The Top Trends Defining 2024 Summer Travel

Despite travel surges normalizing after a few years of incredible post-pandemic growth, summer travel was in full swing this year. Viator saw our busiest season on record, with summer 2024 experience bookings showing strong double digit growth year-over-year.

“This high season made one thing clear: despite questions on the strength of the US consumer, people continue to love—and prioritize—travel,” said Laurel Greatrix, Vice President of Brand and Communications for Viator. “We see spend for experiences continue to increase—particularly in categories that allow travelers to express personal passions and dive deeper into destinations’ unique traditions and natural landscapes.”

While popular travel spots remained hot—Rome, Paris, and London were our most booked summer destinations—record-breaking temperatures and crowding drove many to explore calmer, cooler locations. Destinations including Isafjordur, Iceland, St. Johns, Canada, and West Midlands, UK were among Viator’s top 10 fastest growing travel spots this summer. Helsinki, Finland, Stockholm, Sweden, and Rotterdam, Netherlands also experienced strong growth, with bookings increasing by more than 50% compared to last summer.

Asia was another popular region for summer vacations. In particular, travelers had their sights set on China: Beijing was Viator’s fastest growing summer destination by far, with demand for the city surging nearly 3x year-over-year. Shanghai also experienced significant growth, with nearly 2x more bookings compared to last summer. Beyond China, destinations such as Yogyakarta and Nusa Penida in Indonesia and Osaka, Japan also saw steady growth of over 50%, signaling that the Asia-Pacific region’s travel boom is continuing.

With cultural tourism on the rise, it’s no surprise that Cultural and Historical Heritage experiences remained Viator’s most popular categories this summer. But while traditional cultural tours and attractions reigned supreme, we saw more travelers craving immersive activities that offered up a more intimate look into a destination's unique traditions, histories, and people.

Oftentimes, this involved taking hands-on classes and lessons led by local experts. This summer, Cooking Classes were among our top 10 most popular experiences. Additionally, Guided Photography Tours, Sports Lessons, and Painting Classes represented three of our 10 fastest growing experience categories, with year-over-year growth of more than 50%.

Outdoor activities have also grown in popularity over the past few years, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. From scenic kayaking excursions and action-packed 4WD adventures, to romantic cruises and adventurous mountain biking tours—nearly half of our top 20 experience categories (8 out of 20) were open-air experiences. Americans, in particular, celebrated the outdoors by taking a walk on the wild side: Nature and Wildlife tours were among their top 10 most sought after summer experiences and Safaris were one of the top 10 fastest growing adventures for these travelers.

Looking ahead, we anticipate many of the destination and experience trends we saw during the summer months to carry into the upcoming holiday travel season.

Travel to Asia is continuing its rise—we’re already seeing cities in Japan and Thailand emerging as some of the fastest-growing destinations for Fall and Winter travel. Travelers are also looking for similar experiences, with a few seasonal twists. For example, Ski and Snow Tours are among our fastest growing experiences for Fall/Winter as the weather continues to cool in many of the world’s most popular destinations.

Methodology: Summer destination and experience trends are based on data from Viator’s point of sale for travel dates in June, July, and August 2024. Fall and Winter trend predictions are based on data from Viator’s point of sale for travel dates in September, October, November, and December 2024. We analyzed growth in 2024 number of bookings compared to 2023 levels during the same time period with a minimum of 1,000 bookings, as well as rankings of 2024 number of bookings.