From answering the call of adventure to the continued impact of set jetting, here’s a look at some of the key travel trends outlined at Ensemble Horizons 2024.
Executives at the recent Ensemble Horizons conference in Las Vegas outlined several key trends impacting the travel and tourism industry from the rise of meaningful travel to the demand for destinations that clients see on screen.
This year, when it comes to booking trends among the Canadian market in particular, adventure travel is one of the segments that is seeing significant growth across a wide range of clients.
“Our Canadian members are crushing it. Adventure travel is way up this year,” Kristina Boyce, SVP, operations at Ensemble tells Travel Courier. “Luxury cruise and expedition cruise in particular is especially big for the Canadian members. There’s always growth in the sun and sand. Canadians are still doing that at a huge percentage.”
Community-based tourism — the antithesis to overtourism — where travellers strive to leave a positive impact on the people and places they visit, is another emerging trend. From Jordan’s Meaningful Travel Map in partnership with Tourism Cares, which promotes travel to social enterprises across the destination so travellers “can spend their money where it counts,” to tour operators like G Adventures building in visits to projects that its nonprofit foundation support, it’s all about itineraries that highlight the power of community tourism and travel that makes a difference.
Looking ahead to key trends impacting client bookings, set jetting will continue to have a major impact on travel. Destinations like France, Italy, and Thailand are expected to be in demand thanks to what’s coming out on streaming platforms.
“Set jetting is really referring to that trend of people wanting to visit places specific to filming locations — something they’ve seen in a movie or TV show,” says Danielle Clement, Director of Partnership Marketing at Ensemble. “The term was first coined in 2008 but then what we saw in 2023 — 15 years to the future — it was reported that 68 per cent of travellers considered visiting a destination based on something they’d seen on screen, on TV or in a movie. It is a huge motivator as to why someone might choose to go somewhere.”
This surge in demand has also led tour operators to create day trips catering to Netflix shows like a walking tour in the footsteps of Emily in Paris. With this season moving to Rome, Italy is again expected to reap the rewards of set jetting. Most recently, White Lotus fans flocked to the picturesque country.
With White Lotus Season 3 slated to showcase various sides of Thailand, that is another destination that’s also expected to be hot once the show debuts. Notably, Thailand is no stranger to the limelight as a filming location for the Bond empire and movies like The Beach.
“Just last year, in 2023, we had over 460 films or part of films, filmed in Thailand and that was from over 40 countries,” says Steve Johnson-Stevenson, marketing manager for Tourism Authority of Thailand. “I’m glad I can finally speak about White Lotus because a couple of weeks ago we were not able to officially speak on anything White Lotus related to Thailand, but it is the backdrop of the third season and not only will it be in Thailand, it will be in several regions of Thailand.”
One of the filming locations is the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, one of the oldest and most iconic hotels.
“We are cautiously optimistic as it relates to White Lotus. We know that HBO Max has done a phenomenal job of promoting the series,” he adds. “We love the fact that it touches on all segments. It appeals to a wide cross section of the travelling public.”
Notably, beyond the big screen, pop culture and sporting events also have a major impact on travel.
“I think we can all speak to the Taylor Swift Eras tour and what that’s done for travel and tourism in key cities. They actually estimated that her tour in the UK brought in $1 billion in additional tourism to the economy between restaurants, hotels, spending — that is a large amount of money,” says Clement.
Finally, transformational tourism, which is focussed on the health and wellbeing of travellers is also something some mindful travellers are prioritizing as they seek to live a long and healthy life. Tourism wise, this could mean clients who are looking to take advantage of hotels that track and monitor people’s heart rates and measurements prior to a stay to develop a customized meal plan and workout regime to visiting the Maasai Mara and taking part in a safari with activities like learning the fitness techniques and jumping regime of its warriors.
