profitable airlines ,” June 28, 2022, Jaap Bouwer, Alex Dichter , Vik Krishnan , and Steve Saxon
• “ How to ‘ACE’ hospitality recruitment ,” June 23, 2022, Margaux Constantin , Steffen Köpke, and Joost Krämer
• “ Opportunities for industry leaders as new travelers take to the skies ,” April 5, 2022, Mishal Ahmad, Frederik Franz, Tomas Nauclér, and Daniel Riefer
• “ Rebooting customer experience to bring back the magic of travel ,” September 21, 2021, Vik Krishnan , Kevin Neher, Maurice Obeid , Ellen Scully, and Jules Seeley

Want to know more about the future of travel?

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Five Trends That Will Define Group Travel in the Future

Table of Contents

Group travel is quite common across the world, in addition to being one of the most vital segments of the tourism and travel industry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it inevitably took a massive hit as everyone got confined to their homes. In 2022, group travel is predicted to rise in popularity again, but strict policies relating to safety and hygiene can be expected to remain in many places. 

Group travel trips can be of different types, including sports excursions like important sporting events or games, leisure vacations, business trips such as conventions & corporate meetings, and educational trips.

Want to make sure that your hospitality business is ready to handle all the group travel trends that the future holds? We have curated a list of the 5 most important ones:

1. Multigenerational Trips Are Rising In Popularity

Be it road trips, destination vacations, or international tours, it has become more common for generations of families to travel together.

According to Zicasso , bookings for more than 5 individuals together went up 57% from 2019 to 2022.

The main reason behind this is the fact that the pandemic kept families apart for a very long period of time. This has made people realize the importance of spending quality time together. Hence, families are now looking forward to reuniting and making special memories with their loved ones!

2. Business Conventions Are Making A Huge Comeback

The Wave X study conducted by MMGY Global in December 2020 stated that 38% of people might start traveling for business purposes in the first 6 months of 2021. Fast forward to 2022, and business conventions are back with a bang! Also, the new trend of ‘bleisure’ where business travelers combine business trips with leisure activities is becoming popular too. Therefore, make sure that your hospitality marketing efforts are designed to grab the attention of business travel groups as well.

Get in touch with business travelers before their trip and share various popular leisure activity options that they can indulge in post their work hours. Consider investing in a good hotel management software such as the Stayfull™ Channel Manager to advertise your offerings on the most popular GDS platforms.

3. Sustainable Tourism Will Gain Prominence

After the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021 held in Glasgow, nations have been advised to implement suitable measures in tourism to combat the threats that the global climate currently faces. International travelers are now keen on making conscious choices and are expected to opt for sustainable travel options in 2022.

Using an efficient hotel booking software like the WebBook Booking Engine can help make the necessary changes in your online promotions to promote sustainable tourism. 

4. Millennials Are Opting For Interest-Based Travel Groups

A large number of millennials are single travelers who particularly want to be with a group of individuals that share similar interests. For example, travelers with a penchant for outdoor activities like kayaking, biking, and hiking are seeking the help of travel agents and booking their trips with such interest-based travel groups.

A report from TravelPort suggests that 65% of people trust professional advisors to help them find the latest travel information. Hence, the hospitality industry must not only provide suitable options reflecting this popular trend but also ensure that they are marketed well to attract millennials.

5. Be Prepared To Re-book Departures

Lastly, according to a survey published by Destination Analysts , it was found that travelers who felt cautious, unsafe, and scared during the start of the pandemic in 2020 were hopeful and excited about traveling once again in 2021, and 2022. Some tour operators even had to rebook departures for 2020 way later in 2021.

Taking this and the uncertainty of the future into consideration, ensure that you are well-equipped to be able to re-book departures smoothly. A hotel management system like InnQuest’s Cloud PMS is known to manage cancellations and re-bookings seamlessly.

Wrapping up

Want to ensure an amazing experience for your guests? Whether you wish to attract more guests, turn them into loyal clients or enhance your profits, InnQuest’s intuitive hotel management software solutions can help you deliver professionalism and value.

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Travel’s Theme for 2022? ‘Go Big’

With Omicron cases ebbing, the industry is looking for a significant rebound in spring and summer. Here’s what to expect, in the air, at the rental car counter and beyond.

By The New York Times

As governments across the world loosen coronavirus restrictions and shift their approach to accepting Covid-19 as a manageable part of everyday life, the travel industry is growing hopeful that this will be the year that travel comes roaring back.

Travel agents and operators have reported a significant increase in bookings in recent weeks for the upcoming spring and summer seasons. The World Travel & Tourism Council (W.T.T.C.), which represents the global travel and tourism industry, projects that travel and tourism in the United States will reach prepandemic levels in 2022, contributing nearly $2 trillion to the U.S. economy. The council also anticipates outbound travel from the United States will increase; it projects bookings over the Easter holiday period to be up by 130 percent over last year.

“Our latest forecast shows the recovery significantly picking up this year as infection rates subside and travelers continue benefiting from the protection offered by the vaccine and boosters,” said Julia Simpson, the president and chief executive officer of the W.T.T.C. “As travel restrictions ease and consumer confidence returns, we expect a welcome release of pent-up travel and demand.”

While uncertainty remains over the course of the pandemic and government policies on mask mandates and testing requirements for travel, the industry is seeing a strong desire among travelers to take big bucket list trips this year, particularly to far-flung international destinations and European cities.

“Travel is no longer just about ‘going somewhere,’” said Christie Hudson, a senior public relations manager for Expedia. “Coming out of such a long period of constraints and limitations, 2022 will be the year we wring every bit of richness and meaning out of our experiences.”

Here are some of the trends you can expect to see.

Air Travel: Fewer restrictions, but for now the masks stay on

Flying in 2022 looks poised to be much like flying in 2021: reminiscent of prepandemic normal at times, infuriating at others. A primary difference is that there will be more people on planes and in airports — 150 percent as many passengers are expected to fly this year as did last year, according to The International Air Transport Association , which represents nearly 300 airlines.

In terms of where you can fly, you’ll have more options than last year. Destinations that have long been closed to most travelers, including Australia, the Philippines and Bali, have started reopening. Airlines have been gradually adding back old routes and expanding with new ones. In the spring, American Airlines, for example, plans to add six new routes from Boston. JetBlue will soon fly direct from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Kansas City and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, among other locations.

You’ll still need to check the latest entry requirements before flying internationally. There are currently more than 100,000 health and travel restrictions in place, according to Meghan Benton , a research director at the Migration Policy Institute, which tracks them. Though that’s around the same number as a year ago, she noted, there has been a move away from quarantines and outright bans of nonessential visitors toward vaccination and testing requirements. Recently, a growing number of destinations, including Britain, have also reconsidered the merits of entry testing.

That flight for a summer getaway could cost less than it did before the pandemic. Fares are down 18 percent from 2019, according to Airlines for America, which represents seven major airlines. In January, the cost of international airfares purchased hit an all-time low since Hopper, a booking app, began tracking them in 2014. Predicting whether, when and where they will rise is harder than it was before the pandemic, however, as new variants, evolving health threats, travel restrictions and pandemic psychology have upended traditional pricing patterns. Fortunately, most airlines are continuing to waive flight change fees on all but basic economy flights, said Brett Snyder, the founder of Cranky Flier , an airline industry site.

When flying in the United States, everyone will need to wear a mask until at least late March. That’s when the federal mask mandate is set to expire. It has been extended before and could be extended again. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser, is among those who have said that masks on planes should be here to stay. Gary Leff, who writes about air travel for View from the Wing, a site focused on air travel, said he agrees with the betting markets , which predict that the mask mandate will go away by the November midterm elections. Regardless, there will be more alcohol in the air. On Feb. 16, Southwest will serve drinks for the first time in two years. — Heather Murphy

Lodging: Hotels fight back, sometimes with robots

This may be the year travelers return to hotels. In a report for the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Oxford Economics, an economic forecasting company, expects total bookings to nearly equal 2019 stays, though a significant source of revenue — more than roughly $48 billion spent before the pandemic on food and drink, meeting spaces and more — will largely remain missing, given the continued slump in business meetings and group events.

Leisure travelers have kept the industry afloat and in certain areas — especially mountain and coastal destinations — vacation business is booming. With record demand, rates rose at escapist resorts like the Chebeague Island Inn in Maine even in the traditional off-season months.

Now, corporate lodging specialists like Level Hotels & Furnished Suites , which has high-rise apartments in four cities including Seattle, are going after leisure travelers, touting amenities like fitness centers. And why not? During the pandemic, many travelers discovered the privacy offered by rental residences. According to AirDNA , which analyzes the short-term rental market, vacation home bookings were up between 30 and 60 percent in small cities and resort destinations compared to 2019, though big-city rentals are down about 25 percent.

Urban hotels hope to compete for digital nomads by adding stylish extended-stay properties, social attractions and better work spaces. Denver’s Catbird hotel offers ergonomic studios with kitchenettes, plus a rooftop bar and rental gear, including scooters, ukuleles and air fryers. The Hoxton chain’s Working From co-working spaces are attached to its hotels in Chicago and London.

Adapting to lean times, many hotels have outsourced operations beyond laundry and landscaping, into food and recreational services. The new app-based service Breeze works with hotels to provide room service either from on-site restaurants or neighboring ones.

The pandemic has also hastened the adoption of automation in hotels — such as keyless check-in, digital staff communication and room delivery by robots — as a cost-effective response to the labor shortage.

“High tech is the new high touch,” said Chekitan Dev, the Singapore Tourism Distinguished Professor of marketing and management at Cornell University’s hotel school.

Hotel sustainability initiatives look to go further than “towel-washing optional” offers.

Hilton plans to introduce what it says is the country’s first net-zero hotel this year with the solar-powered Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection in New Haven, Conn. SCP Hotels , which operates seven hotels around the country, aims to go zero-waste in 2022.

The industry’s focus on leisure travelers may inspire new diversions. A hotel that can no longer afford to employ 50 servers in its events department might use the space to hold a yoga class or a talk by a local designer, according to Vikram Singh, an independent hotel consultant. “These are the experiences people remember more than whether the pillow was soft,” he said. — Elaine Glusac

Rental Cars: Still pricey, and hard to get

This time last year, Jonathan Weinberg, the founder and chief executive of AutoSlash , an online service that makes and tracks discount car rentals, noticed that rental vehicles were unexpectedly scarce and overpriced for the mid-February Presidents’ Day break, an early indication of the post-vaccine travel rebound.

In 2022, it’s looking worse. A Feb. 1 search in Phoenix for the upcoming holiday weekend showed all the major car rental companies were sold out and just two smaller agencies, Sixt and Nu, had cars, starting at $130 a day, more than twice what they might have been prepandemic.

“Even last year, we didn’t see inventory this tight until a week or so out,” Mr. Weinberg said.

It’s possible that consumers have heeded the advice to book cars early after last year’s shortages. But rental agencies still haven’t been able to expand their fleets — thanks largely to slowdowns in automotive manufacturing — and the anticipated return of travel after Omicron suggests more car trouble ahead.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to improve at all in the next year,” said Mike Taylor, the senior travel analyst at J.D. Power, a market research company, noting that in addition to higher prices, renters may be getting older cars with high mileage.

According to the travel search engine Kayak , rental car rates last summer peaked in July at a national average of $119 a day. Currently, the national average is about $66, or 27 percent higher than last year at this time, and a 41 percent increase over 2019 for the same period. Searches have more than doubled compared to this time last year.

“Road-tripping is a more predictable way of travel these days, where you can avoid crowds and unexpected delays,” said Matt Clarke, the vice president of North American marketing for Kayak, which recently added search results from companies like Kyte , a car rental company that delivers cars to consumers, and Turo , a car-sharing site.

Such alternatives may have benefited from the rental car crunch. In the first nine months of 2021, revenue at Turo grew more than 200 percent, compared to the same period in 2020, according to a recent filing to go public.

“For many travelers, Turo was the least crazy option from a price standpoint,” said Turo’s chief executive Andre Haddad.

For now, car-sharing sites are better bets for finding electric vehicles, although Hertz announced in the fall that it would have 100,000 E. V.s by the end of this year. At Turo, E.V. listings have grown from about 200 in 2014 to more than 27,000 in 2021.

“We’re already seeing activity for March and April, and that is not normal,” said Ryan Hagler, a Maui resident who uses Turo to rent 10 vehicles, including six Teslas, which start around $80 a day. “I’m assuming it’s going to be pretty busy this year.” — Elaine Glusac

Destinations: Cities are back

This March, Virginia Devlin of Chicago is headed to New York City with her daughter, a musical theater student, to celebrate two years’ worth of missed birthday trips. They’ll see Broadway shows and visit Chinatown for dim sum. Tracy Lippes, of Short Hills, N.J., is ready to go to Paris. “I can’t wait to stay in a beautiful hotel, shop, visit museums and eat at great restaurants,” Ms. Lippes said of her March trip. Greg Siskind, an immigration attorney in Memphis, is thrilled to have an in-person conference in London next month, and plans to arrive a few days early to enjoy the city with his adult daughters.

Yes, city travel is back. After more than two years of avoiding urban centers, travelers are eager to return to their favorite metropolis and swan dive into the sights, bites and sounds of a city that is not their own.

“It was a lift to everyone when the U.K. dumped Covid mandates on Jan. 26,” said Henley Vazquez, a co-founder of FORA, a travel agency in New York City . “Bookings are spiking for classic European destinations, particularly Paris and London. Clients want to reconnect with special hotels and restaurants and simply bask in the culture.”

In the United States, Shawna Owen, the president of Huffman Travel , a Chicago-based agency that specializes in luxury and family travel, is planning long weekend trips to New York City. “New York is buzzing again and clients are excited to dine at hot spots and enjoy the city’s dynamism.”

Underscoring the New York-is-back trend, the travel booking site Skyscanner reports that New York City is its top booked domestic destination so far in 2022 and the online travel agency Expedia has had a 13 percent increase in searches for New York City.

As for Europe, Paris and London are the top searched international destinations on Scott’s Cheap Flights , a service that tracks flight deals. Hotel searches on Expedia jumped 62 percent for London and 51 percent for Paris since Jan. 1, and the mobile app Hopper reports that London and Paris clock in as two of the most searched international destinations for spring 2022.

With restrictions easing, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts reported an 80 percent increase in its bookings in Paris, London and New York from December to Jan. 16.

In London, the luxury travel outfit, Noteworthy , has seen bookings of its private tours to iconic British sites increase 145 percent in February over the same time in 2021. “ The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee has definitely been a tourist draw,” said Nicola Butler, the company’s owner and managing director. — Amy Tara Koch

Resorts: All-inclusives, beyond the beach

A new breed of domestic resort is pioneering an almost all-inclusive model, taking the guesswork out of where to eat and what to do. Why “almost?” These properties don’t include alcoholic beverages in their nightly rate, and, perhaps fittingly, boast enviable wine and spirits collections. A major catalyst for the trend: pandemic-scarred travelers wary of leaving the grounds of a resort once they arrive, according to Erina Pindar, the managing director of SmartFlyer , a luxury travel agency. “The almost all-inclusive is incredibly popular,” she said, “we expect demand to continue to be strong.”

Hotels.com reports that searches for this type of resort have increased significantly compared with the same time frame in 2019. “After the stress of the last few years,” said Mel Dohmen, a Hotels.com spokeswoman, “travelers are looking for stays where they can be doted on.”

“Our clients see these resorts as a hassle-free option,” said Jennifer Doncsecz, president of the travel agency V.I.P. Vacations .

The San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, Calif., long beloved by luminaries like Winston Churchill and Vivien Leigh, pivoted to an almost-all inclusive model in 2020. In addition to folding the cost of meals into the nightly rate, which starts at $2,495, it did away with extraneous charges like resort fees and parking. “We figured, with all the charges we’ve gotten rid of, what are people going to spend money on? Wine,” said Ian Williams, the Ranch’s general manager. “We’ve had no complaints. This past year has been our busiest ever.”

Given the complications caused by the pandemic, Mr. Williams and his team sought to streamline the travel process. “We want guests to check out and spend their trip home talking about what an amazing vacation they had,” he said, “not some miscellaneous charge on their bill.”

Beachside buffets and watered down margaritas might rule at the traditional all-inclusive; not at the Ranch. “Every guest, if they want the Wagyu for dinner, fine,” said Mr. Williams. “Caviar? Great. Maine lobster? No problem.”

When High Hampton , a Cashiers, N.C., resort that dates back to 1933, remodeled in 2020, it folded breakfast and dinner into its nightly rate, which starts at $595, “because it removes that pressure of where to dine next,” said Scott Greene, the resort’s general manager. (The amber-lit, oak-paneled dining room is always the right answer.)

The same logic has long been in place at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain , two resorts in Walland, Tenn. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in the nightly rate — $845 and up at the Farm, $1,395 and up at the Mountain —- along with all the snacks in the minibar. “We’re exceeding prepandemic occupancy,” said Matt Alexander, Blackberry’s president. SmartFlyer saw a 327-percent increase in revenue from bookings at the two properties in 2021 as compared to 2019. — Sheila Yasmin Marikar

Wellness: Sexual healing

Sexual wellness is one of the fastest growing corners of the global wellness industry, with travel increasingly part of the experience. More hotel brands and relationship therapists are offering couples retreats and beachfront sessions with intimacy coaches and guided anatomical explorations to meet the needs of travelers seeking greater couple satisfaction and personal pleasure.

“People still have stigma around couples therapy and coming to therapy, but nobody ever had a problem going on vacation,” said Marissa Nelson, a sex therapist who runs retreats in Barbados, Hawaii, St. Lucia and Washington, D.C., through her company IntimacyMoons (seven days in St. Lucia starts at $7,500). She also offers virtual sessions; even when retreats were shut down in 2020, she noticed couples were traveling — to Airbnbs or on road trips — before logging on to work with her.

Travel is a powerful tool for unlocking intimacy, said Shlomo Slatkin, a rabbi and certified relationship therapist. His company, The Marriage Restoration Project , focuses on married couples. In the past year, in response to a growing demand to combine therapy and travel, he has introduced his first destination retreats — which cost between $4,000 and $5,000 and take place in Costa Rica, Mexico and Miami.

“Going away is really powerful, because changing the relationship requires a paradigm shift,” he said. “The lockdowns brought out a lot of maintenance issues in relationships that need to be addressed.”

Tara Skubella, a tantric guide, works with both couples and single women. Tantra, a spiritual philosophy with roots in medieval India, includes practices like tantric sex, and Ms. Skubella offers services, including chakra work, which focuses on energy points in the body. Her retreats in Costa Rica and Colorado (starting at $499) have been mostly sold out since 2020, she said.

“It seems very aligned to Covid and breaking out of isolation,” she said. “Society is realizing tantra isn’t only about sex, but about inner connection and healing.”

In March, the hotelier St. Regis will launch a retreat with the sex coach Bibi Brzozka on intimacy, conscious sexuality and emotional awareness at the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort in Mexico ($2,680). In April, Six Senses Ibiza will host Pleasure Principles — Journey of Women’s Sexual Wellness , a six-night stay focusing on female sexual empowerment ($4,500). They are the first sexuality-focused retreats for both brands. — Debra Kamin

Family Travel: Going on the edu-vacation

After two years of quarantines and classroom closures, millions of children across the country have fallen behind in class . And parents, eager for lesson plans that can supplement learning, are now seeking experiences with an educational bent when they travel.

“Previously, families didn’t ask in advance about what educational activities are available at the resorts. Now they do,” said Chitra Stern, founder and chief executive of the family-friendly Martinhal resorts in Portugal. Nearly half of her new bookings, Ms. Stern said, now include questions about on-site educational opportunities for children. Last year, the luxury resorts began partnering with the United Lisbon International School to offer a two-week educational summer camp for its younger guests at Martinhal Lisbon. Courses, which are available for children ages 3 to 17, begin at 440 euros (around $500).

After a pandemic dip, enrollments are on the rise for family-learning itineraries with the tour operator Road Scholar , which produces educational travel programs for all ages. Options for children and their caregivers, which start at $699 per adult and $449 per child, include combining history and geography with spotting grizzlies in the Canadian Rockies , or learning French while taking a scavenger hunt through Paris’s Louvre .

And noting an uptick in children road tripping with their parents, the Colorado Tourism Office last summer launched Schoolcations , a series of free itineraries based on Colorado road trips and designed for grades K-5.

There are also more opportunities to learn back at the hotel. Family Coppola Hideaways — a group of retreats owned by the film director Francis Ford Coppola — now offers the Coppola Curriculum at its properties in Belize and Guatemala. Half-day lessons cost $150 per day for children and include courses in science (like counting bird species) and art (like local textile looming). In Florida, Isla Bella Beach Resort and Oceans Edge Resort & Marina now partner with Marine Science Camp for classes with marine scientists, geared to elementary school children (free for hotel guests). In California, attendance at the Artisans in Residence program at Carmel Valley Ranch — taught in the apiary, organic garden and goat creamery, and starting at $85 for adults and $65 for children — has doubled.

For some, a desire for extra credit also means going for an extra splurge. At the luxury travel agency Black Tomato , bucket-list family travel now accounts for 55 percent of bookings, with the majority of requests falling into what the company defines as BFG travel: Big Family Get-Togethers. So the company has rolled out a family-focused education track, Field Trip , which begins at around $5,800 per person; courses include a physics lesson at the CERN laboratory in Switzerland and a social studies-focused hike through Bhutan’s Gangtey Valley to meet a revered monk.

“Thematically, for 2022 family bookings, it’s all about intrepid adventure mixed with cultural immersion, ecological outdoor experiences, intrepid luxury hotels and even pop-up glamping setups — definitely bucket-list and remote,” said Tom Marchant, Black Tomato’s owner and co-founder. — Debra Kamin

Cruises: Smaller boats and luxury destinations

After two years of devastating losses and a tentative restart last June, the cruise industry has faced a challenging start to 2022, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus caused cases to surge onboard ships, forcing some cruise lines to cancel voyages and change itineraries.

But demand for future cruises is still high, especially among dedicated cruise fans. A recent survey on cruiser sentiment by the online review site Cruise Critic found that 52 percent of the 6,400 cruisers surveyed were currently looking to book a cruise, with 40 percent hoping to set sail in the next six months.

A 2022 report on the outlook for the industry, published in January by the Cruise Lines International Association, the industry’s trade group, highlighted how major companies are bouncing back from the pandemic despite recent hurdles.

More than 75 percent of CLIA member ships have returned to service, with 100 percent expected to restart operations by August 2022. Additionally, 16 new cruise ships from major lines like Carnival, MSC, Royal Caribbean and Disney will launch in 2022.

One of the biggest cruise trends for 2022 is luxury expedition voyages, appealing to a growing number of travelers throughout the pandemic because they typically sail on smaller ships and steer away from crowded destinations.

“The itineraries vary pretty significantly from those of the larger, more mainstream lines,” said Colleen McDaniel, the editor in chief of Cruise Critic. “Due to their size, luxury ships are able to sail to more remote destinations — so even if you’re sailing in the Caribbean, your ports of call will likely be further removed from the masses, and likely somewhere you might have never been before.”

Smaller river and expedition cruises are also expected to become more popular this year as cruisers seek out big bucket-list destinations and more sustainable ways to travel. Responding to the demand, Hurtigruten, a Norwegian line that specializes in expedition cruises, has added new itineraries to its Galápagos Islands excursions, offering a range of small-ship carbon-neutral expedition sailings that will cover the full span of the remote 19-island archipelago.

“A very positive trend we’ve seen throughout the pandemic is that travelers are increasingly eco-conscious; meaning they do their homework on brands, including cruise ships, to make sure they align with their personal values.” said Daniel Skjeldam, the chief executive of Hurtigruten Group.

The company is also expanding its grand expedition cruise program, offering three unique cruises from the North to South Pole after the success of two similar sold-out sailings scheduled for the fall. The itineraries include destinations like Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, the Northwest Passage sea route, South America and Antarctica.

“After having been isolated for two years, people really want to do something they really can look forward to,” Mr. Skjeldam said. “Something perhaps more active and interesting than their normal prepandemic holiday.” — Ceylan Yeginsu

52 Places for a Changed World

The 2022 list highlights places around the globe where travelers can be part of the solution.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022.

An earlier version of this article mischaracterized Kyte, a car rental business. Kyte is a car rental company that delivers cars to consumers; it is not a car-sharing website.

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5 Cool and Unique Group Destinations to Visit in the New Year

4 Cool Group Destinations for Some Winter Fun

2022 group travel trends predictions.

With the fun and excitement that surfaces from tourism and traveling, it stands to reason why people love forecasting group travel trends. After all, predicting the future of anything (though quite tricky to nail down perfectly) is usually an exciting challenge to take on. But if there is one thing for sure, group travel trends have undeniably seen some foundation-shaking changes over the last couple of years. 

A new year of trends.

Forecasting for group planning trends in 2022 is an intriguing topic to dive into. Each year brings with it a new set of trends that will inevitably shape the group trip industry as a whole, and below is a list of the most probable ones for 2022 based on past trends, present desires, and future demands. 

Long-Distance Domestic Group Planning Overtakes International

According to a Cision study, 59% of their respondents plan on booking a long-distance trip in the year 2022. In addition, 62% of them stated that they plan on doing so more than once, with the average stay being 5-7 nights vs. 3-night average in 2020/2021. In a nutshell, most people had been embarking on staycations during the uncertain times, but are now slowly integrating back into fulfilling their wanderlust sides beyond familiar borders.  While 2021 saw this push branching out into a return of International travel, with evolutions in the Covid-19 Pandemic and new variants adding restrictions once again, domestic travel will once again take the lead.

Technology will Remain Essential 

The demand for enhanced travel technology is only going to continue within the tourism space for a variety of reasons, but the main reason in 2022 is to increase confidence in travel. According to the Rebuild Travel Digital Health Survey , U.S. travelers are most concerned with mobile apps that provide on-the-go notifications and alerts (46%), and contactless mobile payments as well as mobile ticketing and boarding technologies (38%).

From reducing human touch to optimizing safety to being able to render contactless payments right from your phone, technology has changed the world of group travel for the better. Web-based apps, such as GroupTools , that combine fully contactless group travel planning, real-time group messaging with email alerts on the go, online group payments, and simple touchless document distribution are key to making group travel safe and accessible in 2022.

Preferred Group Trip Experiences in 2022

People are itching to get back into the group traveling scene, but what makes 2022 interesting is the types of travel experiences that are predicted to dominate. Aside from the notable demand for cleanliness, advanced technology, security, and safety, there could very well be a shift in desired destinations. 

The same Cision study mentioned above found that 58% of travelers are seeking more outdoor experiences rather than trips to populated cities in 2022. The funny part is that this shift is not necessarily due to covid fears and restrictions, but more due to the desire for wellness and relaxation instead of hustle. Forecasting a little more, cities might be on the back burner in 2022 with nature taking a front seat, but that might just swap again in 2023.

Sustainability Continues To Pioneer 

Sustainability has been a fundamental topic and factor that has been heavily bleeding into the travel industry in recent years including being a defining travel trend in 2021, and for good reason. Not only is this ongoing trend a highlight of human values, but one that can significantly roadmap a healthier future and it is predicted that 2022 will help strengthen that eco-commitment even more.  

Going hand and hand with the increased demand for outdoor destinations is a push towards active ecotourism. Three-quarters of respondents to a recent Amadeus survey believe that opportunities for travelers themselves to play a part in preserving tourist destinations will help make the industry more sustainable and a quick search will find many headlines promoting destinations where groups can be actively involved in sustainability efforts as an activity on their trips. 

From Recovery Mode to Rebound 

The year 2022 is just beyond the horizon, and the closer it approaches, the more light that sheds onto what the future has in store for group planning. Overall, sustainability, safety measures, and certain travel restrictions will likely remain intact, but there is good evidence that it will also be coupled with an uptick in long-distance travel and people not putting off their dream group trip vacations any longer.  There is a strong chance that the year 2022 will be the full-on rebound year that it is predicted to be. Let GroupTools be a part of your group travel rebound in 2022. GroupTools is here to simplify your planning process and make it safe and stress-free. Visit www.GroupTools.com to learn more or jump right into your planning today.

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Top 10 Travel Trends for 2022

Affinity Travel , Expert Advice , Outdoor & Adventure

G Adventures looks at the top travel trends of 2022 that are shaped by the changing habits and preferences of today’s traveler

Assisted by its panel of avid travelers, G Adventures has identified the top 10 travel trends for 2022, with insights into how people want to travel and where they want to go. These patterns have been coupled with new trip highlights launched for travel in 2022 by the adventure operator and community tourism pioneer, as well as newsworthy reasons for people to visit. Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures, says the trends clearly reveal the pandemic has produced a more conscious traveler and has presented operators with a huge opportunity for change.  

“The pandemic has woken travelers up and given them a chance to reflect on how they were traveling before. The data tells us people have become more purposeful and intentional about how and why they are traveling and where they are going, and they are recognizing the positive impact travel can have on local communities when decisions are made wisely.”

G Adventures’ top 10 travel trends for 2022 travel are as follows: 

1. THE TREND: Community tourism is the solution to responsible travel

According to G Adventures’ latest panel research, 25 percent of respondents say they will place more focus on traveling responsibly in 2022. With the increased focus on community and support of locally-owned businesses fostered during the pandemic, it makes sense that this mindset carries over into international travel plans. Travelers are looking for adventures that support community tourism, and trails are a great way for tourists to spread wealth through multiple smaller villages. 

THE TRIP: Highlights of the Trans Bhutan Trail

In April 2022, following two years of extensive restoration, the Kingdom of Bhutan will reopen its historic and sacred Trans Bhutan Trail for the first time in 60 years, supporting remote communities in Bhutan through community tourism. Serendipitously, bookings to Bhutan are up 60 percent globally for 2022. G Adventures is the first operator to run tours on this ancient trail and a 12-day Active trip traveling from Paro return is priced from $4,149 pp for departures from May 2022. 

2. THE TREND: Travelers care most about supporting local people

The most important factor for people when they travel is that their money benefits local people, at 66 percent globally. This trend has been intensified by the impact of the pandemic on those countries who rely on tourism for their economic survival, and came in well ahead of other important considerations such as minimizing one’s carbon footprint and/or reducing plastics consumption (both at 15 percent globally). 

THE TRIP: Highlights of Egypt

Egypt’s tourism industry was devastated by the Arab Spring and again by the pandemic, but it was one of the first to reopen to tourism. In 2022, Egypt increased its share of bookings by 22 percent globally and with the reopening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, the opening of the Pyramid of Dozer, the reopening of Luxor’s Avenue of Sphinxes, and the release of Kenneth Branagh’s rebooted Death on the Nile film, it’ll continue to be firmly in the media spotlight. A 14-day trip traveling from Cairo return is priced from $1,699 pp. 

3. THE TREND: ‘Workations’ increase in popularity 

As the world shifted to remote working, companies realized office confines were no longer required to ensure productivity. Previously the domain of the digital nomad, ‘workations’ have hit the mainstream. 24 percent of respondents to G Adventures’ most recent survey say they are able to ‘work from anywhere’ – with that number rising to 46 percent for those aged 18-34. An increasing number of people plan to combine work with travel in the future at 47 percent, up from 18 percent in December 2020. 

THE TRIP: Costa Rica: Beaches, Wildlife and Wild Times

Keen to attract young digital nomads, the country passed a bill to allow remote workers and digital nomads to stay for up to one year. To support this trend, G Adventures has partnered with Hostelworld to launch the Roamies program of tours, which are all ideal as a way for digital nomads to take a few days to get to know a destination before settling in at the beach for a few weeks of remote work. A six-day trip from Liberia to Tamarindo  is priced from $549 pp.

4. THE TREND: Hostels will make a big comeback 

The need for social connection amongst young travelers is stronger than ever with 49 percent of respondents aged 18-34 saying they were likely to try a hostel experience following the pandemic, and 34 percent of those expressing that meeting people to socialize at the hostel, and possibly travel with, is the most important factor when selecting a hostel. 

THE TRIP: Yucatan Adventure: Merida, Tulum & Jungle Swims

Mexico is super hot right now and another new ‘Roamies’ trip designed to maximize social connection and build community, both in the handpicked-hostels and on the road, is this new six-day trip traveling from Mérida to Tulum, which packed with highlights and priced from just $599 pp.

5. THE TREND: Travelers want to disconnect from their devices 

Workationers aside, while travelers want to reconnect with people and places, they are desperate to disconnect from the online world while on holiday. 58 percent of respondents want to take time out from their devices and social media, with 23 percent saying socializing and meeting new people is their top wellbeing priority when booking their next holiday. 

THE TRIP: Galapagos – Central and East Islands  

G Adventures debuted its newbuild boat, Reina Silvia Voyager, in 2022. Accommodating 16 passengers, with two solo cabins, she is purpose-built for comfortable small-group touring. Travelers will also be the first to visit a new G for Good project developed in partnership with Planeterra – Galapagos Coffee in Puerto Ayora – a community-owned organic coffee farm educating visitors about sustainable coffee production while providing income for 59 local families. A 10-day trip from Quito return is priced from $6,849 pp. 

6. THE TREND: Travelers will have a bit more cash to splash 

With staying in spurring a savings boom, 17 percent of travel-starved respondents said they had increased their travel budget for their next international holiday, which means their travel dollars are likely to take them on bigger adventures than they might have thought possible before.

THE TRIP: National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures – Iconic Japan  

Japan was expecting a huge tourist boom as a result of the summer Olympics, and had been heavily spotlighted before COVID closed the country’s borders. National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures ‘Iconic Japan’ trip hits all the highlights in style. A 12-day trip from Tokyo to Kyoto is priced from $5,799 pp. 

7. THE TREND: The staycation is over – travelers want to go further afield

The domestic holiday appeal began to wear off as the pandemic continued on. Only 13 percent of respondents said they would prefer to stay closer to home as opposed to heading further afield on their next international holiday, with close to half – 48 percent – saying they were less likely to take a ‘staycation’ in 2022.   

THE TRIP: Highlights of Uzbekistan 

Uzbekistan was a rising star pre-pandemic, and in 2022 the country has increased its share of sales by 24 per cent. 2021 marked Uzbekistan’s 30th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union, and a new airport opened in Samarkand. A 10-day trip from Tashkent return is priced from $1,499 pp.  

8. THE TREND: Lockdown life has led to a desire to be more active 

76 percent of those surveyed want to be physically active on their next holiday and with 69 percent of travelers polled saying their physical and mental wellbeing is a top consideration when booking a vacation, taking a hike never sounded more appealing. 

THE TRIP: Zion to San Francisco Adventure

The United States increased its share of bookings for 2022 by 58 percent when compared to pre-pandemic booking levels. This led G Adventures to launch a new program of ‘United States of Adventures’ trips that are perfectly positioned to cater to active travelers looking to exert a little more energy on their next holiday. A 14-day trip from Las Vegas to San Francisco is priced from $4,199 pp. 

9. THE TREND: Travelers are prioritizing their wellbeing and mental health 

With an overwhelming 97 percent of travelers saying travel is important to their wellbeing and mental health, travelers are also looking to take their next vacation in a way that not only helps them to reconnect, but optimizes travel as a means of revitalization, too.

THE TRIP: Wellness Bali

Indonesia was dormant for the duration of the pandemic so there was a ton of pent up demand when it reopened. What better way to experience it than with this Wellness trip full of rest, relaxation and revitalization moments, including an organic cooking class and healing ceremony in Tabanan? A nine-day trip from Ubud to Sanur is priced from $1,699 pp. 

10. THE TREND: Revenge travel is out, reconnection travel is in 

Travel trends show consumers are hungry for new experiences and connections. Although the term ‘revenge travel’ – the urge to travel to make up for lost time in lockdown – gained popularity among travel trends over the course of the pandemic, reconnection travel is the top reason for traveling at 37 percent, with revenge travel – booking a trip to make up for lost time – coming in at just 15 percent.

THE TRIP: Trekking Eastern Iceland

A high pandemic performer, Iceland’s bookings are up 317 per cent globally for 2022, and what better way to experience it than with this Active trip that enables travelers to connect with the local community on hikes, walks and visits to local businesses. The owner of the guest house leads this trip so it really is all about reconnecting with the planet and its people. A six-day trip from Egilsstaðir return is priced from $1,899 pp. 

For more information on G Adventures, visit www.gadventures.com . 

For an additional story about G Adventures read about a new partnership between G Adventures and Hostelworld . Also be sure to check out this interview with Steve Lima of G Adventures .

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MONTHLY INSIGHTS March 04, 2024

U.S. Travel has temporarily paused our monthly data newsletter, however, the latest travel data is still available via the U.S. Travel Insights Dashboard . This dashboard is updated each month (member login required).

The U.S. Travel Insights Dashboard , developed in collaboration with Tourism Economics, is supported by more than 20 data sources. The dashboard is the most comprehensive and centralized source for high-frequency intelligence on the U.S. travel industry, tracking industry performance, travel volumes and predictive indicators of recovery including air and lodging forecasts, DMO website traffic, convention and group trends, travel spending and losses, traveler sentiment, among others to measure the health of the industry.

Key Highlights January 2024:

• Travel appetite started the year on a softer note, but overall growth continued. Air passenger growth remained positive, up 6% versus the prior year but lower than the double-digit growth seen through 2023. Foreign visits remained strong, up 24% YoY.
• Hotel room demand continued a trend of slight contraction falling 1% versus the prior year, while short-term rental demand grew 1%, a lower rate than 2023.
• A particular bright spot was that group room demand within the top 25 markets displayed solid growth of 9% relative to the prior year.
• The outlook for the economy remains fairly optimistic due to the strength of the labor market, looser financial conditions and healthy household and nonfinancial corporate balance sheets. This has filtered through to slightly higher consumer sentiment in February.
• Sentiment is also growing for upcoming leisure travel in 2024. The share of travelers reporting having travel plans within the next six months increased to 93% in January from 92% in December, according to Longwoods International’s monthly survey.
• Travel price inflation (TPI) fell slightly in January as a result of falling transportation prices. Sticky services inflation should see relief from decelerating wage growth. However, upside risks stem from rising healthcare costs, supply chain disruptions and slowing labor supply. Source: U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics

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TripSavvy Is Examining 2022's Biggest Travel Trends

We take a look at the most significant industry shifts this year

Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to hop on the inaugural sailing of Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Prima , the first in a six-ship class. When I accepted my invitation to join, I knew that the Prima was loaded with a bunch of "firsts"—the first three-level racetrack at sea, the first free-fall slide, the first-ever food hall on a cruise ship. And while all of these attractions were, in a word, incredible, what first drew me in was the pickleball court.

I used to play tennis in middle school and high school, but since moving to New York, I've only picked up a racquet all of one time. So on Day One of my cruise, when half the passengers hadn't boarded yet, my mom and I took advantage of the relative emptiness of the ship and made a beeline for the pickleball court. It was caged in, the metal bars there to keep balls from flying over the ship's side, and four paddles and a couple of whiffle balls were ready for the taking. Having never played before, I thought it would be a lot like tennis, but it took a surprising bit of arm power to send the ball over the net with a resounding thwack. 

Those moments with my mom, tossing the ball up in the air and shuffling up and down the court, ended up ranking among my favorites onboard the Prima. It's a good thing we went when we did: word on the ship was that it was one of the most popular activities on board, and we likely would have had to wait hours to play had we gone some other time. In fact, it was such a hit that a representative of NCL shared with TripSavvy that pickleball will be on every ship in the Prima fleet.

Truly, pickleball is seemingly taking the world by storm. It's the country's fastest-growing sport (case in point: our company now has a dedicated pickleball Slack channel), and as travel writer Lisa Davis writes in her newest feature for TripSavvy , pickleball courts have even been popping up at hotels across the U.S.

But pickleball isn't the only thing that's revolutionizing the travel space. This December, TripSavvy is looking at the hottest trends in travel. From the decline of regional airports to the rise of reunion destinations , from the resurgence of Golden Age travel to BeReal transforming the way we use social media on the road, the post-pandemic world has steered jet setting as we previously knew it in unexpected yet wonderful ways. In our newest package of features, we wanted not only to create a time capsule of 2022, but also to predict where we expect travel to be heading in the new year. We hope these stories delight, intrigue, and inspire you as you plan your 2023 travels.

2023 Travel Trends

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How has travel changed in the past 18 months? And how will our post-pandemic psyche affect how we travel in 2022? I talk to some of the leading industry experts to find out.

A NEW SENSE OF CARING

In Hilton ’s new travel trends report, ‘ The 2022 Traveler: Emerging Trends and the Redefined Traveler ’, the hotel brand looks at the impact that Covid has had on travel. The report highlights many ways that travel has evolved – from new cleanliness protocols to contactless experiences; from the search for holistic wellness solutions to more approachable and comfortable travel and dining experiences (think: where travelers will leave their ‘tuxedos at home’). 

Hilton London Bankside has a sustainable ethos.

Interestingly, one major trend which the report highlights is the rise in awareness of the environment and our impact on local communities. “Beyond their inner circles, travellers are expected to care more about sustainability and community efforts – and are looking to remain loyal to brands, companies and organizations that align with their values.”

Erica Gordon, senior vice president and global head of Public Affairs and ESG at Hilton, says: “We recognise that we have a critical holistic responsibility to protect local communities and the planet, so that the destinations where we operate can remain vibrant and resilient for generations to come.  Travel with Purpose  is our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy to drive responsible travel and tourism globally. In 2018, we set 2030 goals to double our investment in social impact and cut our environmental footprint in half, beginning a journey to redefine sustainable travel.”

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New initiatives across Hilton’s properties, which align with this approach, include the launch of a vegan suite at  Hilton London Bankside  and more than 23 waste streams and community partnerships at  Hilton Brisbane . At  Hilton Garden Inn Faroe Islands , meanwhile, the property embraces the archipelago’s own sustainable tourism strategy with a top-to-bottom environmentally-aware ethos. It has a ‘green’ roof covered in grass, allowing for ultra-efficient insulation and a building that seamlessly blends into the local environment.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Based on research from its clients, Audley Travel says the travel trends it has identified for 2022 include growing group sizes and increased spend as clients ensure their return to travel is special.

One main growth area is the interest in travel by train , with 81 per cent of people surveyed by Audley earlier this year saying that they were likely consider rail travel for their next trip.

The Golden Eagle train passing Lake Baikal, Russia.

New opportunities to travel by luxury rail include Vietnam’s  Vietage  train, which takes you between Danang and Quy Nhon. In Europe, the routing of  Belmond’s Orient Express  now includes Florence and Rome giving more options for adventures.  The Rocky Mountaineer  in the USA, meanwhile, now includes a two-day routing from Denver to Moab, allowing travelers to enjoy the views through oversized glass-dome windows.

In Russia, Audley has revealed that bookings on the luxury  Golden Eagle  train, which travels along the Trans-Siberian Railway, had already increased four-fold before the pandemic. This is set to continue with strong interest for 2022 thanks to the train’s off-the-beaten-track routing and luxury experience.

Traditional guesthouses in Valea Zalanului, Transylvania.

Launching a new collection entitled ‘ Travel Less, Travel Better ’ to encourage its clients to make a positive change in the way we explore the world, Original Travel has also highlighted the rising interest in rail travel.

“With 32% planning to swap the skies for the rails, Original Travel will continue to build on its collection of rail-only itineraries, going north into Scandinavia and east to Romania ,” says Tom Barber, founder of Original Travel. “Our Transylvanian train trip visits Munich and Budapest en route to beautiful Transylvania where you’ll visit fortified Saxon villages, hike in glorious national parks and learn about the complex history of this beguiling region.”

TRAVEL LESS, TRAVEL BETTER

The new – and aforementioned -  ‘ Travel Less, Travel Better ’ collection of itineraries from Original Travel  signifies a new way of travelling. The company is intending to focus on philanthropic holidays, responsible travel, slow travel, rail and road trips and sabbatical itineraries, all shaped by research that the luxury tour operator undertook of its current client base.

Travel Less, Travel Better with Original Traavel to destinations like Sri Lanka.

Founder Tom Barber says: “In ordinary times, you wouldn’t expect to see a tour operator telling people to travel less, but these are no longer ordinary times – and besides, the ‘Travel Less, Travel Better’ concept shouldn’t be an alarming one for the tourism sector. Fewer trips can still equal a buoyant industry, particularly if those trips are longer, better-planned and more meaningful. In fact, for the trade this can represent a huge opportunity because it means that when we do travel, we’re going to want it to be absolutely perfect. That means speaking to people who really know their destinations, such as tour operators like us, who invest a great deal of money every year in research trips for our expert consultants. 

Experience 'philantourism' in Sri Lanka and be immersed in local culture. Seen here are the tea ... [+] pickers at Desford Estate II, Sri Lanka.

“As for the ‘travel better’ bit, that’s the challenge we will really relish because our very  raison d’etre  is to help people to do exactly that. This speaks to the same instincts that have seen us champion sabbaticals, off-the-beaten-track destinations (to encourage undertourism), eco-friendly holidays and slow travel – after all, we were the first UK tour operator to launch luxury rail-only holidays. It suggests that Brits will largely want to travel in the direction that we as a company were already heading.”

An example is the company’s philanthropic holidays – or ‘ philantourism ’ as it is calling them. These new itineraries are all about travel as a force for good and represent a natural evolution of voluntourism, but are less of a commitment; you don’t need to do anything after you arrive, other than enjoy the culture, buy local and put your spending money into the tourism economy. 

Sri Lankan ingredients to cook up a storm.

The company offers a 14-night trip to Sri Lanka , for example, where the focus is on staying at family-owned guesthouses, using local guides, eating street food and fully immersing yourself in the country’s local culture and traditions. Activities include learning the art of traditional drumming, visiting a fishing community to learn how to cast the traditional way, exploring the ancient sites of Anuradhapura and Sigiriya, taking a cookery class at a local home and visiting a school in the tea hills.

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Group Travel’s Crystal Ball

Which trends will shape the future of group travel in 2023— and beyond?

If the past few years of the travel landscape could be summed up in one word, we would likely agree on “unpredictable.” But for today’s tour operators, destinations, and travel leaders to succeed, they must understand current trends and traveler tendencies, and speculate what the future of group travel will hold in 2023 and beyond.

To help, we spoke with three leaders of national group travel associations to better understand what challenges and opportunities tour operators across their networks face today. They also shared what current trends may influence the group tour landscape this year.

5 Predictions

1. tour bookings will continue to climb.

Despite a tidal wave of challenges over the past several years, travel demand has bounced back from pandemic lows. The details are in the data: Results from a late summer member survey by the National Tour Association (NTA) found that tour operators’ packaged-travel clients are returning in droves. The same is true for customized travel bookings, which the association says its members are seeing grow at a remarkable rate. Two-thirds of tour operators reported bookings are meeting or exceeding expectations, with 33% claiming business as stronger than expected. International travel business sentiment was nearly identical, with 30% of operators reporting bookings that were stronger than expected.

Growth in bus tour bookings also grew immensely in 2021, according to the American Bus Association (ABA), and the organization anticipates continued demand for even more tours, particularly across youth and school groups, in the future.

“Our team at the American Bus Association kept hearing about this incredible demand for travel in 2022—and from everything we’ve seen, there really was,” says Peter Pantuso, president and CEO of the ABA. “Today, people are saying they’re just about at full capacity, whether it’s a bus tour, hotel, or restaurant. Everybody’s doing well right now. It’s a great thing to see.”

2. Tourism workforce shortages will rage on

It’s no secret that tour operators and destinations continue to face many staffing and service challenges due to the impact of COVID-19. To protect their clients’ experience and meet the ever-changing needs of travelers, tourism industry leaders urge tour operators to take a proactive approach to understand potential staff-, service-, and experience-related issues at their planned destinations and attractions.

“Staffing shortages among tour partners and destinations, including at hotels, restaurants, attractions, and entertainment venues, will continue to impact tour operators and their clients’ experiences,” says Catherine Prather, president of the NTA. “From fewer servers and lower-quality service to eliminated services like baggage claim and valet parking, tour operators must keep in mind the ever-evolving landscape of the service industry in the wake of COVID-19 disruption.”

Prather says proactive communication is key. She recommends tour operators call destinations well in advance to check they can adequately and efficiently accommodate their groups—and then pivot to adjust as needed based on both real and perceived challenges. In addition to destination and attraction staff, the bus industry is also reeling from the side effects of the post-COVID-19 workforce shortage. Driver shortages are a huge issue for an industry that’s experiencing a flood of bookings.

“I think one of the biggest trends that we saw in 2022, and even more so one of the biggest challenges, is certainly the driver shortage on the motorcoach side of the house,” Pantuso says. “If you don’t have a bus driver, the bus isn’t going anywhere.”

He describes the problem as a “pandemic of its own kind.” He also says it’s a trending challenge the entire industry must be aware of and account for.

“Operators on the tour side of the house have to be aware that this was a tough year, and it’s going to be even harder next year,”

Pantuso adds. “We’re going to see a lot more demand coming back for group travel in 2023, especially for student travel and certainly for adult travel as well.”

3. Flexible itineraries will become a standard

One major lesson from COVID-19 for both individual travelers and tour operators was learning to be flexible in the wake of unforeseen challenges. As such, tour operators today are increasingly adding more flexibility and free time into their itineraries so that they can accommodate travelers’ differing needs.

“Our tour operators are hearing a call for flexibility, choice, and individual experiences within group itineraries,” Prather says. “Examples of this could look like tour operators booking fewer group meals in restaurants, and instead, allowing clients to choose their own dining experiences. This could also look like providing unstructured time in the itinerary so their travelers can choose how to spend this free time.”

Many tour operators across the NTA network are developing itineraries with many alternatives versus a strict, single-track schedule. Itineraries across the board are more innovative and flexible than ever before—and are often broad and detailed rather than specific.

“A lot of this transition is to allow for changes that will undoubtedly arise before the tour even operates,” Prather adds. “It’s really just a symptom of everything that’s happening right now in terms of labor shortages and supply chain issues.”

4. Operators will book smaller tours

In addition to flexibility, many tour associations like the NTA and the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) are seeing more of their members booking smaller, more customized tours with more choices and individualized experiences built into the itinerary.

“Prior to COVID-19, we already saw the trend toward smaller groups—and we expect [that] to be the stronghold for our membership moving forward in 2023 and beyond,” says Terry Dale, president of the USTOA. “That doesn’t mean a traditional escorted or guided experience of a motorcoach with 48 or so seats will go by the wayside. But we are seeing that people are looking at smaller group trips that can be more individualized and catered.”

Prather says the NTA has anecdotally seen an increase in customized tour planning. Traditionally, scheduled tours have made up the bulk of tour operators’ business, where preplanned itineraries and catalog bookings were more commonplace.

“I really do think that COVID-influenced factors have played a part in this shift, including smaller groups, itineraries with alternatives, and individual experiences within a group itinerary,” Prather says. “Are tour operators still producing brochures and presenting scheduled departures to customers? Absolutely. But the continued shift in group traveler preferences for smaller, custom travel experiences will only continue to grow.”

5. Travelers will want more meaningful trips

Where, how, and even more importantly, why, groups travel is also changing. Groups and individuals are becoming more mindful of their impact on, and their experiences with, the local communities in which they travel.

“We’ve all seen examples over the last five to six years of over tourism, where communities are reacting in a negative way toward our industry because we have too many people and not enough resources to support the volume of travelers,” Dale says. “I think this will cause us to rethink and reimagine the kind of travel experiences we can create and offer to our customers.”

The USTOA strongly believes tour operators will (and must) play a key role in providing more authentic and meaningful travel experiences for individuals who want to travel with more purpose and intention.

“I think we will see a growing effort toward meaningful and purposeful travel and the ability for us in the tour operators space, and as an industry, to help get our economic impact to neighborhoods and communities who can most benefit [from] it,” Dale says. “So, whether that’s visiting a women’s cooperative making textiles, ceramics, and weavings in Jordan where the participants are largely the breadwinners for their families or supporting local community efforts and initiatives that help the greater good, I think we will see meaningful and purposeful travel continue to grow and expand in the near future.”

Tourism Cares , the NTA-founded nonprofit organization focused on positive social, environmental, and economic impact through group travel, is one specific effort helping tour operators plan local, community-centered experiences and stops in their itineraries. The nonprofit’s Meaningful Map of North America serves as a resource for tour operators to identify local businesses, nonprofits, and social enterprises across the United States.

Operators can leverage the Meaningful Map to build custom itineraries encompassing more authentic and hands-on cultural experiences. It also helps drive local economies by encouraging purchases of products and services from eco-conscious, sustainable, and local businesses. NTA, USTOA, and many others in the industry also believe that incorporating more purpose-driven experiences in itineraries creates a competitive advantage by providing not only a unique experience but also a more positive one for travelers and local communities alike.

“Awareness is the first step in building a more authentic travel experience,” Prather says. “It requires working directly with destinations and DMOs—telling them exactly what you’re looking for and discovering those authentic experiences from the experts who know their destination best.”

Article by Erica Zazo

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Domestic Travel Is Bouncing Back for Many 50-Plus Americans

Aarp 2022 travel trends survey.

by Vicki Levy, AARP Research , March 2022

Read the Detailed Findings

• 2022 Travel Trends (PDF)
• Annotated Questionnaire: Travelers (PDF)
• Annotated Questionnaire: Nontravelers (PDF)
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After curtailing vacations during the pandemic, a new AARP survey finds Americans are beginning to feel more comfortable about traveling. The hopeful return to the road this year is fueled, in part, by the strong buying power and pent-up demand of travelers 50-plus.

In 2021, more than half (51%) of older travelers say they took fewer trips than anticipated. While 54% of 50-plus Americans planned to travel last year, 67% anticipate doing so in 2022 — taking an average of at least four trips this year.

A big factor at play for travelers, understandably, is safety.

Over two-thirds say they are concerned about the spread of COVID-19. Still, 77% feel it is safe to vacation this year compared to only 40% last year. Women are feeling a bit more cautious: 65% expect travel in 2022 to look different than before the pandemic, compared to 60% of men who say the same. For domestic travel, men are more likely to be planning trips than women (37% vs. 31%), while women are still in the travel idea phase (51% vs. 47%).

Older travelers are more likely to keep their travel within the U.S., avoid crowded destinations, and take more road trips than usual. About 43% of people 50 and over are planning to travel both domestically and abroad this year, just slightly below plans for 2020 prior to the pandemic. 

Time to Splurge

Since COVID-19 put the kibosh on travel for much of the past two years, many Americans have saved up money and vacation days that they are now eager to use. This is translating into bigger budgets for trips in the year ahead. Two out of three travelers age 50 and over expect to spend more on travel in 2022 than in 2021.

Before the pandemic, Americans age 50-plus planned to spend $7,314 annually, on average, for travel. This year, older adults typically say they are ready to shell out $8,369. For those 70-plus, it may be as high as over $11,500 — with some extra money going toward travel insurance and flexible/cancellable tickets. However, AARP discovered a significant gap by age: Americans under age 50 are more budget minded and expect to spend closer to $5,000 on trips in 2022.

International trip planning has not yet been a return to prepandemic levels. Just 17% of travelers age 50-plus have booked international travel for 2022, while 34% are planning and 49% are considering travel abroad.

Having Fun Closer to Home

Some Americans are still not ready to travel at all. This year just 2% of older adults say they are set against travel, down from 8% who felt that way in 2021. The top reasons remain the same as in last year's survey: safety concerns about transportation, safety concerns if a destination is a COVID-19 hotspot, and fear of becoming ill or infecting others.

What might ease travel worries while COVID-19 remains present? Those who are hesitant to return to travel in 2022 say having fully refundable tickets, knowing the COVID safety protocols for transportation and accommodation providers, and the majority of the population vaccinated.

Methodology

AARP's 2022 Travel Trends study includes two surveys on travelers and nontravelers conducted in November 2021. The 15-minute online survey of travelers included 2,008 adults 18 and older who had taken at least one trip within the past two years 50 miles or more away from home, with at least a two-night stay. The 10-minute online survey of nontravelers included a sample of 1,003 Americans with no plans for personal travel in 2022. Final data have been weighted to U.S. Census for analysis by age group.

For more information, please contact Vicki Levy at [email protected] . For media inquiries, please contact [email protected] .

Suggested citation:

Levy, Vicki. 2022 Travel Trends Survey. Washington, DC: AARP Research, March 2022.  https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00513.001

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Watch Out These 31 Travel Industry Events for 2022

North America

South america.

Running a successful operation in any of the sub-sectors of the tourism industry translates into staying tuned into the latest trends and technologies. The best way to do it is to attend travel industry events. It will help you discover the trends and the best tech to use and help you with your selling efforts, find potential partners, and seek inspiration for future business alignment .

The problem is that there are hundreds of travel industry events every year worldwide. It might be challenging to keep track of all of them. The coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions might also render some events impossible to visit. The good news is that many traditional face-to-face events now have an online version for those that could not travel. We are here to help you decide which ones to focus on when there is little room to schedule events in your calendar, especially if they have a covid-friendly alternative such as webinars or online events?

To help you out, we decided to make a list of top travel industry events for 2022 .

1. IMEX America

🗓 October 11, 2022, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

IMEX America is the largest travel and consumer event on the continent. The event is all about creating opportunities to get the latest industry knowledge, meet colleagues, and keep your fingers on the sector’s pulse. Over 4,000 exhibiting companies and 12,000 participants take part in the event every year. It attracts brilliant speakers who tackle the latest challenges industry faces and how to overcome them.

Who should go

Imex America attracts domestic suppliers, global tourist offices and convention bureaus, major hotel companies, conference and exhibition centers, cruise lines, airlines, spa resorts, technology providers, event management specialists, and many more.

Cost: Space Only (100 sq.ft.) – $11,800, Hardwall Booth (100 sq.ft.) – $13,800

Website: https://www.imexamerica.com/

How to apply

You can apply directly via their official website .

2. Travel & Adventure Show

🗓 April 2, Dallas

Travel & Adventure Show enables tourism professionals to meet travel celebrities. Like most of the events on this list, it is a fantastic networking opportunity. The 2022 keynote speakers are Peter Greenberg (Reporter and Producer and CBS News Travel Editor) and Pauline Frommer (Editorial Director of the Frommer Guides and Publisher of Frommers.com).

Everyone, from property owners to OTAs, is welcome at the Travel & Adventure Show.

Cost: $18 per ticket for attendees and the price for exhibitors available on request .

Website: https://travelshows.com/shows/dallas/

To apply as an exhibitor, contact them directly . If you want to attend you can buy tickets here .

3. ILTM North America

🗓 September 19, Riviera Maya, Mexico

ILTM North America always aims to provide value and a great experience to all participants.

ILTM North America is perfect for travel brands, advisors, and media.

Cost: ILTM is an invitation-only event.

Website: https://www.iltm.com/north-america/en-gb.html

Exhibitors can send an inquiry here , buyers here , and media here.

4. Destinations International

🗓 July 19, 2022, Toronto

The “Destinations International” event is primarily oriented around the needs of destination organizations. The event’s primary goal is to keep the participants well-informed of the latest developments in the sector. It also serves to inspire and educate Destinations International members. Past keynotes include Wes More (best-selling author) and Kevin Brown.

There are really no limits here. The convention attracts businesses of all sizes and attendees of different job levels.

Cost: The prices for the 2022 annual conference are still not disclosed.

Website: https://destinationsinternational.org/

Contact Destinations International via email to apply for the conference.

🗓 April 18, 2022, Tri-Cities Washington

TBEX advertises as the home of travel creatives. It is focused on helping companies in the travel sector re-imagine the travel industry through the use of emerging tech and new approaches. The noteworthy keynote speakers include Anton Diaz, Kei Shibata, and Carol Cain.

TBEX event is perfect for DMO’s, travel companies, marketing professionals, and a wide range of travel creators, including influences, podcasts, and bloggers.

Cost: Travel industry professionals – $497, Travel creators – $377

Website: https://tbexcon.com/2021-north-america/

To apply, you need to buy a ticket via the official website .

6. Phocuswright

🗓 November 14, 2022, Phoenix, Arizona

Phocuswright is a standard event to some extent – it attracts businesses of all sizes. However, one thing makes it a must-visit event — it focuses on highlighting companies and professionals that bring innovation to the travel industry.

If you are interested in discovering solutions with truly transformative power, you should definitely visit this event.

Cost: Price per ticket $3,199

Website: https://www.phocuswrightconference.com/

You can register at the official website .

🗓 January 19, 2022, Republica Dominicana

FITUR is an international travel event organized and managed by IFEMA Madrid. It attracts leaders in the field, brings in travel tech companies, and streamlines networking. 

FITUR 2022 will be great to visit if you are interested in keeping up with the trends in the industry. Whether you are a big or small company, FITUR can help you unlock your full potential. 

Cost: You can discuss costs with IFEMA Madrid once you submit a new exhibitor registration request .

Website: https://www.ifema.es/en/fitur

For passes and tickets, click here . If you want to exhibit, click here .

1. World Travel Market LATAM

🗓 April 5, 2022, São Paulo

The World Travel Market is all about creating opportunities for professionals in the hospitality tourism sector. The event provides networking tools and enables companies to network. WTM is also about emerging technologies able to transform the industry and make travel businesses more profitable.

WTM attracts property owners, agencies, and OTAs. However, it also attracts travel tech companies, government ministers, international press, and travel industry professionals. 

Cost: You need to submit a sales brochure request to discover the cost of exhibiting at WTM.

Website: https://www.wtm.com/

You can take part in WTM by sending an inquiry .

2. ILTM Latin America

🗓 May 3, São Paulo

ILTM has an event in Latin America too. It attracts top travel brands, advisors, and media.

Website: https://www.iltm.com/latin-america/en-gb.html  

3. FIT America Latina

🗓 October 1, 2022, Buenos Aires

FIT America Latina is one of the leading events in South America. It connects suppliers with visitors and aims to facilitate contact with strategic partners and providers. 

If you are interested in doing business with partners from South America, FIT America Latina is definitely an event to consider.

Cost: Not available.

Website: https://fit.org.ar/en

Here is the form you need to fill to book your stand.

4. Emotions

🗓 February 13, Buenos Aires

This is a small and niche travel event. Nevertheless, it is quite popular. The event lasts for four days, during which buyers can meet travel suppliers face to face.

Emotions might be perfect for you if you want to attract more travelers and expand your brand.

Cost: You need to send an inquiry about the prices.

Website: https://www.emotionstravelcommunity.com/buenosaires/Emotions-2022

Exhibitors can apply via this link and buyers via this one .

5. ST Alphe Brazil Online

🗓 March 16, 2022

ST Alphe Brazil Online is one of the best online conferences scheduled for 2022 in South America. It attracts prominent travel agents.

This is a fantastic event for people interested in learning about the ins and outs of the travel sector. It caters to the needs of students but can also help travel agents with networking.

Cost: Agents attend for free. The price for educators and service providers is £1,750(+ VAT for UK schools and businesses) each.

Website: https://studytravel.network/alphe-online/st-alphe-brazil-online-2022

You can apply via the official website.

6. Vitrina Turística

🗓 February 23, 2022, Bogota, Colombia 

Vitrina Turistica is the leading travel show in Colombia. It’s a place where all the key brands in the travel sector meet, including government officials and travel professionals. 

You should go to Vitrina Turistica if you want to sell to Colombian travelers and aim to partner with other companies in the vertical. 

Cost: Contact the sales team to find out more about pricing.

Website: https://vitrinaturistica.anato.org/

Here are all the documents you need to exhibit at this event.

7. ABAV Expo

🗓 September 21, 2022, Recife, Brazil

ABAV Expo is a must-visit travel event in Brazil for many exhibitors and travel agents. It stands as an opportunity to strengthen your brand. Organized by the largest organization in the tourist sector, ABAV Expo attracts hundreds of successful companies and individuals.

The ABAV Expo is perfect for travel agents eager to discover attractive destinations, services, and tourism products. Plus, it is a networking event so you’ll get to meet a lot of people.

Cost: Contact ABAV Expo for pricing.

Website: https://en.abavexpo.com.br/

To apply for the ABAV Expo, you should contact the ABAV Expo & Collab team .

1. World Travel Market

🗓 November 7, 2022, ExCel London

Website: https://www.wtm.com/london/en-gb.html  

2. Les Rencontres Nationales du Etourisme

🗓 October 11, 2022, The Palais Beaumont in Pau, France

Les Rencontres Nationales du Etourisme is a ten-year-old event that brings up to 1,000 people together every year. The event’s primary focus is identifying new technologies and digital technologies and discovering ways to use them to achieve business success. Some of the speakers include Francois Bitouzet (Managing Director of PublicisLive), Remy Knafou (professor emeritus at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), and Anais Devaux (Head of Travel & Mobility – TikTok France).

Les Rencontres Nationales du Etourisme caters to the needs of destination managers. 

Cost: The cost of registration is 175 € HT (220 € TTC) for participants from New Aquitaine, 265 € HT (328 € TTC).

Website: https://rencontres-etourisme.fr/

Their website is currently under construction, but you can get more info on their Facebook page .

🗓 September 1, 2022, Hydra Island Greece

IACuDiT is a unique event attractive to hotel managers, travel agents, and OTAs. It’s focused on identifying the latest challenges in the travel sector and how technology can help improve operations. Keynote speakers include Serban Andreea (Director of Doctoral School of Economics at

The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania) and Dália Liberato (Tourism Professor, School of Hospitality and Tourism Polytechnic Institute of Porto).

Anyone interested in critical and interdisciplinary conversations should visit the event. Every year the organizers have a new theme.

Cost: Participant IACuDiT member €300, Participant non-IACuDiT member €380, Student fee €280,

Virtual presentations €280, and Accompanying partner €250

Website: https://iacudit.org/

The application for the 2022 conference is not up yet. Once it is, you will be able to apply directly via IACuDiT official website.

🗓 October 26, 2022, Milan, Italy

IGLTA stands for The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association Global Convention. Simply put, it is a networking event for LGBT professionals. IGLTA keynote speakers include big names such as Daniela Wagner (Group Business Development Director at Jacobs Media Group & Director of EMEA) and Zoe Moore (Inclusive Hospitality Consultant & Strategist).

If you are an LGBT tourism professional, IGLTA is perfect for you.

Cost: Discounted Early Registration – Small $395 and Large $995

Website: https://www.igltaconvention.org/?utm_source=iglta-conference-header-bar&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=2021-convention

You can apply via their registration form on the IGLTA official website.

🗓 June 14, 2022, Istanbul

Institute of Travel & Tourism is an event for ITT members. It mainly attracts individuals and companies from the UK travel sector. ITT is all about networking and social activities in between conference sessions.

ITT is open to ITT members and their partners.

Cost: Delegate – £535, Companion – £285

Website: https://www.ittconference.co.uk/

To apply for ITT, click on this link .

🗓 March 15, 2022, Moscow

Over the years, MITT has grown into a very popular B2B travel and tourism trade show in Russia and the largest in its category. It attracts exhibitors from Russia but also from all corners of the world. 

MITT is a B2B show, and it attracts representatives from all segments of the tourism industry, ranging from hospitality to transportation.

Cost: MITT sales brochure is still not available. 

Website: https://mitt.ru/  

Click here for a ticket or book your stand here . 

🗓 October 12, 2022, Rimini

TTG strives to grow beyond a travel trade show. It attracts more people with every passing year, including professionals and experts in the travel industry. The event is also focused on addressing the latest trends in the industry for the current year. 

TTG is a great opportunity to network, discover interesting solutions, and form long-lasting partnerships with other brands in the travel sector.

Cost: TTG pricing is available upon request.

Website: https://en.ttgexpo.it/  

You can send an inquiry at the following link . 

🗓 October 2022, Paris

IFTM is one of the most popular trade shows in France. It attracts exhibitors from all over the world. It is a great opportunity to expand and grow your business and discover what your competitors are doing.

IFTM is suited for SMBs in the travel sector. You should definitely consider visiting it if you want to expand into the European travel market. 

Cost: iftm prices for next year’s event are still not disclosed.

Website: https://www.iftm.fr/en-gb.html

You can register as an exhibitor on the official website after talking to IFTM representatives .

9. ITB Berlin

🗓 March 9, 2022, Berlin

Although in Berlin, ITB is an international event known to attract the biggest players from the global travel industry. Its focus is on bringing key players together to come up with solutions to drive the sector forward.

ITB Berlin is the perfect event for OTAs and travel agencies focused on expanding their reach and pursuing new business opportunities. 

Cost: Regular price 205 EUR, Minimum 20 square meters, Communication Package is mandatory and costs 109 EUR

Website: https://www.itb.com/en/

If you want to register as an exhibitor, click here , or click here to register as a segment exhibitor.

🗓 May 11, 2022, Dubai

Website: https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html  

2. ILTM Arabia

🗓 May 9, Dubai

Website: https://www.iltm.com/arabia/en-gb.html  

🗓 February 4, Bengaluru

🗓 February 9, Mumbai

🗓 February 25, Chennai

🗓 October 7, Delhi

With 30 years of history, TTF is the largest travel trade show in India. The event is focused on knowledge sharing and P2P networking.

TTF is great for travel agencies and OTAs as it attracts thousands of buyers.

Cost: TTF Bengaluru $295 per square meter, TTF Mumbai $395 per square meter, TTF Chennai $295 per square meter, TTF Delhi $495 per square meter

Website: https://www.ttfotm.com/

You can apply as an exhibitor via this link and as an attendee via this link .

4. ITB Asia

🗓 October 19, Singapore

ITB Asia is one of the largest events in Asia. It attracts companies from over 180 countries worldwide to present their products and services. The event is B2B exclusive and attracts companies that deliver all kinds of solutions ranging from event management to responsible tourism.

If you had to pick one event in Asia to visit, this is the one you should consider ITB Asia. It attracts travel companies of all sizes and leading professionals in the sector.

Cost: Completed Stand Package – $5,271.55 + (applicable GST*), Enhanced Completed Stand Package – starts at $20,435.45, Raw Space – starts at $5,017.90 per 9sqm

Website: https://www.itb-asia.com/

If you want to register for a stand, click here . In case you wish to register as a speaker, click here .

🗓 February 16, India Expo Mart, Greater Noid, Delhi NCR

SATTE is the biggest travel event in south Asia. It’s an event where you can do business, exchange ideas, and share knowledge. At the focus of the event, we have solution-driven innovations bound to enable growth in the sector.

If you are interested in discovering inbound and outbound tourism opportunities in South Asia, you should definitely visit the event.

Cost: Pricing for the 2022 event is still not available.

Website: https://satte.in/

To book a stand, click here . To register as a visitor, click here .

🗓 April 11, 2022, Cape Town

Website: https://www.wtm.com/africa/en-gb.html  

2. ILTM Africa

Website: https://www.iltm.com/africa/en-gb.html  

🗓 March 21, Melbourne

AIME stands for the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event. It is a leading trade event for all parties involved in the travel sector. The main goal of the event is to connect buyers with exhibitors.

You should definitely visit AIME if you are focused on attracting tourists and businesses interested in the Asia Pacific region.

Cost: You will need to contact AIME directly to discover the prices for different exhibitor packages .

Website: https://aime.com.au/

You can register for AIME at the following link .

2. Destination Australia

🗓 March 3, 2022, Melbourne

Organized and managed by Tourism Australia, Destination Australia is an annual event designed to bring everyone in the travel sector together. The organizers often call high-profile speakers to discuss current challenges and ways to overcome them.

If you want to ensure the success of your Australia-based travel business, then this is definitely the event you should visit.

Cost: $150 physical attendance, $50 online only

Website: https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/events-and-tools/industry-events/previous-industry-events/destination-australia-conference-2022.html .

Registration is still not open.

3. Australian Tourism Exchange

🗓 May 2022, Online

Australian Tourism Exchange is a leading online trade show in Australia. It attracts thousands of buyers and sellers. The event’s primary goal is to ensure business growth in the sector and provide SMBs with additional opportunities to grow.

You should go to the Australian Tourism Exchange if you want to meet buyers, close more deals, and learn about the latest best practices in the industry.

Website: https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/events-and-tools/business-events-australia.html

Cost: The pricing info is yet to be released.

Further information about the event will be coming soon. Stay tuned to the official website to learn how to apply.

As you can see, there are plenty of cutting-edge travel industry events to visit. We’ve categorized them by continent for your convenience. Given that you run a unique operation and have distinctive business goals, we will leave you to decide which event is the best for you.

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Patricia Alonso, CMO at Mize, is an accomplished Marketing Manager with over 15 years of experience in both online and offline marketing. Throughout her career, she has worked in prestigious corporations, utilizing her expertise in driving impactful marketing strategies. Patricia’s academic background includes degrees in Advertising and Applied Communications, Tourism Management, and a Master’s Degree in Economics for Development.

Mize is the leading hotel booking optimization solution in the world. With over 170 partners using our fintech products, Mize creates new extra profit for the hotel booking industry using its fully automated proprietary technology and has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue across its suite of products for its partners. Mize was founded in 2016 with its headquarters in Tel Aviv and offices worldwide.

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Premiumisation in travel & tourism (2022): industry trends, premiumisation in travel and tourism 2022.

The demand for refined and luxurious offerings has constantly increased in travel and tourism. This demand is supported by the replacement of many more high-end purchases with experiences, driving the desire for better-quality and more bespoke choices that come at a premium. As experiential consumption continues to grow, the travel market will see demand for more luxurious and bespoke services increase accordingly.

Listed below are the key industry trends impacting the premiumisation theme, as identified by GlobalData.

Niche tourism

The more niche an experience is, the more it tends to cost, making the themes of niche tourism and premiumisation highly interlinked. One trend within niche tourism is premium adventure experiences. Adventure tourism has grown in popularity in recent years, and this is especially the case in the upscale and luxury markets.

The trend of high-yielding travellers opting for adventure holidays has grown rapidly in recent years, so much so that it has caused overtourism in specific locations. For many years, overcrowding on Mount Everest has been a growing issue. Nepal faces a key dilemma as the mountain is a major source of revenue for the destination, as climbers pay vast amounts of money to reach the peak.

Four Seasons, which has made unique experiences part of its brand image, is a favourite brand for wealthy travellers. Across its locations, Four Seasons offers a range of experiences from bespoke tours of otherwise inaccessible locations to opportunities to meet and learn from local artists and artisans.

Personalisation

Personalisation is a must-have for companies involved in premiumisation. Offering travellers a tailored experience, increases the quality of customer service, which helps to exceed expectations and increase the chances of retention.

Loyalty is of the utmost importance for luxury brands, as a lifetime of loyalty from a high-net-worth individual can result in millions of dollars being spent during the customer relationship. Although loyalty schemes may not be as commonplace in the luxury travel market , many travellers may not reject this type of proposition if it is done correctly.

Big data is an important element of personalisation. However, the impact of personalised human interaction from members of staff to customers cannot be forgotten. Hospitality services require a high degree of interaction between guests and employees.

Health and wellness tourism

The nature of wellness holidays means that they have a high price tag associated with them, which means many tourism-related companies operating in this field target the luxury market and tend to be involved in the theme of premiumisation.

For example, yoga retreats in Bali, Indonesia, can cost up to $1,000 per day excluding transport and any other costs a holiday will incur. Costs such as these will be unaffordable to the average traveller when researching their next trip. According to the Knight Frank 2020 Wealth Report, 80% of high earners dedicate time, energy, and money towards their wellbeing, showing that high-net-worth individuals are focused on wellbeing and will be the most likely to incorporate this into a holiday.

Tourists travelling for wellness purposes on average spend a larger proportion on each trip than the average tourist. In 2017, the Global Wellness Institute reported that international wellness tourists spent on average 53% more than the average international tourist, whereas for domestic tourists, they spent on average 178% more on domestic wellness trips than the average domestic traveller.

Unique settings

‘Allocentric’ is a tourism-specific term and relates to a tourist who seeks new experiences and adventure in a wide range of activities. Wealthy travellers are becoming increasingly allocentric, which heightens demand for unique settings. These travellers tend to be outgoing and self-confident in behaviour. An allocentric person prefers to fly and explore new and unusual areas before others do. This type of pioneering attitude that is commonly adopted by high-yielding travellers creates a need for exclusive destinations that are ‘off the beaten path’ and lead to boast-worthy experiences. The most extreme example of this is space travel, which is set to take off in the coming years. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic completed several human suborbital spaceflight test flights in 2021 and aims to fly paying passengers in 2022.

Unique settings not only relate to natural landscapes and locations that often require three flight transfers, but they can also be in the form of novel accommodation types. Luxury travellers now require once standardised elements of a trip to be increasingly unstandardised. For example, many luxury hotel companies now aim to set up their establishments in buildings that have historic significance or are aesthetically unconventional.

Subscription models

Travel subscription services are increasing in popularity, and this is also the case in the luxury market. The membership and subscription models integrate well with the theme of premiumisation as they create exclusivity and boost personalisation. Offering travel subscription services helps a company to cultivate a close relationship with their customers and garner a wealth of information regarding customer preferences, making this type of service necessary to capitalise on the growing expectations of a personalised service with tailored recommendations.

Inspirato is leading the way in luxury travel subscription services. It is a destination club that offers a luxury vacation subscription, which includes, homes, hotels, personalised luxury services, and experiences. The company has a dedicated care team and ‘personal vacation advisors’ that tailor holidays to suit the traveller’s needs and demands.

According to a press release from Inspirato, which details the company’s Q3 2021 financial results, the luxury travel subscription company was reportedly on-track to exceed its 2021 revenue expectations. This comes despite Covid-19 continuing to disrupt domestic and international travel. Inspirato achieved quarterly revenue of $65 million, up 52% YoY and a 15% increase compared to Q3 2019. In addition, active subscriptions increased to a record 14,114, which was an increase of 12% YoY.

This is an edited extract from the Premiumization in Travel & Tourism (2022) – Thematic Research report produced by GlobalData Thematic Research.

"Premiumisation in Travel & Tourism (2022): Industry trends" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network , a GlobalData owned brand.

The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.

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Leisure Travel

Travel and tourism in Russia - statistics & facts

Impact of the war in ukraine on tourism in russia, how many tourists visit russia each year, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in Russia 2019-2034

Travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in Russia 2019-2034

Tourism spending share in Russia 2019-2023, by purpose

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Destinations

Leading outbound travel destinations in Russia 2022-2023

Number of outbound tourism trips from Russia 2014-2023

Leading source markets for travel to Russia 2021-2023, by arrivals

Further recommended statistics

• Premium Statistic Countries with the highest outbound tourism expenditure worldwide 2019-2023
• Premium Statistic Inbound visitor growth in CEE 2020-2024
• Premium Statistic Travel industry revenue distribution in Russia 2022, by segment
• Premium Statistic Tourism spending share in Russia 2019-2023, by purpose
• Basic Statistic Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in Russia 2019-2034
• Basic Statistic Travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in Russia 2019-2034
• Premium Statistic Travel transportation consumer price in Russia 2022, by type

Countries with the highest outbound tourism expenditure worldwide 2019-2023

Countries with the highest outbound tourism expenditure worldwide from 2019 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Inbound visitor growth in CEE 2020-2024

Year-over-year inbound visitor growth in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Central and Baltic Europe from 2020 to 2024

Travel industry revenue distribution in Russia 2022, by segment

Distribution of travel industry revenue in Russia in 2022, by segment

Distribution of travel and tourism spending in Russia from 2019 to 2023, by purpose

Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in Russia 2019-2034

Total contribution of travel and tourism to gross domestic product (GDP) in Russia from 2019 to 2034 (in trillion Russian rubles)

Travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in Russia 2019-2034

Total contribution of travel and tourism to employment in Russia from 2019 to 2034 (in million jobs)

Travel transportation consumer price in Russia 2022, by type

Average consumer price of travel transportation in Russia in 2022, by type (in Russian rubles)

Outbound tourism

• Basic Statistic Outbound travel expenditure in Russia 2011-2023
• Premium Statistic Number of outbound tourism trips from Russia 2014-2023
• Premium Statistic Leading outbound travel destinations in Russia 2022-2023
• Premium Statistic Number of outbound tourists from Russia 2023, by territory
• Premium Statistic Outbound tourist flow growth in Russia 2022, by destination
• Premium Statistic European Union (EU) Schengen visas issued in Russia 2010-2023

Outbound travel expenditure in Russia 2011-2023

Outbound travel expenditure in Russia from 2011 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Number of outbound tourism trips from Russia from 2014 to 2023 (in 1,000s)

Number of outbound travel visits from Russia from 2022 to 2023, by destination (in 1,000s)

Number of outbound tourists from Russia 2023, by territory

Number of Russians travelling abroad for tourism purposes in 2023, by territory (in 1,000s)

Outbound tourist flow growth in Russia 2022, by destination

Growth in outbound travelers with tourism purposes from Russia in 2022 compared to 2019, by selected destination

European Union (EU) Schengen visas issued in Russia 2010-2023

Number of Schengen Area visas issued from applications to consulates in Russia from 2010 to 2023*

Inbound and domestic tourism

• Basic Statistic International tourism spending in Russia 2011-2023
• Basic Statistic Domestic travel spending in Russia 2019-2034
• Premium Statistic Number of inbound tourist arrivals in Russia 2014-2023
• Premium Statistic Leading source markets for travel to Russia 2021-2023, by arrivals
• Basic Statistic Number of nature protected areas in Russia 2015-2023, by type
• Premium Statistic Estimated demand for inbound tourism in Russia Q1 2014-Q2 2024
• Premium Statistic Inbound tourist flow growth in Russia 2020-2023
• Premium Statistic Tourist flow in Moscow 2019-2023
• Premium Statistic Tourist count in Saint Petersburg, Russia 2016-2023, by origin

International tourism spending in Russia 2011-2023

Spending of international tourists in Russia from 2011 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Domestic travel spending in Russia 2019-2034

Domestic tourism expenditure in Russia from 2019 to 2034 (in trillion Russian rubles)

Number of inbound tourist arrivals in Russia 2014-2023

Number of inbound tourism visits to Russia from 2014 to 2023 (in 1,000s)

Leading inbound tourism markets visiting Russia from 2021 to 2023, by number of trips (in 1,000s)

Number of nature protected areas in Russia 2015-2023, by type

Number of nature conservation areas in Russia from 2015 to 2023, by type

Estimated demand for inbound tourism in Russia Q1 2014-Q2 2024

Estimated balance of demand for inbound tourism in Russia from 1st quarter 2014 to 2nd quarter 2024

Inbound tourist flow growth in Russia 2020-2023

Year-over-year growth in inbound trips for tourism purposes in Russia from 2020 to 2023

Tourist flow in Moscow 2019-2023

Number of tourist arrivals in Moscow from 2019 to 2023 (in millions)

Tourist count in Saint Petersburg, Russia 2016-2023, by origin

Number of tourists in Saint Petersburg, Russia from 2016 to 2023, by origin (in millions)

Travel industry

• Premium Statistic Travel industry organizations distribution in Russia 2022, by segment
• Premium Statistic Number of tourism companies in Russia 2010-2022
• Premium Statistic Average monthly travel industry salary in Russia 2014-2022
• Premium Statistic Most popular travel websites in Russia 2023, by traffic

Travel industry organizations distribution in Russia 2022, by segment

Distribution of travel industry organizations in Russia in 2022, by segment

Number of tourism companies in Russia 2010-2022

Number of travel agencies and reservation service establishments in Russia from 2010 to 2022

Average monthly travel industry salary in Russia 2014-2022

Average monthly salary in travel industry in Russia from 2014 to 2022 (in Russian rubles)

Most popular travel websites in Russia 2023, by traffic

Leading travel and tourism websites in Russia in August 2023, by monthly visits (in millions)

Package tours

• Premium Statistic Number of package tours sold in Russia 2014-2022, by type
• Premium Statistic Value of package tours sold in Russia 2014-2022, by type
• Premium Statistic Package tour cost in Russia 2014-2022, by type
• Premium Statistic Most popular travel destinations on package tours in Russia 2022

Number of package tours sold in Russia 2014-2022, by type

Number of package tours sold in Russia from 2014 to 2022, by tourism type (in 1,000s)

Value of package tours sold in Russia 2014-2022, by type

Total value of package tours sold in Russia from 2014 to 2022, by tourism type (in billion Russian rubles)

Package tour cost in Russia 2014-2022, by type

Average cost of a package tour in Russia from 2014 to 2022, by tourism type (in 1,000 Russian rubles)

Most popular travel destinations on package tours in Russia 2022

Number of tourists sent on tours by travel agencies in Russia in 2022, by destination (in 1,000s)

Accommodation

• Basic Statistic Paid travel accommodation services value in Russia 2015-2022
• Premium Statistic Travel accommodation establishments in Russia 2023, by federal district
• Basic Statistic Total room area in travel accommodation in Russia 2013-2022
• Premium Statistic Number of visitors in hotels in Russia 2010-2023
• Basic Statistic Number of hotel visitors in Russia 2023, by travel purpose
• Premium Statistic Overnight accommodation cost in Moscow monthly 2020-2023
• Premium Statistic Hotel occupancy rate in Moscow 2023, by segment
• Premium Statistic Average daily hotel rate in Moscow 2023, by segment
• Premium Statistic Glamping sites share in Russia 2023, by seasonality

Paid travel accommodation services value in Russia 2015-2022

Value of paid services provided by travel accommodation establishments in Russia from 2015 to 2022 (in billion Russian rubles)

Travel accommodation establishments in Russia 2023, by federal district

Number of collective accommodation establishments in Russia in 2023, by federal district

Total room area in travel accommodation in Russia 2013-2022

Total area of rooms in travel accommodation establishments in Russia from 2013 to 2022 (in 1,000 square meters)

Number of visitors in hotels in Russia 2010-2023

Number of visitors in hotels and similar accommodation establishments in Russia from 2010 to 2023 (in 1,000s)

Number of hotel visitors in Russia 2023, by travel purpose

Number of visitors in hotels and similar accommodation establishments in Russia in 2023, by purpose of travel (in 1,000s)

Overnight accommodation cost in Moscow monthly 2020-2023

Average cost of overnight accommodation in Moscow from May 2020 to September 2023 (in euros)

Hotel occupancy rate in Moscow 2023, by segment

Occupancy rate of quality hotels in Moscow from January to March 2023, by segment

Average daily hotel rate in Moscow 2023, by segment

Average daily rate (ADR) in hotels in Moscow from January to March 2023, by segment (in Russian rubles)

Glamping sites share in Russia 2023, by seasonality

Distribution of glamping sites in Russia as of June 2023, by seasonality

Travel behavior

• Premium Statistic Household expenditure on travel & recreation per capita in Russia 2014-2022
• Premium Statistic Reasons to not travel long-haul in Russia 2022
• Premium Statistic Intention to travel long-haul from Russia 2019-2022
• Premium Statistic Intention to travel to Europe in Russia 2019-2022
• Basic Statistic Summer vacation plans of Russians 2012-2023
• Premium Statistic Travel frequency for private purposes in Russia 2023
• Basic Statistic Average holiday spend per person in Russia 2011-2023
• Premium Statistic Attitudes towards traveling in Russia 2023
• Premium Statistic Travel product online bookings in Russia 2023
• Premium Statistic Internet use for travel booking in Russia 2014-2022

Household expenditure on travel & recreation per capita in Russia 2014-2022

Average household expenditure on travel and recreation per capita in Russia from 2014 to 2022 (in Russian rubles)

Reasons to not travel long-haul in Russia 2022

Main reasons for avoiding travel outside the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Russia from September to December 2022

Intention to travel long-haul from Russia 2019-2022

Index of intention to travel outside of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Russia from January 2019 to December 2022 (in points)

Intention to travel to Europe in Russia 2019-2022

Index of intention to travel to Europe from Russia from January 2019 to December 2022 (in points)

Summer vacation plans of Russians 2012-2023

Where do you plan to spend your vacation this summer?

Travel frequency for private purposes in Russia 2023

Travel frequency for private purposes in Russia as of March 2023

Average holiday spend per person in Russia 2011-2023

How much money did you spend per person on holidays this summer? (in Russian rubles)

Attitudes towards traveling in Russia 2023

Attitudes towards traveling in Russia as of March 2023

Travel product online bookings in Russia 2023

Travel product online bookings in Russia as of March 2023

Internet use for travel booking in Russia 2014-2022

Share of online shoppers using the internet to order services related to travel booking in Russia from 2014 to 2022

Further reports

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The WestJet Group releases first Accessibility Plan Progress Report and launches new accessibility services

The WestJet Group released its first annual  accessibility plan progress report , one year following the launch of its inaugural accessibility plan. To further reduce barriers and enhance travel accessibility for persons with disabilities, the report outlines three new service enhancements for guests travelling with wheelchairs or similar mobility aids.  

“Across the WestJet Group, we remain wholly committed to delivering the services all our guests require, while proactively addressing accessibility issues across the travel journey,” said Angela Avery, WestJet Group, Executive Vice-President and Chief People, Corporate and Sustainability Officer. “Every year, we serve more than a quarter million guests who request accessibility support as part of their travel and our teams on the frontline and behind the scenes strive to meet their diverse needs. We have made significant investments over the past year to remove barriers to travel and these enhancements will better serve our guests with disabilities and our people supporting them throughout their journey.” 

Updates to wheelchair size & weight policy and handling protocols

Following a comprehensive review of its fleet and associated equipment, such as baggage lifts, WestJet has expanded the size and weight limitations for mobility devices. By adjusting these limitations, the airline will now accept a broader range of mobility aids, increasing the accessibility of travelling with WestJet for more guests. Additionally, the airline has adopted a standard industry practice, which ensures powered mobility devices are exclusively handled in a fully upright position, helping safeguard the devices throughout the travel journey. More details on these updates are available on our  wheelchairs, scooters and mobility aids  page.

Confirmation of loading of checked mobility devices

To further enhance the handling and tracking of mobility devices, WestJet has implemented an updated tagging procedure that ensures mobility devices are loaded onto the aircraft with their owners. 

Under this new protocol, once a mobility device is securely placed in the aircraft’s cargo hold, the flight crew will receive notification and provide the owner with a physical tag as positive confirmation that their device is onboard and travelling with them. 

Example of a confirmation tag for a checked and successfully loaded mobility device 

New identification codes enabled for mobility devices

WestJet carries a multitude of wheelchair types, including manual devices and highly sophisticated, powered chairs. To ensure WestJet employees supporting guests travelling with wheelchairs are equipped with the information they need, WestJet has launched three new device-specific, Special Service Request (SSR) codes:

WCMP: Manual non-powered wheelchair

WCBD: Wheelchair containing a non-spillable, nickel-metal hydride or dry battery

WCBW: Wheelchair containing a wet cell battery

The newly implemented identification codes will equip WestJet employees with comprehensive information surrounding mobility devices to effectively participate in detailed discussions with guests, ensuring both parties understand what to expect and how to prepare their unique mobility devices for travel. 

“Across our operation, we remain dedicated to working diligently, hand in hand with our partners and guests to build on progress made and further remove uncertainty across the travel journey to provide enhanced peace of mind to our guests living with disabilities.” concluded Avery. 

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