Hot trends across the tours and travel activities sector for 2020

by Startacus Admin

Simone Semprini, CEO and co-founder of TourScanner, shares his tips on the hot trends to hit the tours and travel activities sector for 2020! 

Have no doubt about it, one of the most popular segments in the travel industry is the tour and travel activities sector. The boom in tours and activity bookings online has pushed analysts to pay closer attention to the thriving space to keep close track of developments. 

From being a co-founder who has developed a solution to finding the best tours available at the lowest cost across the globe, I have accumulated extensive experience that has enabled me to predict hot trends across the sector for this year. Some of those trends are:

European destinations - many will still lead, but new destinations are growing faster

If there’s anything my experience as a co-founder has taught me, it’s that European destinations and world-famous attractions play the most important role in the tours and activities market. Europe accounts for most of the top destinations, but “new destinations” such as Dubai and Bali are already in the top 10. 

Established attractions, such as the Vatican Museums, Sagrada Familia or Warner Bros Studio in London attract thousands of visitors per day and this is not going to change soon. 

On the other hand, there are new kinds of activities that are growing very fast thanks to social media. These include Instagram Tours in Bali and Desert Safaris in Dubai. 

The number of online players within the tour activities booking space will increase

There are a host of websites selling tours and travel activities, many of which have only emerged over the past two years. In 2020, I predict the market will continue to grow: some global players will compete to have the most extensive catalogue while small players will focus on providing the best value in their niche. 

Online penetration will increase

While most tours and activity transactions continue to happen offline, the market is quickly shifting online: more travellers want to purchase tours & tickets in advance and more suppliers are looking for increased visibility through online channels. In 2020 this pattern will accelerate and accelerate the number of tour comparison sites to the market.

Mobile booking share will continue to grow

One thing I have discovered through my company’s website analytics is that different devices are used for alternative purposes. While smartphones are predominantly used for broad research and last-minute/in-destination booking, desktops remain a key trend when it comes to advance planning and reservation of expensive tours. Almost half of the bookings are made via portable devices (mobiles and tablets). In 2020,I expect this percentage will increase. 

There will be a shift from Millennials to Generation Z

Most travellers purchasing tours & activities are part of the millennial generation (from 25 years to 45), but Generation Z is right behind them. Younger generations are always more interested in experiencing every inch of each destination and will always pay more attention to getting the best tours at the best price.

Dynamic pricing will be more visible

Until today, the majority of tours have had a fixed price, defined once per year or season. Today, many tour operators use software that facilitates the possibility to change the price of a single day, depending on supply and demand. Moreover, online resellers are always using increased discounts and acquiring special offers as a means of attracting new customers. As a result I would recommend travellers should start using search engines such as TourScanner to be able to compare the deals of multiple websites and tour operators.

About TourScanner

TourScanner is an established search engine for tours and travel activities, offering over half a million experiences in 10,000 destinations worldwide, from sightseeing tours to outdoor activities, day trips and food experiences.

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Published on: 31st January 2020