Taipei named top destination in 2024, while unexpected cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Edmonton, and Mexico City are tourism hotspots next year
Expedia has just released Unpack ’24, a report offering a sneak peek into the upcoming travel trends for 2024. Combining first-party travel data and insights from a global survey of 20,000 travellers, Unpack ’24 sheds light on everything from top destinations to the evolving landscape of travel technology.
The survey was conducted online from September 12– October 5, 2023, across North and South America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific, among 20,000 respondents across 14 countries, including adults who are planning domestic or international travel in the next three years.
Set-jetting and Tour Tourism: Leading Trip Types for 2024
According to Expedia, set-jetting, a trend identified in 2023, continues to capture the imagination of travellers worldwide. TV shows and movies wield substantial influence, surpassing the impact of social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and podcasts. More than half of travellers say they’ve researched or booked a trip to a destination after seeing it on a TV show or movie, and 1 in 4 admit that TV shows and films are even more influential on their travel plans than they were before.
Expedia’s search data aligns with this trend, showing significant spikes in travel searches after the release of popular shows:
- The first two seasons of “The White Lotus” drove a 300% increase in travel demand to Hawaii and Sicily.
- Following the release of “Wednesday” on Netflix, Expedia saw a 150% increase in travel searches for Romania.
- Expedia saw a 200% increase in searches to Paris after “Emily in Paris” debuted its previous season.
- Searches for Richmond in London increased by 160% after season 2 of “Ted Lasso” aired, and they doubled after season 3 aired. U.S. fans accounted for 65% of searches, followed by Australians, Canadians, Brits, and the Japanese.
- Searches for Chicago increased by 45% following the first season of “The Bear.”
- Searches for Norway increased by more than 65% after “Succession” aired its final season.
In line with the global trend, 61% of Singapore travellers have researched or booked a trip to a destination after seeing it in a TV show or movie. One-third (34%) affirm that the influence of TV shows and movies on their travel plans has increased in the past 12 months.
Expedia predicts that a few destinations in the UK will see an uptick thanks to the new season of Bridgerton in 2024. Similarly, searches for Chicago increased by 45% following the first season of “The Bear.” Image courtesy of Netflix
In response to this growing phenomenon, Expedia has introduced the Set-jetting Forecast for 2024, predicting upcoming destinations inspired by entertainment releases:
- Romania inspired by “Wednesday” season 2.
- Paris inspired by “Emily in Paris” season 4.
- Korea inspired by “Squid Game” season 2.
- Thailand inspired by “The White Lotus” season 3.
- Malta inspired by the new “Gladiator 2” film.
- Scottish Highlands inspired by the remaining seasons of “Outlander.”
- London, Bath and Windsor, UK inspired by the new season of “Bridgerton” and “The Crown” season 6.
Destination Dupes: Affordable Alternatives Gain Popularity
Expedia also identified a rising trend called “destination dupes”, or affordable alternatives to popular destinations that provide unique and delightful experiences.
The top destinations on this list, including Taipei, Pattaya, Paros, Curaçao, and Perth, experienced an increase in searches over the past year, more than doubling year over year:
- Taipei (dupe for Seoul) – 2,785%
- Pattaya (dupe for Bangkok) – 250%
- Paros (dupe for Santorini) -195%
- Curaçao (dupe for St. Martin) – 185%
- Perth (dupe for Sydney) – 110%
- Liverpool (dupe for London) – 95%
- Palermo (dupe for Lisbon) – 90%
- Quebec City (dupe for Geneva) – 60%
- Sapporo (dupe for Zermatt) – 40% • Memphis (dupe for Nashville) – 15%
Tour Tourism Continues to Thrive in 2024
Following the success of Eras and Renaissance tours in 2023, Expedia predicts that Tour Tourism will remain a vibrant segment in 2024. Almost 70% of survey respondents express a preference for travelling to concerts outside their hometown, with over 40% using concerts as an excuse to explore new places. Surprisingly, 30% of travellers would choose a concert destination based on lower ticket prices.
Expedia analysed the average daily rates for accommodations in cities around the world with major arenas and music venues that will host the world’s hottest music acts in 2024. The data showed that unexpected cities, such as Kuala Lumpur, Edmonton in Canada, and Mexico City, feature prominently in the list of top tour tourism destinations for 2024.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is set to hail from Singapore in 2024, the only Asian destination on her world tour. The 6-day gig will attract thousands of fans from across the region.
Similarly, 65% of Singaporeans say they’d travel to watch their favourite artist perform live. Fans are willing to travel outbound to catch their favourite artist if tickets are cheaper elsewhere (44%) or are sold out in Singapore (28%).
Some big-name artists who will be stopping in those cities on tour next year include: Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Madonna, Metallica, Olivia Rodrigo, the Jonas Brothers, and the Foo Fighters.
Gen Gen AI: Embracing Generative AI in Travel Planning
While generative AI tools like ChatGPT gained attention in 2023, only 6% of travellers utilised them for trip planning. However, Expedia anticipates a surge in the adoption of generative AI in 2024, with 50% of travellers expressing interest in using this technology.
In Singapore, a remarkable 68% of travellers are open to incorporating generative AI into their travel planning, citing its ability to simplify various aspects of the journey.
What drives this trend is Generative AI’s ability to simplify planning and shopping through a conversation. Nearly 40% of travellers say they would use this tech to find the perfect stay, 35% would plan activities and things to do, 33% would compare flight options, and 20% of travellers would change or cancel their travel plans.
