We have just published our Travel Trends report for 2024 – where we combine our own search and booking data with our annual consumer behaviour survey to reveal how and where people will travel in the next year.
Travel Trends 2024: Full Report
More than ever, cultural exploration will be a priority for travellers in 2024; from gig trippers jetting off to see their favourite artists, to budget bougie foodies seeking the very best food experience. The cost of living, though, remains top of mind with our ‘Everywhere’ search tool being the top search destination for travellers globally this year.
We’re also seeing that travellers want to enhance their holidays in a cost-effective way, with ‘luxe-for-less’ holiday experiences trending and travellers globally looking to upgrade their holiday experience, from the food on board to what class they’re travelling in.
To dive straight in, use the links below to jump to each section:
- 87% of Singapore travellers plan to take the same number, if not more, trips abroad in 2024 compared to 2023
- 48% say the cost of flights mostly determines their choice of destination
- 41% rate the overall ‘vibe’ of a destination as important when choosing where to go in 2024*
1. Trending destinations
It’s clear that Singapore travellers are craving the buzz of city life, beautiful beaches and destinations famous for their food. They’ve been searching for Chiang Mai, George Town and Cebu – the perfect spots for some rest, incredible food and relaxation.
Japan continues to make a comeback after re-opening last year with Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Nagoya taking up nearly half of Singapore’s top spots.
These are the top 10 destinations for Singapore travellers with the biggest year-on-year increase in searches.*
| Destination | % increase in searches |
|---|---|
| Osaka, Japan | 1606% |
| Fukuoka, Japan | 1527% |
| Taipei, Taiwan | 1376% |
| Sapporo, Japan | 1342% |
| Nagoya, Japan | 808% |
| Cebu, Philippines | 382% |
| Yogyakarta, Indonesia | 279% |
| Da Nang, Vietnam | 240% |
| Chiang Mai, Thailand | 234% |
| George Town, Malaysia | 225% |
Which factors are driving the choice in holiday destinations for 2024? The food (75%), attractions (70%) and weather (66%) are the three biggest. When it comes to the most popular activities to do on holiday, culture is high on the agenda, with shopping (58%), sampling local food (54%) and historical tours (46%) coming out on top.
2. Best-value destinations
Singapore travellers prefer to travel to destinations where their money goes further, hence value for money remains a key factor for them, with the cost of the flight (48%) and hotel (14%) being the biggest factors determining the destination.
And while it seems like flight prices keep climbing, there are plenty of destinations where prices have fallen over the past few months. Island hop over to Indonesia and Japan or venture to the USA. There are plenty of flight deals to be had the world over.
These are the top 10 destinations for travellers with the biggest price drop in airfares from Singapore over the past year.*
| Destination | % price drop |
|---|---|
| Yogyakarta, Indonesia | 56% |
| Jakarta, Indonesia | 49% |
| Lombok, Indonesia | 39% |
| Los Angeles, USA | 25% |
| Kolkata, India | 23% |
| Surabaya, Indonesia | 21% |
| Osaka, Japan | 20% |
| Cebu, Philippines | 20% |
| Bali, Indonesia | 18% |
| Busan, South Korea | 15% |
Another way to find a great value flight is by using Skyscanner’s ‘Everywhere’ search feature. It helps travellers search by price rather than destination – a handy tool if you’re not quite sure where and when you want to go.
‘47% of Singapore travellers have budgeted to spend more on travel in 2024 compared to 2023.’
3. Travel vibes
From international gig tripping to television-inspired set-jetting and foodie faves, these are the trending travel vibes to look out for in 2024.
Gig tripping
Attending a gig in your own country is so 2022. Catching your favourite band or artist abroad – now that’s totally 2023 and, even more so, 2024 vibes. With some superstars announcing big international tours, there’s more interest than ever in travelling abroad to catch a show.
Nearly half (46%) of Singapore travellers – let’s call them superfans – would fly short haul to see their favourite artist live, with 14% saying they’d fly long haul.
28% of Singapore travellers said they plan to attend a gig, music concert or festival at home in 2024. This rises to 32% of 25-to-34-year-olds. But a huge 61% would consider a singalong overseas in 2024 if it would help them save money.
‘A third of Singapore travellers would fly short haul to see their favourite artist live.’
Main character energy
Come 2024, more and more travellers want to slot themselves into their favourite show and embody its ‘main character energy’. In a similar vein to gig tripping, main character energy sees travellers embrace the cultural zeitgeist, stepping inside the shoes of their favourite on-screen character.
Topping the list is Emily in Paris. Over a quarter (29%) of Singapore travellers want to experience the city like Emily Cooper. In fact, one week after season three launched at the end of December 2022, Skyscanner saw a 15% increase in searches from Singapore to Paris.*
But while 84% of Singapore travellers are inspired to take a trip to a destination they’ve seen on the big or small screen, only 36% go on to book.
‘A quarter of Singapore travellers use film and TV as a source of travel inspiration.’
Budget bougie foodies
Food and travel have always been intrinsically linked. In fact, 30% of Singapore travellers have booked a destination purely on a specific restaurant they want to visit. While a further 50% say it’s something they’d like to do.
Eating the local cuisine and trying authentic food is the second most popular activity for Singapore travellers when they’re abroad, with 54% preferring it to anything else.
Interestingly, the research shows that Singapore travellers believe fine dining is out of their price range. They estimate a fine dining experience to cost S$86 per person on average while planning to spend S$55 per meal per person on holiday.
‘30% of Singapore travellers have booked a destination purely for a specific restaurant they want to visit.’
Destination Zzzz
Sleep tourism is a growing trend in a world that feels busier and harder to switch off from. In the last few years, the number of people searching online for sleep retreats (and asking what they are) has increased.
At the same time, people are becoming more interested in their sleep health. In fact, almost 70% of Singaporeans are more mindful of their sleep health today compared to a few years ago.
‘39% of Singapore travellers say they sleep better on holiday.’
54% of Singapore travellers say they’re not getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep a night, with 51% stating they feel the need for a sleep retreat remedy in 2024.
So where can you get some of this precious shuteye? Hội An, Santorini and Rome top the list as the cities with hotels with the best sleep quality scores.****
4. Travel types
More than ever, people are leaning into their traveller types. From analogue Polaroid snappers to finding luxury for less, these travel types are trending for 2024.
Analogue adventurers
In an age of always-on and constant hype, Gen Z are craving old-school analogue adventures that ditch the digital device in favour of how it used to be done. It seems like analogue ways of capturing memories help separate devices associated with nonstop scrolling and travel.
- 19% of Singaporean 18-to-24-year olds bring a Polaroid camera with them on holiday
- 15% take a disposable camera
- 12% bring a 35mm film camera and wait for their photos to be developed after they’re home
‘Immersion, mindfulness and human-to-nature connection are becoming of increasing value to travellers.’
Celebration vacationers
There’s always a reason to celebrate. Whether it’s birthdays, anniversaries, or something else to cheer, ‘celebration vacationers’ are all about creating memories in some of the world’s most amazing places.
Over two thirds (64%) of Singapore travellers have taken a group trip to celebrate a birthday or anniversary, with a further 25% saying it’s something they’d love to do. According to Skyscanner data, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are the most popular destinations for Singaporean group trips in 2024.
What puts Singapore travellers off arranging a big group trip?
- 48% said agreeing on the cost
- 43% said knowing how or where to communicate with their group
- 39% said struggling to decide on dates
- 36% said determining the guest list between family and friends
Luxe-for-less seekers
Although the cost of living remains high for many, we’re seeing a willingness from travellers to find luxury where they can, within budget.
- 23% of travellers plan to upgrade their flight to business or first class
- 25% of travellers plan to purchase airport lounge access
Five-star luxury doesn’t have to come with a five-star price tag. There are plenty of amazing five-star hotels around the world that won’t cost you the earth.
| Destination | Average five-star hotel price per night***** |
|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | S$139 |
| Hoi An, Vietnam | S$159 |
| Tirana, Albania | S$191 |
| Chiang Mai, Thailand | S$200 |
| Brno, Czechia | S$208 |
5. Looking forward
So what does the future of travel look like? Sustainability and Artificial Intelligence will be two of the biggest factors affecting the travel industry in the coming years.
AI has already begun to assist with travel planning: globally, 44% of travellers are using it to plan and research trips, but its use varies wildly depending on the market. For example, 63% of American travellers are already using AI on their phones compared to just 23% in Singapore.
‘64% of travellers globally believe sustainable travel is important.’
As evidenced in previous years, environmental factors are also key to travellers’ plans. While 64% of travellers globally believe sustainable travel is important, 18% would be reluctant to pay for more sustainable options.
The Travalyst coalition was formed to help holidaymakers understand the environmental impact of their travel. At Skyscanner, we flag lower emitting flights and show lower emissions options for car hire, to help travellers who care about both price and the planet.
Innovations such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel offer a step in the right direction. Find out more in Skyscanner’s Climate Action Report.
Data sources
*OnePoll x Skyscanner research conducted August 2023 with 18,000 respondents globally.
**Cities that have seen an increase in searches from Singapore between 7/8/22-7/8/23 vs the same period in 2021/22.
***Avg. price for economy class return bookings (redirects) from Singapore between 1/1/23-7/8/23 vs the same period in 2022.
****Global list based on the volume of traveller reviews of hotels with a sleep quality score of 5 and overall review rating of 5 between 1/6/23-31/6/23 on Skyscanner (reviews collected by TripAdvisor).
Where will your next adventure take you?
