Trip.com examines the ever-changing world of travel from the past year, providing insights into the upcoming top travel trends 2024.
China’s border reopening sparks global travel surge.
Data from Trip.com shows a remarkable six-fold increase in outbound travel bookings compared to the previous year, with particularly notable spikes during holiday periods such as the 8-day Golden Week in October. The upcoming New Year Holiday season is also poised for substantial growth, with a staggering 240% increase in bookings expected year-on-year.
The data further highlights a strong preference among Chinese travellers for Southeast Asian destinations, with several countries ranking high on the list of preferred outbound locations for 2023. The interest in outbound travel is anticipated to continue into 2024, with South Korea, Japan, Singapore, the United States, Australia, Malaysia, Canada, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and Germany identified as China’s top source markets for inbound tourism, as per Trip.com’s insights.
AI takes centre stage in predictive planning for 2024
Entering 2024, the travel industry is experiencing a profound transformation, propelled by the widespread integration of AI. TripGenie, an advanced AI travel assistant seamlessly integrated into the Trip.com mobile app, is at the forefront of this revolutionary shift.
Harnessing state-of-the-art significant language model technologies, TripGenie, which debuted in 2023, has matured into a personalised travel companion, fundamentally altering how we chart our journeys. It creates tailor-made itineraries, facilitates instant bookings, and responds rapidly to user inquiries.
Expanding its horizons beyond TripGenie, Trip.com has introduced AI-powered curated lists to enrich the booking experience for users. “Trip.Best” offers recommendations for the finest travel options, “Trip.Deals” showcases premier flights, accommodations, and other travel bargains, and “Trip.Trends” presents the most sought-after travel themes and events based on user searches. These dynamic compilations are finely attuned to user preferences gleaned from real-time data, offering a tantalising glimpse into the future of travel planning in 2024.
Event Travel on the Rise
Looking ahead to 2024, event tourism continues to draw broad interest from travellers worldwide, with festivals and iconic theme parks emerging as the focal points of voyages. In particular, theme parks are positioned for a remarkable surge, having observed an impressive 65% surge in reservations in 2023 compared to 2019.
Live entertainment with concerts and music festivals transcends boundaries, enchanting audiences from around the globe. Concerts featuring international performers are expected to maintain their eminence as the most coveted global events, heralding an exhilarating 2024 brimming with unforgettable cultural encounters.
Event tourism, which includes concerts, festivals, and sporting events, is anticipated to gather momentum in 2024. With the highly anticipated 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the “ticket+hotel” category is projected to be a coveted product, emphasising the increasing significance of events in shaping travel preferences.
Sustainable travel in 2024
Looking ahead to 2024, the travel industry appears to be influenced by two significant trends: sustainable travel and the rise of event tourism. These trends indicate a shift in traveller preferences and consciousness rather than just being statistical projections.
Per Trip.com Group’s recent ESG report, more than 16 million customers have chosen low-carbon travel options, demonstrating a growing interest in eco-friendly exploration.
Trip.com Group’s introduction of the low-carbon hotel standard in 2023 has yielded promising outcomes. Identifying over 1,500 partners as low-carbon hotels suggests sustainable accommodation is poised to become a major trend.
