Snapshot: Five Trends in Travel Defining 2024
Travel is expected to break records in 2024, with the impacts on the industry felt far beyond tourism as they point to much deeper trends in business as climate change, a return of business travel, and the pressure for affordable luxury mounts.
The latest WARC Industry Snapshot report examines five industry shifts expected to impact travel and tourism marketing in 2024.
Based on WARC’s proprietary GEISTE methodology, the report forms part of the Evolution of Marketing programme, which provides marketers with insight into emerging trends and significant shifts in the industry.
Why this is useful
International travel continues its post-pandemic recovery, with a record-breaking 4.7 billion passengers expected to fly globally this year. Understanding evolving consumer travel patterns and advancements in the industry will be crucial for brands to manage potential risks and capitalise on emerging opportunities within the sector.
Five travel and tourism trends
- Intensifying heat waves shift travel patterns: Climate change is affecting how people plan their holidays, with rising temperatures likely reducing demand for travel to hotter destinations in the long term.
- Blurring business and leisure travel: The growing importance of hybrid work arrangements in talent acquisition and emphasis on work-life balance among employees have created the conditions for blended business and leisure travel to thrive.
- The rising tide of overtourism: Popular travel destinations are receiving more visitors than they can handle, negatively impacting the environment, infrastructure, local communities and overall visitor experience.
- Luxe for less: Consumers are finding ways to cut travel expenses to cope with the heightened cost of living, but they will still indulge in small luxuries for their holidays.
- The growing demand for sustainable travel: Demand for sustainable travel is rising, but consumers feel there are obstacles to incorporating more sustainable practices into their trips.
To help marketers respond to these trends, the report also contains a series of hypothetical scenarios businesses can use to plan and prepare themselves for different potential futures.
Go deeper
WARC subscribers can read the full report here.
See all other reports in the Industry Snapshot series here.