Accor hospitality group has shared its insights into 2024’s key tourism drivers and travel trends and what’s on the horizon for this year in travel.
In 2024, Accor’s booking platform and loyalty program ALL saw the continued rise of sportcursions, propelled by the momentum of the Paris 2024 Olympics & Paralympics.
One in four (25%) of ALL members made at least one trip to attend a sporting or musical event in 2024, and the company expects the sports tourism trend to increase by 12 percent in 2025.
Similar studies have shown attending sporting events is high on the agenda for leisure and business travellers alike, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z.
Last year, many holidaymakers also built their trips around major music festivals and global concert tours, such as Taylor Swift and Coldplay, as gig-tripping became the driver for an extended adventure.
In Sydney, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts at Accor Stadium attracted 335,000 fans, generating record occupancy for the city’s 40 Accor hotels and contributing to the local economy. Shows by artists, such as Beyonce, Coldplay and Oasis, also directly impact booking figures.
Sportcursions and gig-tripping will continue as top travel trends for travel advisors to create packages for their clients.
In good news for global tourism and local communities, ALL predicts that travellers will increasingly seek sustainable options, such as eco-friendly transport and slow travel.
Slow travel will see travellers reconnect with the journey and embrace another emerging trend: alternative or dupe destinations.
In response to overtourism challenges in popular destinations such as Barcelona, Venice, Amsterdam and Bali, more travellers are changing their choices.
More holidaymakers are turning to alternative destinations to avoid the crowds and social media hype and save money.
Some travel advisors report that clients who booked directly based on social media influences were disappointed by their experiences, which were either unavailable or didn’t match expectations, and turned to knowledgeable agents to plan their ideal holiday.
Dupe destinations include Indonesian islands other than Bali and Turkey and the ‘Albanian Riviera’ as an alternative to Croatia.
According to ALL.com bookings, France, Thailand and Australia are the three most popular countries for 2025 so far with dupe destinations available in all.
