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WHAT TRAVELLLERS WANT: These are the hottest travel trends for 2019

The hottest souvenir to bring back from a trip this year is a new skill, wellness experiences are soaring and family friendly activities are top of the agenda, according to TripAdvisor’s 2019 Experiences Trends Report.

The hottest souvenir to bring back from a trip this year is a new skill, wellness experiences are soaring and family friendly activities are top of the agenda, according to TripAdvisor’s 2019 Experiences Trends Report.

The report which reveals what travellers want used TripAdvisor data about what Australian travellers are booking on a holiday.

TripAdvisor spokesperson Janice Lee Fang said their data has revealed that Aussies are increasingly wanting more from their holidays than just photographs of iconic sites and landmarks.

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“Instead, there’s a growing appetite for activities that will lead to unforgettable memories.  Aussie travellers are looking to live, breathe and experience everything a place has to offer,” she said.

Here are the key trends pinpointed in the report.
 

Skills

Travellers want to learn new skills during trips abroad, enriching their lives beyond their trip.

Globally, travellers bookings for classes and workshops almost doubled (+90%) year-over-year. This was reflected among Australian travellers, as bookings for classes and workshops grew by 80%.

Global travellers were dusting off their swords and channelling their inner Maximus last year, as a Roman Gladiator School: Learn How to Become a Gladiator became the world’s most booked class and workshop. Salsa dance lessons in San Juan, surf lessons at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, and a Cambodian pottery class were also featured in the top ten global experiences.
 

Wellbeing

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Health and well-being is high on the traveller agenda, as bookings for wellness experiences soar.

Global traveller bookings for wellness experiences jumped 69% year-over-year. New Zealanders are leading the way in the quest for wellness, as bookings for wellness experiences by Kiwi travellers jumped a whopping 362% year-over-year.

Closer to home, Australian traveller bookings for wellness experiences rose 34% over the previous year. A Széchenyi spa experience was the most booked wellness experience among global travellers, while a trip to La Fortuna’s mineral hot springs, and Arabian baths in Granada also ranked among the top ten global experiences.
 

Family

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Image: Visit Singapore

Family-friendly activities have become a firm priority for global travellers as bookings shot up over 200% year-over-year.

In Australia, traveller bookings for family-friendly activities, like this trip to the Singapore Zoo with Transfer and Optional Breakfast with Orangutans, have doubled (+106%) since the previous year. While tickets and tours to the world’s top attractions, like a Faster Than Skip-the-Line: Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica Tour, remain the most-booked experiences globally, there’s a growing focus among travellers to have such experiences cater to the whole family – even the little ones.

Experiences like a Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Tour and Skip the Line: Paris Louvre Museum Family-Friendly Tour are among the ten most-booked family-friendly experiences globally – these experiences let families see the world’s most iconic sites, and keeps everyone engaged.

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