What will it take to attract leisure travelers and increase revenue in 2024? For starters, learn the 2024 travel trends. Many travelers want something different. Bleisure, train trips, wellness tourism, and luxury vacations are all trending.
No matter how they choose to unwind, every leisure traveler will expect one thing: an exceptional visitor experience. Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) who get their communities on board exceed visitors’ expectations.
Learn more about the key ingredient to increasing the number of visitors to your destination. First, dig into the 2024 travel trends.
2024 Travel Trends: More Bleisure Business, Wellness, and Train Trips
Travelers are spending slightly more money this year than last, but not on the same things. The U.S. Travel Association reports overall spending on travel is up 3.8% year-to-date, and hotel revenue was flat in September—the fifth month in a row. The demand for air travel increased by 10% in September compared to a year ago.
Next year may not be so good. In August, Destination Analysts surveyed travelers on how much they expect to spend in the next 12 months. The average answer was $3,505, the lowest budget since fall 2021.
Yes, travelers are on the move, but they are spending wisely and vacationing in novel places and in new ways. The top 2024 travel trends include combining leisure and business travel, taking trains instead of planes, and more luxurious vacations.
More Bleisure Travel
Destinations have an excellent opportunity to capitalize on the trend of combining business and leisure travel. Visit Anaheim surveyed 2,000 business travelers in 2022 and found that 65% had combined business and leisure travel. Jay Burress, president and CEO of Visit Anaheim, says Americans have made the most out of being able to travel again in the years since the pandemic.
Luxury travel will be hot in 2024.
“Americans are splurging and making up for lost time by treating themselves to trip upgrades, luxury experiences, and longer stays,” Burress says.
Take advantage of the bleisure travel trend by inviting guests to book more nights after a convention; collaborate with community partners to promote your city’s offerings to business travelers; and offer opportunities to wind down after a meeting.
Wellness Tourism
Travelers who want to rejuvenate their minds and bodies are fueling a surge in wellness tourism. The sector brought in $800 million in 2022. Revenue is expected to double by 2030.
Forbes’ latest list of top wellness destinations includes resorts and spas around the world. Most are in stunning settings in the mountains or desert, or on a beach. The Peninsula New York also makes the list. On its website, The Peninsula describes its Fifth Avenue Wellness Retreat as a wellness journey to “pursue your mindfulness and nutritional goals.”
Tap into the wellness tourism trend with some ideas inspired by top resorts:
Hilton hotels meet the needs of guests with Peloton bikes in their fitness centers.
- Meet the exercise needs of guests by paying attention to what is hot in fitness, then adding amenities. Hilton has Peloton Bikes in nearly all its hotels. Guests log into their Peloton account and stay on top of their fitness goals while they travel.
- Offer classes on organic gardening. At the Lodge at Woodloch in Pennsylvania, chefs use organic ingredients grown at the resort’s own farm. Guests walk through the gardens with the resort’s farmer, learning along the way how to grow fruit and vegetables without chemicals.
- List nearby wellness activities on your website and give guests a copy of the list when they arrive. Get ideas from L’Auberge de Sedona, Conde Nast’s #1 hotel in the Southwest and West. The resort’s website has a complete guide to nearby outdoor activities, art galleries, yoga studios, excursions, and more.
- Cater to the popularity of cannabis tourism by giving guests information on local shops and events. Visit Oakland’s Cannabis Trail takes visitors to iconic cannabis shops like Harborside Wellness, art galleries, and restaurants.
Train Trips
Expect to see more visitors arriving by train in 2024 than in recent years. Environmentally aware leisure travelers are choosing train trips instead of flying and enjoying the sites along the way.
When a train stops in a town, and the tourists disembark, they want to know what to do and where to find it. Destination organizations can seize this opportunity to further engage their communities. When restaurants, shops, and attractions are on the same page, the visitor experience improves, and customers keep coming back.
Luxury Travel
The luxury travel industry is seeing record growth. Virtuoso reports sales of its luxury travel packages jumped 37% in the first half of 2023 compared to last year. The growth since 2019 is even more remarkable. Virtuoso’s first and second-quarter sales were 56% higher than the same period in 2019. Trends within the luxury travel sector include guests booking earlier and for longer stays. High-end travelers care more about the experience than the price. They want VIP treatment from knowledgeable employees including privacy, safety, and fast-tracked entrances.
Improve the Visitor Experience to Win Leisure Travelers’ Hearts
Decide which travel trends apply to you and get ready to seize the moment. While you’re doing that, don’t forget your core deliverable: an exceptional visitor experience. Ask yourself how guests feel while they are at your property or attraction. Are their needs met by knowledgeable staff with excellent interpersonal skills? What if they are not?
Improve your organization’s visitor experience with a well-crafted strategic plan. Treat ‘em Right will help you with this. Our services include:
- Assessments of the state of your visitor experience;
- Guidance on when and how to improve your company’s culture around the visitor experience; and
- Visitor experience education (VXE) for both employees and community members.
Visit Manhattan successfully engaged the community in improving the visitor experience with help from Treat ‘em Right. Dozens of employees at retail stores, hotels, restaurants, and other attractions have received VXE online. Karen Hibbard knew exactly what she wanted when she launched the program.
“We want to make sure that when people come to Manhattan, Kansas, that they experience unsolicited friendliness,” Karen Hibbard, retired vice president of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce and Director of Visit Manhattan
Karen’s enthusiasm is contagious! Other DMOs, including Destination Niagara Falls USA, share VXE with everyone who meets visitors. Their VX team includes cab drivers, travel agencies, tour operators, and short-term rental owners.
Visitor experience education is priceless for both your organization and your community. Let’s start a conversation about how to improve your visitor experience in 2024. Contact us online or call us at 314-221-6037.
