Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour, and now Madonna’s Celebration tour have had fans feverishly seeking out tickets to see their idols, and research shows they are willing to travel further afield to witness the spectacle. With global tours from the likes of Coldplay, Metallica, Olivia Rodrigo, and Foo Fighters in the pipeline for 2024, demand for tickets will be even higher. Travel for Music

In Expedia Group’s Unpacked ’24 travel trends report, they predict these tours are not only driving ticket sales but also tourism. Based on the company’s first-party travel data and a global consumer survey of 20,000 travellers they revealed that nearly 70 percent of survey respondents say they are more likely to travel to a concert outside their own town, with over 40 percent saying they’d travel for a concert as an excuse to visit a new place.

They also found that 30 percent of those surveyed would travel outside of their home city for a concert because tickets were cheaper elsewhere. For example, floor section tickets for Olivia Rodrigo’s Birmingham show are currently priced at £247, whereas in Lisbon, an equivalent ticket is only £138.

Other predicted travel trends include “Vibe Check-In” after Hotel.com found that guest reviews mentioning the word ‘vibe’ have increased an average of 1,090 percent year on year. Popular vibes included retro, chill, and party, while some more unusual vibes discovered were Florida, tacky, and Graceland.

With the number of people living a low- or alcohol-free lifestyle on the rise, they also found that ‘Dry Tripping’ is another trend for next year. More than 40 percent of those surveyed say they are likely to book a detox trip in 2024, and half were interested in staying at hotels that offer alcohol-free beverages.

One of the biggest surprises in the report is that sporting events were the top reason travellers said they’d be likely to reduce their alcohol intake.

Set-jetting forecast

Given the popularity of this travel trend, Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo compiled their first-ever Set-jetting forecast, predicting what entertainment-inspired destinations travelers will head to in 2024, based on upcoming show and film releases and travel data from Expedia Group.

• Thailand inspired by “The White Lotus” season 3.
• Romania inspired by “Wednesday” season 2.
• Malta inspired by the new “Gladiator 2” film.
• Paris inspired by “Emily in Paris” season 4.
• Scottish Highlands inspired by the remaining seasons of “Outlander.”
• London, Bath and Windsor, UK inspired by the new season of “Bridgerton” and “The Crown” season 6.
• Korea inspired by “Squid Game” season 2.
• Florida Keys & Bahamas inspired by the new Apple TV show “Bad Monkey.”
• Australia inspired by both Baz Luhrmann’s “Faraway Downs” and the Mad Max prequel “Furiosa.”
• Greece inspired by the new spy action thriller “Argylle.”

Destination Dupes

The “dupe” trend—affordable alternatives to popular products—that has flooded TikTok feeds is now taking over travel. Expedia’s 2024 destinations of the year are destination dupes—places that are a little unexpected, sometimes more affordable, and every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true destinations travelers love. Travel for Music

The 2024 destination dupes all experienced a notable uptick in searches over the past year. In fact, global searches for the Top 5 destinations on the list more than doubled YoY.

• Taipei (dupe for Seoul)
• Pattaya (dupe for Bangkok)
• Paros (dupe for Santorini)
• Curaçao (dupe for St. Martin)
• Perth (dupe for Sydney)
• Liverpool (dupe for London)
• Palermo (dupe for Lisbon)
• Quebec City (dupe for Geneva)
• Sapporo (dupe for Zermatt)
• Memphis (dupe for Nashville)

Gen Gen AI Travel for Music

While generative AI tools like ChatGPT took center stage in 2023, only 6% of travelers used them to plan their trips. In 2024, Expedia Group predicts the “generation of generative AI” travelers will come of age and fully embrace this tech throughout their travel journey. In fact, survey data reveals that half of travelers are interested in using generative AI to plan their next trip, and 1 in 3 say it’s very useful when making travel plans.

What’s driving this trend? Generative AI’s ability to simplify planning and shopping through a conversation Nearly 40% of travelers say they would use this technology to find the perfect stay; 35% would plan activities and things to do; 33% would compare flight options; and 20% would change or cancel their travel plans.