Klook's 6 travel trends to watch in 2019

Solo Travel at Marmari, Mani, Greece - Photo Credit: IG joyteera

Solo travel and pop culture experiences on the rise

Hong Kong – In 2018, Klook saw a booming rise in the experiential travel market. As predicted, the global travel industry’s tours and activities market is estimated to reach $183 billion by 2020 and there’s no sign that will slow down in the coming year. We’ve reviewed survey and internal data for 2018 and have found six emerging tour and activity trends we predict will continue to drive the travel industry globally in 2019:

Solo travel. One of the hottest topics this year has been solo travel. According to our data, we saw the number of solo travellers increase on our platform from 31% to 38% in 2018. Interestingly, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the UK all saw 10% growth in the number of solo travellers. China, in particular, is bucking the stereotype of its all-inclusive group trips and is seeing now close to 60% of its millennials abroad travelling alone in 2018.
In-destination activities. We saw a huge rise in activities being the motivational driver for choosing travel destinations. From those surveyed, 63% of travellers said they planned to attend an event or activity specific to the destination prior to booking flights and accommodations. What’s more, 54% of travellers planned trips around seasonal activities (e.g. maple leaves viewing) or one-off events (concerts and sports events).
The pop culture influence. The film Crazy Rich Asians took the world by storm this summer and put Singapore and Southeast Asian hot spots back on the must-visit map. After the movie’s debut, page views for Singapore destination activities grew 10%.
The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) effect. Travellers continue to share their travel experiences through social media channels, triggering wanderlust and FOMO from their peers. On Klook, experiences deemed as “insta-worthy activities” dominated our platform. We foresee the growing trend of short live streaming videos on social media triggering travel interests as well. These habits show no sign of slowing down and will fuel travellers’ desires for insta-worthy experiences.
Mobile booking. Klook data found 70% of millennial users booked activities on mobile devices. Additionally, research from Google Consumer Insights finds that more than half of South Korean and Japanese smartphone users research, book and, plan for their trips on their mobile devices. The number is even higher among Indian smartphone users, at 87%.
Instant adventures. Despite the increase in activity-driven travel, many Klook users will not plan full itineraries until they’ve arrived at their destination. Modern travellers now look for more flexibility to cater to their spontaneity while travelling, accounting for weather or even their mood of the day. Thankfully, 85% of bookings on Klook can be confirmed and used instantly.

Research Methodology

Klook’s 2019 travel trends report was collected via surveys conducted between January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018. Markets surveyed include Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. It surveyed 2400 respondents who had travelled abroad within the last 12 months.

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Theodore Koumelis

Co-Founder & Managing Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Articles

Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.