NEEDHAM, Mass., Feb. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest online
provider of bookable experiences, tours, and activities, today
shares its top travel trend report for the experiences segment.
TripAdvisor bookings data revealed that iconic sites remain wildly
popular, while travelers are expanding their horizons and bringing
growth to new, non-traditional and experiential categories.
THE TRENDS:
Iconic landmarks and sites remain the most-booked by
travelers globally...
Travelers are becoming increasingly
interested in new experiences, but they're still loyal to the
world's most iconic sites. In 2017, the most-booked experiences
globally were a combined skip-the-line pass for the Vatican
Museums, St. Peters, and Sistine Chapel, the Chicago River
Architecture Cruise, and a skip-the-line pass for a walking tour of
Ancient Rome and the Colosseum. Bookable options for The Sagrada
Familia, Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building also featured
in the top ten (full list below).
...while cultural categories - like food tours, cooking
classes, and historical and heritage experiences - are seeing
bookings skyrocket
Globally, travelers are expanding their
horizons, and several categories grew quickly in 2017.
Historic and heritage experiences (such as a Charleston
Harbor History Tour and a Tour of Historic Fenway Park) saw the
most growth (+125% in bookings), and culinary is a clear trend:
cooking classes and food tours both appeared among the top five
categories, each with 57% bookings' growth. By gross booking value,
food tours saw the most growth in
2017.
US travelers are booking more cooking and restaurant
experiences...
In line with global trends, US bookings
placed cooking classes and food tours in the top ten, with 51% and
49% growth respectively. An interactive Spanish Cooking Experience
in Barcelona where travelers learn
to make paella and Spanish tapas with a local chef, and a guided
Street Food Tour in Rome with
pizza, pastries, and sightseeing, were among the fastest growing
experiences for US and global travelers.
...and getting active in the great
outdoors.
Historical and heritage experiences may have
topped the list of fastest-growing categories for US travelers
(+98% in bookings), but aquatic activities dominated the top ten,
taking half of the top spots. Sunset cruises (+89% in bookings),
snorkeling (+64%), sailing trips (+55%), catamaran cruises (+51%),
and kayaking and canoeing experiences (+49%) all ranked in the
year's fastest-growing categories.
Travelers around the world are increasingly opting out of
line-ups
Skip-the-line access at some of the world's busiest
landmarks and sites (like the Colosseum) appeared in both the
most-popular and fastest-growing lists for global
travelers.
Fast facts on skip-the-line experiences:
- Two of the three most popular products in 2017 were
skip-the-line, and likewise for four of the ten fastest-growing
experiences in 2017.
- TripAdvisor lists more than 1,200 skip-the-line tickets
globally, with options at some of the most popular sites in the
world, including the Eiffel Tower, the Sagrada Familia, and the
London Eye.
- Skip-the-line tours were also the second-fastest growing
category for US travelers by gross booking value in 2017.
Guides and operators added 30,000 new experiences to
TripAdvisor last year, increasing the number of available
experiences, tours, and attractions by 50%. New options range
from entry tickets for famous sites to cooking classes, day
cruises, and multi-day adventure tours. Options are expanding
quickly, and a trolley tour of Newport's famous mansions, a combination tour
of Tulum's ruins and snorkel trip
in the cenotes, and a full-day tour of Abu Dhabi from Dubai are among the most popular new
experiences.
"We're seeing more travelers balancing their itineraries with a
mix of classic sightseeing and more unique local experiences," said
Laurel Greatrix, director of
communications. "Of course travelers heading to Rome want to explore the Vatican and the
Sistine Chapel, but they're also booking experiences like food
tours to enhance their trip, and see the city like a local."
"Travelers are also being more economical with their time,"
Greatrix continued. "Skip-the-line tour options are among the
fastest-growing tours in the world, and were among the fastest
growing categories for US travelers in particular, allowing
travelers to see more than just the back of someone's head."
THE RANKINGS:
The world's most popular experiences: 2017, global
travelers
Ranked by 2017 booking count totals
1. Skip the line: Vatican Museums, St Peter's,
Sistine Chapel
2. Chicago Architecture River Cruise
3. Skip the line: Ancient Rome and Colosseum
Half-Day Walking Tour
4. Rome Hop-On, Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour
5. Priority Access: Barcelona Sagrada Familia
Tour
6. Eiffel Tower Summit: Priority access with
host
7. Warner Bros Studio: The Making of Harry Potter with Luxury Round-Trip Transport
from London
8. Empire State Building Tickets
9. Murano, Burano, and Torcello half-day
sightseeing tour
10. Tuscany in One Day
Sightseeing Tour
The USA's most popular
experiences: global travelers,
2017
Ranked by 2017 booking count totals
1. Chicago Architecture River Cruise
2. Empire State Building Tickets
3. NYC One World Observatory: Skip the
line
4. USS Midway Museum: Skip the line (San Diego)
5. New York City PASS
6. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Guided
Tour
7. Skydeck Chicago: Admission
8. Big Bus New York Hop-on, Hop-off
9. 9/11 Memorial Museum Admission
10. Napa and Sonoma Wine
Country Tour
Fastest-growing experience categories: global travelers, 2017
Ranked by
year-over-year growth in total bookings count
1. Historical and heritage tours (+125%)
2. Sunset cruises (+86%)
3. Private day trips (+79%)
4. Snorkeling (+70%)
5. Kayaking and canoeing (+67%)
6. Sailing trips (+61%)
7. Catamaran trips (+60%)
8. Food tours (+57%)
9. Cooking classes (+57%)
10. Museum tickets and passes (+54%)
Fastest-growing experience categories: US travelers, 2017.
Ranked by
year-over-year growth in total bookings count
1. Historical and heritage Tours (+98%)
2. Sunset Cruises (+89%)
3. Private Day Trips (+74%)
4. Snorkeling (+64%)
5. Sailing Trips (+55%)
6. Catamaran Cruises (+52%)
7. Cooking Classes (+51%)
8. Kayaking & Canoeing (+49%)
9. Food Tours (+49%)
10. Archaeology Tours (+49%)
The most popular new experiences (added in 2017): global
travelers
Top-booked products new to TripAdvisor in 2017
1. Eiffel Tower Summit Priority Access with
Host
2. Ancient Monuments of Rome Tour with
Skip-the-Line pass
3. Skip the Line: Gaudi's Casa Batlló Ticket with
Audio Tour
4. Skip the Line: Arc de Triomphe Including
Terrace Access
5. Skip-the-Line Florence Accademia Gallery and
Michelangelo's David Ticket
6. Full-Day Tour of Abu Dhabi City From Dubai
7. Fast Track Seville Guided Tour into
Alcazar
8. Jewish Quarter Anne Frank Walking Tour in
Amsterdam
9. Field Museum of Natural History Admission
10. San Antonio Zoo General Admission
The most popular new experiences (added in 2017): US
travelers
1. Eiffel Tower Summit Priority Access with
Host
2. Ancient Monuments of Rome Tour with
Skip-the-Line pass
3. Skip the Line: Gaudi's Casa Batlló Ticket with
Audio Tour
4. Skip the Line: Arc de Triomphe Including
Terrace Access
5. Skip-the-Line Florence Accademia Gallery and
Michelangelo's David Ticket
6. Full-Day Tour of Abu Dhabi City From Dubai
7. Jewish Quarter Anne Frank Walking Tour in
Amsterdam
8. Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass
Combination Ticket
9. Live Nashville Walking Tour
10. 3-in-1 Discovery Combo Tour: Tulum Ruins, Reef Snorkeling
Plus Cenote and Caves
Methodology: Most popular experiences are based
on bookings in 2017, for products under $150
USD per person. Fastest growing experiences and categories
are based on year-over-year growth in bookings from 2016 to 2017.
Most popular new products are based on experiences added between
April 2016 and April 2017 and ranked by bookings between
April 2017 and December
2017.
About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor, the world's largest
travel site**, enables travelers to unleash the full potential of
every trip. With over 570 million reviews and opinions covering the
world's largest selection of travel listings worldwide -- covering
7.3 million accommodations, airlines, attractions, and restaurants
-- TripAdvisor provides travelers with the wisdom of the crowds to
help them decide where to stay, how to fly, what to do and where to
eat. TripAdvisor also compares prices from more than 200 hotel
booking sites so travelers can find the lowest price on the hotel
that's right for them. TripAdvisor-branded sites are available in
49 markets, and are home to the world's largest travel community of
455 million average monthly unique visitors*, all looking to get
the most out of every trip. TripAdvisor: Know better. Book better.
Go better.
The subsidiaries and affiliates of TripAdvisor, Inc.
(NASDAQ:TRIP) own and operate a portfolio of websites under 20
other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com,
www.bookingbuddy.com, www.citymaps.com, www.cruisecritic.com,
www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com,
www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com,
www.iens.nl and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com,
www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com,
www.housetrip.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com,
www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com,
www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com
and www.viator.com.
*Source: TripAdvisor log files, average monthly unique
visitors, Q3 2017
**Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide,
July 2017
TRIP-G
<link rel="canonical"
href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/blog/travel-industry-tourism-trends-attractions-activities-experiences-2018/">?
View original content with
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tripadvisor-announces-experiences-tours-and-activities-trend-report-for-2018-300597962.html
SOURCE TripAdvisor