MIAMI, Jan. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Skyscanner, the company leading the global transformation to modern and sustainable travel, provides insight into the trends transforming travel in 2020 through its new 2020 Travel Trends Report. Pulling data from more than 100 million monthly users, Skyscanner found that 2020 will be the year of slowing down, savoring new foods and traveling sustainably.
In 2019, slow travel was the most popular trip type (27.4 percent), with travelers choosing to forego the jam-packed itinerary for a more relaxed vacation. Micro escapes were the next most popular form of travel, with 24.6 percent of individuals preferring short trips to weeks-long getaways. Skyscanner also found that 21 percent of travelers were part of a new and fast-growing category of individuals seeking a joy of missing out, or "JOMO" vacation, which is focused on exploring destinations with fewer tourists.
When the same respondents were asked about the types of trips they were likely to take in 2020, slow travel remained on top (25.4 percent), followed by JOMO vacations (23.5 percent) and micro escapes (15.7 percent).
Highlights for 2020 also include travelers indicating a preference for more sustainable travel, with 9.7 percent of individuals interested in eco-friendly trips.
Here's an in-depth look at popular travel trends identified by Skyscanner in 2020:
JOMO Trips
These travelers are less worried about snapping the perfect picture and more focused on enjoying the moment. Instead of popular locations and Instagram-worthy moments, these travelers are focused on finding remote locales away from the hustle and bustle.
Local Gastronomy
The quickest way to get to know a place and bond with locals is through food. Before traveling to a destination, this traveler does research ahead of time, and once at the destination, they connect with locals for authentic—and delicious— experiences.
Micro Escapes
Short, quick, achievable breaks for those that say they're too busy. It's about peppering short trips throughout the year to take a breather without having to sacrifice family time or work commitments.
Slow Travel
While many travelers feel the need to do as much as they can to explore a destination in 2020, some are starting to prioritize quality over quantity. Slow travel emphasizes the need to connect with a destination, your travel companions and a more leisurely way of living.
Sustainable Tourism
With growth from 5.8 percent in 2019 to 9.7 percent in 2020, there's no question this type of experience is the future of travel. This traveler is someone who lets their choices make a positive environmental impact. They support local establishments, uphold their own green practices and are spearheading a new wave of modern travel.
Transformative Journeys
Travel truly has the power to change individuals in so many ways, and no one understands this more than travelers who opt for transformative journeys. This type of traveler cares about getting to know a place and sees travel as a chance to understand themselves better. Transformative journeys include personal wellness trips and volunteering opportunities that provide meaningful experiences, among others.
Taking into account these travel categories and motivators for searching and booking travel, Skyscanner analyzed its data to identify the most popular destinations and top emerging destinations for travelers in 2020.
Most Popular Destinations |
Change in Rank From Prior |
1. London, England |
+1 |
2. New York, New York |
-1 |
3. Las Vegas, Nevada |
+1 |
4. Paris, France |
+1 |
5. Los Angeles, California |
-2 |
6. Orlando Florida |
+1 |
7. Denver, Colorado |
+1 |
8. Manila, Philippines |
+3 |
9. Bangkok, Thailand |
0 |
10. Chicago, Illinois |
-4 |
Top Emerging Destinations |
Year-Over-Year Growth in |
Travel Trend Type |
1. Asheville, North Carolina |
75% |
Local Gastronomy |
2. Accra, Ghana |
60% |
Transformative Journey |
3. Madrid, Spain |
42% |
Slow Travel |
4. San Juan, Puerto Rico |
40% |
Micro Escape |
5. Marrakech, Morocco |
40% |
JOMO |
6. São Paulo, Brazil |
34% |
Local Gastronomy |
7. Tokyo, Japan |
27% |
Slow Travel |
8. Buenos Aires, Argentina |
25% |
Local Gastronomy |
9. Panama City, Panama |
23% |
Sustainable Tourism |
For more information visit Skyscanner and join the conversation on social media using #Skyscanner and following @Skyscanner on Facebook and Twitter.
About Skyscanner
Founded in 2003, Skyscanner is a leading travel company dedicated to putting travelers first by making booking trips as simple as possible. Skyscanner helps more than 100 million people in 52 countries and in 30+ languages find the best travel options for flights, hotels and car rental every month. Skyscanner is available on desktop, mobile web and its highly rated app has 100 million downloads. Working with 1,200 travel partners, Skyscanner's mission is to lead the global transformation to modern and sustainable travel.
After multiple high-profile investment rounds, including from Silicon-Valley based Sequoia Capital, Skyscanner was acquired by Ctrip.com International, Ltd. in a deal valued at $1.55B in 2016. Skyscanner remains operationally independent.
For more information, visit: https://www.skyscanner.com/about-us
Data Collection Methods
The data in this travel trends report is based on searches and bookings on Skyscanner's website and mobile app, in the U.S. The term 'booking' refers to a redirect made on the Skyscanner platform, when a traveler selects a flight with a partner on the Skyscanner booking panel. Emerging destinations are predicted based on their growing popularity between 1 October 2017 and 10 September 2018, and 1 October 2018 and 10 September 2019. Change in popularity is based on normalized data and shows changes in comparative popularity over these two periods. Price change is calculated by how much the average flight price has increased or decreased in 2019 when compared to the average flight price in 2018, unless otherwise stated.
About Skyscanner Travel Insight
This research has been created using Travel Insight, Skyscanner's powerful data tool. It analyses the behavior of 100 million Skyscanner users every month to reveal more about today's travelers and where they're going in the future. Travel Insight is helping leading airlines plan routes and revenue management, airports find new opportunities and catchment areas, and tourist boards shape demand. Learn more and request a trial here https://partners.skyscanner.net/insights/travel-insight
SOURCE Skyscanner
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