Many recent American travelers are looking for further trips in 2024. Experts predict that in 2024, travelers will tend to choose major Asian hubs and new locations in Europe as their destinations.
“2024 is the year to travel the world,” Airbnb wrote last month.
International travel is hot, with searches for international flights up 13% year-on-year, despite prices being about 10% higher, according to Steve Hafner, CEO of travel website Kayak.
"Americans are looking to go abroad. They've been working in the country for the past few years," Mr. Hafner emphasized.
Here are the destination trends for Americans in 2024:
Asia continues to be a top hotspot
The Asia-Pacific region was America's favorite destination in 2023, and America's love affair with the region will continue in the new year.
According to travel app Hopper, destinations like Tokyo (Japan) and Seoul (South Korea) are the No. 1 and No. 2 international hotspots in 2024 for travelers from the United States.
Tokyo (Japan) and Seoul (South Korea) are the No. 1 and No. 2 international hotspots in 2024 for travelers from the United States.
Search data provided by Kayak also shows a similar trend. The top five hot spots chosen by American travelers in Asia are Hong Kong; Shanghai; Taiwan (China) and Tokyo and Osaka (Japan).
According to Kayak, searches for Hong Kong (China) and Shanghai (China) increased 355% and 216% respectively compared to the same period last year.
The travel website analyzed American searches from March 16 to September 15, 2023, to forecast travel trends in 2024 and compare them to the same period last year.
Japan also ranks as a destination that attracts large numbers of visitors from other countries. Cities such as Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo are among the top 24 destinations in the world next year, according to Airbnb data.
However, Asian countries have been among the slowest to ease Covid-19 border restrictions, and experts say that now that they are reopening, international tourists may be unleashing their pent-up travel passion and choosing to visit these countries.
Sofia Markovich, Travel Advisor and Founder of Sofia's Travel, stressed that foreign tourists may have been unable to travel to Asia for a long time and are now trying to do so to satisfy their pent-up passion.
China reopened its borders in January 2023, “one of the last countries” willing to ease Covid-19 restrictions, Mr. Hafner said.
And Japan is reopening to tourists starting in June 2022. There are several factors driving the growing interest in the country from international travelers. The value of the dollar against the Japanese yen and other currencies has given Americans additional purchasing power and more flights on low-cost airlines, Hafner said.
Airbnb predicts that destination searches in Japan will more than triple for trips in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 – a bigger increase than any other country.
Meanwhile, Hayley Berg, chief economist at Hopper, also noted that Tokyo is historically the most visited city in Asia by Americans. Demand is "even greater" than usual.
According to Hopper, travelers could be willing to pay a huge premium to fly to Asia in 2024. Airfares to the country will average $1,204 in 2024 – 45% higher than in 2019, a much larger increase than other continents.
New destination to ease overcrowding in Europe
Experts also say overcrowding in traditional European destinations is pushing large numbers of tourists to more distant cities.
For example, Stockholm (Sweden); Budapest (Hungary); Helsinki (Finland) and Prague (Czech Republic) ranked 7th to 10th respectively in Kayak's list of trending overseas destinations.
Meanwhile, Copenhagen (Denmark) ranked 4th on the 2024 hotspot ranking according to travel app Hopper. Prague (Czech Republic) and Edinburgh, Scotland ranked 7th and 8th respectively.
According to experts, people often want to explore familiar destinations such as cities like Paris, Rome, London and Barcelona. However, the number of tourists coming here is becoming too crowded, so international tourists will choose other destinations in 2024.
Kayak's Hafner predicted that Scandinavia will be a popular choice in 2024 because it is "not affected by overtourism." Additionally, Finland became a member of the NATO military alliance in 2023, raising Americans' awareness of the country.
Cities like Budapest and Prague have also gained popularity, but they are still behind some of Europe's tourist magnets. One of the magnets attracting tourists in 2024 is the capital Paris. France is poised for another boom this year, promising to become the City of Light that will host the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Demand for flights to Paris and surrounding cities during the Olympics has more than doubled compared to this time last year, according to data from Hopper.
Relatively lower prices for some lesser-known European destinations are also likely to attract international travelers. The average flight to Europe will be 5% more expensive in 2024 than in 2023, at $717.
Tropical Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean Sea
Hopper's Berg also notes that while places like the Mexican city of Cancun remain popular as warm-weather beach destinations, Americans are opting to switch to tropical Atlantic vacations in the Caribbean.
“This is something new this year that we are starting to see emerge and the trend will definitely continue into 2024,” said Ms. Berg.
Although not located on the Atlantic Ocean, Málaga, a Mediterranean port city on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain, ranked sixth on Kayak's list. The Andalusian city averages around 300 days of sunshine a year and, according to a recent report, is also the number one city in the world for expats.
Kayak data shows search interest there is up 60% year-over-year.
Ski tourism in Canada returns to "renaissance" period
Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal in Canada ranked 3rd, 5th and 6th respectively on Hopper's list of trending international destinations for 2024. Berg said winter travel could play a big role.
"We've seen a real renaissance of ski destinations in Canada. They're competing with a lot of ski destinations in Europe," Ms. Berg said.
Plus, air travel to Canada often costs about a third of the price of a trip to Europe, Berg added./.
