“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
– Ibn Battuta
Unlike the last couple of years, travel trends are predicted to be hefty in 2024. With governments lifting their regulations and organizations still opting to work from home, it is a win-win for hoteliers.
According to Booking.com’s travel predictions, 69% of Indian travellers claim that they didn’t realize the importance of travel on their health until the pandemic.
However, to make the most out of this bustling season, hoteliers must be prepared beforehand.
We have penned down a blog to reveal the travel predictions for 2024 and how hotel owners and managers can be prepared to embrace these trends.
But before we jump to that, here’s something you might want to know…
Table of Content
Travel Will Be Reimagined In 2024
Summer 2022 was predicted by Expedia Group to be one of the busiest travel seasons ever. And to a great extent, the prediction seems to have proved right.
From the quarantine season to travelling for relaxation, there was more than one reason behind this forecast becoming true.
It wouldn’t be wrong if you say it was the year of the triumphant return of travel.
Now, talking about 2024, according to a report by Government and Public Sector advisory Suraj Nangia, Indian outbound tourism is going to surpass USD 42 billion by 2024.
But does this mean, being an accommodation provider, you can charge mind-boggling prices and take advantage of your guests?
Of course not!
Rather, you should adopt effective strategies to get maximum bookings and make amendments to your property to cater to these travel predictions for the year 2024.
Top Travel Predictions for 2024
From solo trips to community travel, no matter whether the destination is domestic or international, travel predictions play a pivotal role in helping hoteliers strategize and keep up with the ever-rising competition.
Here are some of the trends you need to watch out for:
1. Workation trends
With work from home taking a toll on mental health and productivity, office-goers are already working from all over the world and organizations are encouraging the same.
Today there are multiple businesses that are promoting the culture of work from anywhere.
Given the holiday season kicking in, employees are definitely going to make the most out of this trend.
Being a hotelier, you must be prepared to cater to their needs. From free Wi-Fi to peaceful work-friendly living places, you must ensure that your guests get the right surroundings to work.
Along with these, you can introduce flexible housekeeping routines, free transportation, in-room meals, and more, to give your guests a stay they won’t regret investing in.
Here’s more for you to dig into:
2. Staycation
Staycations have gained huge momentum lately.
The idea of having a relaxed and comfortable stay without the pressure of ticking off the sight-seeing spots or activities is something that guests are breathlessly awaiting for, and this is where staycations come in!
One reason, people are now looking for options that are not too far from their homes yet offer an amazing stay; without burning a hole in their pocket.
You can promote your property on OTAs and other relevant channels by emphasizing your location, accessibility, amenities, activities, and services you provide.
Moreover, you can add the precautionary measures that you have been taking to ensure your guests are safe during their stay. You can consider including touch-free services, regular sanitization, contactless guest operations, and other similar services.
3. Embracing the unknown
To escape from the monotony of life, bold adventures are something travellers will be looking forward to. This year’s favourite destinations can include less-explored places to popular locations with extreme sports like paragliding, skiing, bungee jumping, etc.
To make your property the first choice among tourists, the first thing you can do is introduce adventurous sports or activities based on your demographic location.
For example, if you have an open green meadow you can promote horse riding or polo, or any other similar sport. If located near a beach, you can make use of the private beach and upsell water sports to your guests.
Wondering what to do if you have no such amenity to offer?
Simple, make use of what you have. If your property is located in a serene place, use solidarity as your key factor to attract guests. There are numerous ideas you can think of.
4. Long weekends
With several festivals falling on weekdays, long weekends are something guests are looking forward to this year. From Diwali to Thanksgiving, the calendar looks travelicious!
And what does this mean to you as a hotelier?
To make use of these predictions, you can curate exclusive packages for guests travelling during these long weekends, utilizing the holiday travel season. Additionally, to ensure they choose your property you can create personalized marketing strategies that include offers, discounts on activities, coupons at gift shops, and more.
Along with these, you can invest in intelligent pricing strategies that will gain you more revenue. We have a detailed blog that will help you set the right pricing strategy for your business.
5. Community connection
Community connection is going to be a sure hit this year. Travelers are looking forward to meeting new people where they can bond and create everlasting memories.
There are several homestays that host Vipassana, camps that attract hundreds of yoga and meditation enthusiasts or people who practice mindfulness to their properties.
Similarly, you can host biking trips and invite bikers from all over the world to take part in the event. Or create a trekking itinerary and use the event to attract adventure lovers to your property.
Music events, yoga camps, summer schools, Zumba, and pottery classes- there are several options to choose from!
This will not only be a direct boost to your revenue but will also promote your property among travellers and enthusiasts.
6. Bleisure holidays
The thin line between work and life is gradually blurring and so is the difference between business and personal travel.
The travel industry has witnessed a plethora of changes in the last few years, bleisure travel being one of them. A bleisure holiday is a combination of two words – business & leisure.
Bleisure holidays typically involve corporate travellers who extend their business trips to relax for a few more days. This works two ways – higher business for properties and on the other hand creates a better work-life balance for the tourists.
To make the most out of these trips and accommodate bleisure tourists at your property there are a few small amenities you might want to have like meeting rooms, workspaces, smart speakers, high-speed internet, etc.
Along with these, you can promote leisure activities like a spa, sauna, bar, gym, specific add-ons like complimentary breakfasts, and other similar offers at your property.
7. Travel for self-care
According to a report, about 85% of Indian travelers believe that traveling helps their mental and physical health more than any other mode of relaxation.
Vitamin Vacay is a trending term today, meaning – vacation has become an integral component of one’s well-being.
After years-long travel restrictions, explorers today are acknowledging the importance of travel on their mental and physical health. This has directly urged guests to travel for the upcoming holiday season.
Tourists today are looking for stays that offer a cozy atmosphere, and relaxing activities like spas, herbal therapies, massages, and more.
Investing in a massage parlour or a swimming pool can work wonders in dragging these guests to your property.
If you are looking for more ideas to make your property incorporate the wellness travel trends, we have a complete blog for you:
8. Pet-friendly trips
Pets have been an integral part of people’s lives for ages and today most tourists can’t even think of leaving their pets behind while traveling. Pet parents do not care about spending the extra bucks given their four-legged buddies are welcomed wherever they go.
Apart from the business perspective, hoteliers can build a solid brand image for their property by turning pet-friendly. This can be done easily by maintaining a proper set of rules regulations and prices.
To know more about how you can turn your property pet-friendly, here’s a blog that covers all the nitty-gritty parts of it.
9. Slow travel
People, with time, have started exploring various forms of travel and slow travel is one of them.
Unlike mainstream tourism, slow travel is more about building connections with local people, cultures, food, and music. You can also say that it is about living the lifestyle of the local communities, remaining sustainable for the environment, and making an emotional impact.
As a hotelier, you can tap into this form of travel and attract a lot of slow travellers to your property. You can partner with the local community, ethnic restaurants, arts and crafts schools, etc. to deliver a great guest experience.
10. Sustainable travel
While I have talked about sustainability in the previous point, it also needs special mention because of its gaining traction.
According to a report by Booking.com, around 53% of global travellers wanted to travel more sustainably.
Now, not all sustainable travellers look for a hotel and book it the right way. The same report also suggests that around 65% of global travelers crave for serenity of nature indoors and desire green spaces and plants during their stay.
This data is more than enough to show the changes in people’s travel preferences and it’s high time hotels start making efforts to cater to the same. By this, I mean hotel needs to start adopting practices to become eco-friendly.
We have a dedicated blog that talks about how a hotel can become eco-friendly, a property that travellers will love. Do give it a read.
11. Nostalgic escapes
Remember those times back in the 90s when you would travel with your entire family and go to amusement parks?
Well, a similar type of travel is going to be back in fashion in 2024. Booking.com’s travel trends report suggests that 88% of travellers want to go on a nostalgic getaway, escaping to simpler times. Data from another report also states that entertainment and movies have a significant effect on Indian travellers. About 94% of them say they are inclined towards a destination shown in movies or a show.
Meaning, that hotels that are situated near such nostalgic escapes or destinations should start parting with parks and strategizing their marketing approach.
Conclusion
Being closely connected with the hospitality industry for some time now, I can positively say that travel trends in the upcoming year are going to be a biggie. And with the holiday season kicking in close you must do everything possible to welcome the maximum number of guests.
Though it might sound overwhelming trust me with the above-stated tips you are good to go. To make them work best for you, you need to tweak them accordingly. However, if you think there are a few trends you have in mind that can be included in this blog do let me know, and I‘ll be happy to add them up.
Till then, Happy Hoteliering!
