Jet Setters and Culture Capitals: Expedia Reveals 2023 Travel Trends
For the first time, Expedia Group unveiled a comprehensive view of traveller trends across Expedia® and the broader travel industry in 2023. Sourced from the company’s first-party data, and from custom research of thousands of travellers and industry professionals across 17 countries, these top travel trends prove there is no “one-size-fits-all” travel in 2023.[i] Instead, these trends point to a year defined by the “no-normal.”
“When we look at the Expedia data, we see a detailed and robust picture of travel into 2023,” said Jon Gieselman, president, Expedia Brands. “We’re seeing a surge in trips to culture capitals and TV shows influence tourism — not a new normal but people branching out to unexpected trends in what we’re calling the ‘no normal.”
Unexpected Travel Trends in 2023:
Set-Jetters
Booking a trip after binging a popular new series will become serious business in 2023. Expedia research confirms that streamed movies and TV shows have influenced Singaporeans’ travel decision making, with 35% admitting that the influence had increased in the last 12 months.
- Nearly 1 in 4 (23%) say that watching a series or movie is most likely to pique their interest in travelling to that destination – more than social media influencers (16%).
- In Singapore, more than three-quarter (76%) of travellers considered visiting a destination after seeing it on a show or movie on a streaming platform, and 1 in 2 actually made a booking.
- Shows or movies that are set in outdoor destinations with mind-blowing landscape (41 percent) and beach destination (40 percent) were found to impact Singaporeans’ travel destination decisions the most.
- Unsurprisingly, Japan (40%) and South Korea (39%) are the top two destinations Singaporeans consider visiting with the influence of popular Asian series and movies featured in the scenic destinations.
Culture Capitals
National parks and rural retreats had big moments the past two years. Now, it’s time for cities to see a comeback. Based on traveller demand, most of the destinations seeing the largest increases are all culture-rich cities where art and culture festivities are getting back to full swing. Check out the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland, get soaked at the Songkran water-fights in Bangkok or drink in the cherry blossoms in Tokyo. In 2023, culture capitals are calling:[1]
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Tokyo, Japan
- Dublin, Ireland
- New York, USA
- Sydney, Australia
- Dubai, UAE
- Montreal, Canada
- Munich, Germany
- Bangkok, Thailand
With Singapore travellers drawing inspiration from their favourite streamed content, culture capitals that feature the backdrop of popular streamed TV shows and movies top the list of popular destinations Singaporeans are looking towards for travel in 2023.
Top 10 Popular Destinations for Travel in 2023[2]
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Tokyo, Japan
- Seoul, South Korea
- Bali, Indonesia
- Maldives
- Hokkaido, Japan
- Phuket, Thailand
- London, United Kingdom
- Paris, France
- Johor, Malaysia
For travellers looking beyond the small screens for inspiration, consider the following trending destinations for travels in 2023:
Top 10 Trending Destinations for Singapore Travellers[3]
- Da Nang, Vietnam
- Pahang, Malaysia
- Lucerne, Switzerland
- Langkawi, Malaysia
- Brisbane, Australia
- Perth, Australia
- Hanoi, Vietnam
- Krabi, Thailand
- Busan, South Korea
- Jeju Island, South Korea
An optimistic industry pushes forward
For the first time, the 2023 travel trends are being released at the same time as insights from industry professionals, from airlines to hotels to vacation rental hosts and more. In a tailored report for travel partners, Expedia Group reveals the ways that the pandemic forever changed travel. The research shows the highest levels of optimism since 2020. Most professionals expect leisure (71%) and business (70%) travel to return to pre-2020 levels within two years. While travellers looking for a change of scenery kept the industry afloat during the pandemic, all eyes are on the return of international and business travel. In fact, more than half (51%) in the industry say business is their organisation’s highest priority in 2023.
Another insight from industry professionals shows travellers are choosing options aligned with their personal values such as sustainability, inclusivity, and accessibility. Most travel businesses (60%) made changes in the last year to ensure their services are inclusive and accessible. In fact, sustainability is tied with marketing as the highest area of investment for 2023, with one in five industry professionals saying they plan to invest in sustainability next year.
For the full industry report on insights and actions for travel partners, download the Traveller Value Index 2023.
For the full consumer report on The No-Normal; Unexpected Travel Trends in 2023, visit here.
[1] Based on global lodging demand and interest on Expedia, comparing data for travel spanning 2021 – 2023 to identify the fastest-growing destinations as of 30 September 2022.
[2]Based on accommodation interest on expedia.com.sg in order to identify top searched destinations for travel in 2023 as of 30 September 2022.
[3] Based on accommodation demand on expedia.com.sg, comparing data for travel spanning in 2022 and 202z in order to identify the fastest-growing destinations as of 30 September 2022.
[i] Methodology
The No-Normal study was conducted on behalf of Expedia Brands (Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo & Wotif) by OnePoll, a global strategic research firm. The survey was conducted online from September 22 – October 14, 2022, across North and South America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific using an amalgamated group of best-in-class panels. The study was conducted among 24,000 respondents across 17 countries, amongst adults who are planning domestic or international travel in the next 36 months.
The Traveler Value Index (consumer) research was conducted by Wakefield Research among 11,000 nationally representative adults ages 18+ in eleven markets (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States) in June-July 2022, using an email invitation and an online survey. The data was weighted to ensure reliable and accurate representation. The overall margin of error for this study is +/-.93 at the overall level and +/-3.1 in each market, at 95% confidence.
The Traveler Value Index (industry professional) research was conducted by Wakefield Research among 100 travel professionals each in 11 markets (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States) in June-July 2022, using an email invitation and an online survey. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.0 percentage points for the total 1,100 respondents, and 9.8 percentage points for the 100 respondents in each country, from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.