Here are the trends we’ve noticed this week:
South America named biggest emerging backpacker route
According to Hostelworld’s Evolution of the Hostel Traveller report, South America is the biggest emerging destination for future backpackers, with 67% more travellers planning to explore the continent than a few decades ago. In particular, almost a third of all bookings to South America are for stays in Colombia, followed closely by Peru and Argentina. When it comes to routes that travellers are already flocking to, the biggest growth comes from East Asian countries, with 42% of today’s backpackers having visited the region; while in terms of volume, Europe is still the most popular destination among all generational groups, with half of both past and present travellers placing it on their ‘been there, done that’ list.
Travellers secretly extend business trips for pleasure
The latest national survey by hotel brand La Quinta by Wyndham reveals that nearly two-thirds of business travellers have secretly extended a work trip for pleasure, without telling their colleagues (32%), boss (26%) or partner (22%). While more than half say they simply want more time to explore the destination, 43% of business travellers with children in school admit having extended a trip to take time for themselves. On average, business travellers take around three extra days off, with 56% of them agreeing that summer is the best time to extend a work trip for pleasure.
German tourism continues to grow
Inbound tourism to Germany is continuing its steady growth. According to provisional figures from the Federal Statistical Office, 39.8 million international overnight stays were registered across hotels and lodgings with more than 10 beds between January and June of this year, a 3% rise on the same period from 2018. There was also a 4.7% increase in flight bookings made by overseas visitors in the first half of 2019 compared to the previous year, while advance bookings increased by 11%.
