As travelers got back in the air and on the road, Tripadvisor looks back on the epic milestones and memories made this year.
NEEDHAM, MASS. – With borders open and flight routes reinstated (almost) all over the world, this year will forever be known as the great travel reboot. In 2022, travelers learned how to travel again – exploring new terrain, rediscovering favorite places, and making the most of long layovers. As we end the year on a high, Tripadvisor looks back over the past year, unpacking all the good that was found along the way, at the trips that were taken and all the stories and memories that were brought back.
Despite over two years of bookmarking and saving holiday ideas, the big return was overwhelming for some – Where should I go first? What should I do next? Recent Tripadvisor research found that 'Relax and Rejuvenate' was the main trip purpose for 50% of travelers globally. It's no wonder that in 2022, Tripadvisor saw travelers searching like never before. The most popular search terms were 'Beach' with 4.8 million searches, 'Resort' with 3.2 million searches and 'Spa' that was searched 1.7 million times.
Travelers were extra adventurous this year – looking to do something wild, wonderful and out of the ordinary to escape their daily routines. Some travelers apparently aren't afraid of anything – this year we saw 1,636 shark-diving experiences booked, 16,563 ziplining tours booked and 47,015 ghost & vampire tour tickets sold.
Guidance and people-powered travel remain at the heart of Tripadvisor's purpose. Without tips, reviews, recommendations and suggestions from people who have been there before, Tripadvisor wouldn't be the invaluable resource that it has become for the millions who visit the platform every month. This year, Tripadvisor saw over 16 million five-bubble reviews written, 22 million helpful votes given and 387,000 forum threads created.
"We love to see our traveler community returning to what they do best – rediscovering the transformative power of travel again, and more importantly, coming together to share with others what they've found," said Hilary Fischer-Groban, Senior Director of Brand Experience at Tripadvisor. "As we carry this momentum into the year ahead, we look forward to celebrating more of the impactful travel stories, incredible first-hand guidance, and thoughtful details you can only find on Tripadvisor."
Here are some other awesome insights from 2022 we love to celebrate:
- Trip planning was a major hit this year
– There were nearly 6.5 million new Trips (travel itineraries) created on our platform
– Whether a birthday weekend trip or solo-staycation, travelers made plans for just about everything. Just ask the travelers who named their trips "Birthday Tour De France" and "MEcation GETAWAY" - Travelers loved the big cities this year
– Tripadvisor saw over 11 million traveler searches for Bangkok, Thailand, more than 43 million interested in London, England and 20 million looking up Las Vegas this year to date
– Not forgetting the Big Apple, thanks to the millions of travelers who visited New York City, The Empire State Building won Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Attractions in the U.S. and they celebrated their big win by lighting the iconic building up in Tripadvisor green - They wanted unique, special and totally one-of-a-kind experiences
– Tripadvisor saw more travelers booking private, small group experiences like a reindeer sleigh ride in Finland and a Private Day Tour To Giza Pyramids, Memphis and Sakkara - Travelers were keen to share their best and worst moments along the way
– 18 million new photos were uploaded to Tripadvisor this year, capturing moments big and small
– Shoutout to all the tour guides who shared their secrets and helped travelers feel at home - This year, there were more reviews calling out specific tour guides and trip MVPs like these guys:
– "Thank you to Brian, Bryan, and ALL of the lovely and kind people that made our honeymoon so magical and easy…I honestly cannot wait to go back and see more monkeys, macaws, and Brian!" – @Matthew_Savoury
– "Yamille is fantastic. She shares her love of the land with genuine enthusiasm and makes swimming in caves with bats flying overhead and jumping off cliffs feel both exciting and safe." – @leslieh233 - All the good stuff adds up
– This year, the community reached over a billion contributions!
– Travelers always had each other's backs, serving up good recs, pep talks, and extra bug spray
"Keep coins on u to use the bathroom" – @486rafaellag
"To future zip liners I would just say wrap up warmly especially in colder months and give something that could be out of your comfort zone a go."
This year, we also welcomed nearly 35.7 million new travel buddies to the Tripadvisor community. There are now close to 400MM travelers who visit Tripadvisor every month. We're growing, sharing, reviewing and guiding each other as we rediscover travel so no matter where you are in the world, and what your travel plans look like, you're never really alone.
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.
