Family-friendly activities, classes and workshops, shore excursions and wellness experiences are the fastest growing experience categories Australian travellers are booking on holiday, according to TripAdvisor’s 2019 Experiences Trends Report.
"Immersive experiences are officially the new travel souvenir," says Janice Lee Fang, a TripAdvisor spokesperson. "Our data shows Australian travellers increasingly want more from their holidays than just photographs of iconic sites and landmarks— instead, there's a growing appetite for activities that will lead to unforgettable memories. Whether it's a pottery class in Siem Reap or having breakfast with Orangutans at the Singapore Zoo, Aussie travellers are looking to live, breathe and experience everything a place has to offer."
The report, now in its second year, highlights trends in the tours, activities, and experiences industry, sharing key insights into traveller bookings globally and travel trends to expect for 2019.
THE TRENDS:
The hottest souvenir to bring back from a trip is a new skill: travellers are learning different skills during trips abroad enriching their lives beyond their trip. Globally traveller bookings for classes and workshops almost doubled (+90%) year-over-year. This was reflected among Australian travellers, as bookings for classes and workshops grew by 80%. And luckily for Aussies, there are plenty of classes and workshops to try right a home with bookings for Australian-based experiences growing by 48% year over year. Global travellers were dusting off their swords and channelling their inner Maximus last year, as a Roman Gladiator School: Learn How to Become a Gladiator became the world’s most booked class and workshop. Salsa dance lessons in San Juan, surf lessons at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, and a Cambodian pottery class were also featured in the top ten global experiences.
Health and well-being is high on the traveller agenda, as bookings for wellness experiences soar. Global traveller bookings for wellness experiences jumped 69% year-over-year. New Zealanders are leading the way in the quest for wellness, as bookings for wellness experiences by Kiwi travellers jumped a whopping 362% year-over-year. Closer to home, Australian traveller bookings for wellness experiences rose 34% over the previous year. A Széchenyi spa experience was the most booked wellness experience among global travellers, while a trip to La Fortuna’s mineral hot springs, and Arabian baths in Granada also ranked among the top ten global experiences.
Sightseeing and iconic attractions are a mainstay, but experiences must cater to the whole family. Family-friendly activities have become a firm priority for global travellers as bookings shot up over 200% year-over-year. In Australia, traveller bookings for family-friendly activities, like this trip to the Singapore Zoo with Transfer and Optional Breakfast with Orangutans, have doubled (+106%) since the previous year. While tickets and tours to the world’s top attractions, like a Faster Than Skip-the-Line: Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica Tour, remain the most-booked experiences globally, there’s a growing focus among travellers to have such experiences cater to the whole family - even the little ones. Experiences like a Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Tour and Skip the Line: Paris Louvre Museum Family-Friendly Tour are among the ten most-booked family-friendly experiences globally - these experiences let families see the world’s most iconic sites, and keeps everyone engaged.
THE RANKINGS:
The fastest-growing types of experiences globally:
- Family-friendly (+204%)
- Classes and workshops (+90%)
- Wellness experiences (+69%)
- Cultural and themed experiences (+65%)
- Outdoor activities (+56%)
- Water sports (+47%)
- Food and wine experiences (+47%)
- Private and customised tours (+46%)
- Sightseeing tickets and passes (+45%)
- Cruises and sailing experiences (+44%)
The fastest-growing types of experiences: 2018, by Australian travellers:
- Family-friendly (+106%)
- Classes and workshops (+80%)
- Shore excursions (+38%)
- Wellness experiences (+34%)
- Cultural and themed experiences (+26%)
- Private and customised tours (+17%)
- Outdoor activities (+16%)
- Water sports (+15%)
- Sightseeing tickets and passes (+15%)
- Food and wine experiences (+12%)
For travellers wanting to incorporate these trends into their next trip, TripAdvisor Experiences is revealing the top five fastest-growing countries and destinations in the world (based on year-over-year booking growth) for…
Family-friendly activities…
Destinations
- Paris, France (+835%)
- London, United Kingdom (+520%)
- Florence, Italy (+441%)
- New York City, United States (+387%)
- Faro, Portugal (+348%)
Classes and Workshops…
Destinations
- Kyoto, Japan (+266%)
- Venice, Italy (+244%)
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (+117%)
- Siem Reap, Cambodia (+112%)
- Maui, Hawaii, United States (+98%)
Wellness experiences…
Destinations
- Reykjavik, Iceland (+637%)
- La Fortuna, Costa Rica (+105%)
- Mendoza, Argentina (+94%)
- Budapest, Hungary (+62%)
- Chiang Mai, Thailand (+58%)
The world’s most booked experiences: 2018, Australian travellers
- Faster Than Skip-the-Line: Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica Tour, Rome, Italy
- Mt Fuji, Lake Ashi and Bullet Train Day Trip from Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Moulin Rouge Show Paris, Paris, France
- Singapore Zoo with Transfer and Optional Breakfast with Orangutans, Singapore City, Singapore
- Tuscany in One Day Sightseeing Tour, Florence, Italy
- Bruny Island Sightseeing and Food Tour from Hobart Including Guided Lighthouse Tour, Hobart, Australia
- Great Barrier Reef Diving and Snorkeling Cruise from Cairns, Cairns, Australia
- Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and Bath from London, London, United Kingdom
- Royal Castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Day Tour from Munich, Munich, Germany
- Priority Access: Barcelona Sagrada Familia Tour, Barcelona, Spain
The world’s most booked experiences: 2018, global travellers
- Faster Than Skip-the-Line: Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica Tour, Rome, Italy
- Chicago Architecture River Cruise, Chicago, United States
- NYC One World Observatory Skip-the-Line Ticket, New York City, United States
- Big Bus Paris Hop-On Hop-Off Tour, Paris, France
- Tuscany in One Day Sightseeing Tour, Florence, Italy
- Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and Bath from London, London, United Kingdom
- Priority Access: Barcelona Sagrada Familia Tour, Barcelona, Spain
- Mt Fuji, Lake Ashi and Bullet Train Day Trip from Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Royal Castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Day Tour from Munich, Munich, Germany
- Budapest Evening Sightseeing Cruise, Budapest, Hungary
Methodology: Fastest growing experiences categories and fastest growing destinations for categories are based on year-over-year growth in bookings from 2017 to 2018. Most booked experiences are based on 2018 bookings.
