Now eDreams ODIGEO summarizes travel in 2023 and looks ahead to 2024. The report "A Year in Travel", which is released today, shows that major cities such as London, Paris, Bangkok and Barcelona are at the top for booked holidays among Swedes next year.
Wellness and solo travel have been big trends this year, and social media has proven to play an important role in choosing a travel destination.
When the online travel company eDreams ODIGEO, which includes the Travellink brand, which is large in Sweden, summarizes the 2023 travel season, it turns out that trips to the continent are the most attractive. 3 out of 4 Swedes (76%) choose it and cities such as London, Stockholm, Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam are at the top. Every tenth Swede travels intercontinentally.
The statistics also show that spontaneous travel is widespread. Among Swedes, 42 percent book a maximum of 15 days before departure. Only one in five Swedes (20%) book two months in advance or more.
Social media is increasingly influencing where people choose to travel. TikTok is expected to become the most influential social media platform for travelers, 60 percent state that they are interested in visiting a new place they have seen on TikTok.
Trends 2023
Shorter trips have been popular in 2023. About 6 out of 10 Swedes stay away for up to a week, but 36 percent are content with 3-4 days. Almost one in four Swedes (24%) treat themselves to a vacation of 1-2 weeks.
Traveling solo has been a trend in 2023. Being able to decide for yourself what you want to do, getting to know yourself, or simply daring to try traveling on your own are the biggest drivers for a solo trip*.
Wellness travel is also a hot trend globally. 73 percent of all travelers plan a trip to increase well-being. For some, it's about exercise, for others, yoga, mental relaxation, or detoxing from work, a partner, or unhealthy eating and drinking habits.
TV and film have increasingly taken over the role of travel inspiration. Many are curious about places they have come to love on screen. eDreams ODIGEO's data shows an increase in so-called set-jetting after the 2023 Oscars; after the launch of Fabelman, for example, there was a 110 percent increase in bookings from Italians travelling to Los Angeles, and after the launch of Tár in the UK, bookings to New York City surged by 228 percent compared to the same period the previous year.
More tourists to Stockholm
Sweden is also attractive among tourists and above all it is our big cities and nature that attract. 17 percent of the tourists who have come to Sweden this year are Germans, followed by French (12%), Spanish (11%) and English (10%). Tourism to Stockholm has increased by 12 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year and is now in 14th place among the destinations that have increased the most globally.
Trends for 2024
Travel looks to be a little different in 2024. The most booked destinations among Swedes so far for next year are London, Paris, Bangkok, Barcelona and Gran Canaria. If you look at what people are searching for most right now, it is longer-haul destinations such as Bangkok, Phuket, Tokyo, New York and Krabi that are attracting attention.
In 2024, eDreams ODIGEO predicts that many people will visit one of the major international events being organized.predicted that sports tourism will increase by 17.5 percent by 2030 and next year offers many international sporting events, such as the Olympics, Paralympics, Grand Prix and European Championships, which are already creating interest among travelers.
Travelers also want to visit places where culture is at the center with colorful carnivals and music festivals or food events. In 2024, Bodø in Norway will be the European Capital of Culture and travel data already shows a 72 percent increase in searches for this destination globally compared to 2023.
Dana Dunne, CEO of eDreams ODIGEO:
“Our research shows that travel continues to be a very important part of people’s lives. When we look at the global travel map for 2023, traditional hotspots like Paris, Barcelona and London remain favourites. However, we have also seen long-haul destinations like Bangkok, Las Vegas and New York grow in popularity this year. It’s really exciting because it shows how travellers are embracing the vast amount of choice, information and inspiration available to them thanks to new technologies like AI and social media platforms like TikTok.
“Looking ahead to next year, it looks like travelers are taking the opportunity to explore new destinations, using the vast array of options at their fingertips. Again, while Paris and London account for the majority of bookings so far, we are also seeing customers searching for locations in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. 2024 is also marked by a packed sporting calendar and we are already seeing this having a major impact – searches for Paris, for example, increased by 41% during the Olympics compared to the same period last year. 2023 has been a busy and exciting year for global travel. Overall, the data shows that there continues to be a deep wanderlust and passion for travel across the globe.
Read the full report "A year in travel"” here. A selection of the statistics:
Most booked destinations among Swedes in 2024
- London
- Paris
- Bangkok
- Barcelona
- Gran Canaria
- Amsterdam
- Málaga
- Kiruna
- Stockholm
- Alicante
Most booked destinations among Swedes in 2023
- London
- Stockholm
- Paris
- Barcelona
- Amsterdam
- Málaga
- Berlin
- Alicante
- Gdańsk
- Rome
Number of travel days, 2023
- 2 days 14%
- 3-4 days 36%
- 5-6 days 13%
- 7-13 days 24%
- 14-20 days 6%
- 21+ days 7%
About the report
Here you can read the full report “A Year in Travel”
The eDreams ODIGEO 2023 A Year in Travel Report has been compiled using flight booking data from the company's online travel agency brands (eDreams, Opodo, GO Voyages and Travellink). The data covers the periods from 1 January to 31 October 2023 compared to the same date in 2022. The travel dates are: 1 January to 31 December 2023 compared to the same date in 2022, as well as 1 January 2024 to 31 January 2024.
* Survey conducted by One Poll for eDreams ODIGEO with 10,000 respondents from the US, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Sweden. The survey was conducted between June 27, 2023 and July 5, 2023.
According to the press release.
