WeTravel surveyed 600 global travel businesses to uncover how travel trends and traveler preference will evolve in 2024.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – WeTravel – leading booking and payment management software for multi-day travel businesses – launched its second-annual What’s Ahead for Travel Bookings and Payments Report uncovering travel consumer expectations in 2024, and how consumer expectations will impact travel businesses.
Analyzing survey responses from more than 600 global travel businesses and comparing against survey data from 2022, the Report finds that external factors like mobile technology adoption, flexible work arrangements and climate and economic conditions are driving consumers to spend more on the customized itineraries, with more ways to instantly book and pay.
In 2024, the surveyed travel businesses claim that, unlike post-pandemic travel that was customized for smaller groups and private transportation and accommodation, consumers are now customizing itineraries to localize and broaden in-destination experiences – willingly spending more on luxury travel, culinary adventures, and wellness escapes, especially in lesser-known destinations. The high-price ticket items aren’t deterring bookings; instead, travel consumers are choosing to pay instantly, with the most-common booking lead time being less than one month before departure, and the majority of travelers paying the total trip cost at checkout.
“The travel industry has navigated constantly-shifting consumer preferences since the pandemic, which instantly changed how the world travels. While the era of revenge travel that followed Covid closures and all the preferences attached to the era have tapered, WeTravel’s Report finds travel spending is only increasing, with more focus on immersive, interpersonal and integrated experiences,” said Zaky Prabowo, WeTravel’s chief operating officer and co-founder. “From the way travelers create trips to how they pay for a homestay tip, technology is changing in travel, which is making it easier than ever for travel to be local. Thankfully, travel businesses have technology to support their operations in managing more customized, instantly-purchased itineraries – from travelers across the globe.”
More detailed findings from the Report, include:
Seeing Beyond Sights, Spontaneously
- The most common booking lead time according to respondents is one month before departure, with 60 percent of bookings falling within the one to three month window
- Seventy percent of travelers now make the full payment at the time of booking, reflecting a substantial 181 percent increase from 2023
The Expense of Experiences
- Most survey respondents reported that travelers are spending more on trips in 2024, with 33 percent describing an increase in spending by between 10 percent and 25 percent compared to 2023
- Eighteen percent of travelers are choosing to visit more expensive destinations, while 15 percent are seeing costs increase as a result of customizing their trips
Involvement in Itineraries
- Fifty-nine percent of businesses offering personalized itineraries note a 56 percent rise in traveler requests for customization in 2024
- Thirty-six percent of respondents stated that travelers are spending more on add-ons to customize their trips than they did in 2023
Travel’s New Flavor
- Culinary trips are growing: 39 percent of businesses adding local activities offer culinary experiences
- More than half of businesses chose to update their existing trips for 2024, with 8 percent specifically updating to include culinary experiences
Wellness Widens
- The 46-60 age group remains the most significant for wellness travel, at 33 percent of bookings
- The popularity of Latin America for wellness travelers remained stable at 33 percent, while Asia grew to account for 19 percent of trips in 2024
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
