Halifax is a harbor town. A narrow neck opens up to the protected waters of Bedford Basin, making it ideal as a naval and shipping port. Before Europeans arrived, this body of water was a sanctuary and home to Indigenous Mi’kmaq for millennia.
14.05.2024 - 14:55 / skift.com / Skift Research
Day tours are more than just a trend — they’re a significant part of modern travel: In the first quarter, nearly half of all travelers went on one.
What’s driving this interest? Skift Research dives deep into the issue in the latest edition of our “U.S. Travel Trends” series: The “U.S. Travel Trends Q1 2024: Exploring Day Tours and Experiences.”
Our report reveals that attractions play a pivotal role, with 27% of travelers choosing day tours to explore new places. Nature/adventure tours top the list of preferred experiences, closely followed by cultural and sightseeing tours.
Age also plays a significant role in tour preferences. Older respondents (65+) tend to favor sightseeing tours, while the middle-aged group (35-44) shows a strong interest in nature/adventure and cultural tours.
In contrast, the 18-24 age group has a higher percentage of respondents who took nature/adventure tours, as well as a notable interest in culinary tours.
When it comes to booking, convenience is key. Most travelers prefer to book directly through mobile websites or apps, with price, reviews, and guide expertise influencing their decisions. Despite high satisfaction levels, there’s room for improvement, particularly in managing weather-related disruptions and transportation delays.
Most travelers opt for one to two tours a year, spending between $50 and $200 per person. This presents a significant opportunity for companies to tailor their offerings and pricing strategies to attract more customers and boost revenue.
The new report also unveils insights across various travel segments. From a potential revival in business travel to the rise of alternative accommodations like vacation rentals, the travel landscape is evolving. Travelers are also increasingly turning to digital platforms for trip planning, indicating a shift in how they research and book their journeys.
As travelers look ahead, optimism is in the air. Despite challenges, there’s a growing confidence in travel spending. The ‘U.S. Travel Trends’ report is a must-read for industry stakeholders, offering valuable insights to navigate the ever-changing travel landscape and meet the evolving needs of today’s travelers.
Halifax is a harbor town. A narrow neck opens up to the protected waters of Bedford Basin, making it ideal as a naval and shipping port. Before Europeans arrived, this body of water was a sanctuary and home to Indigenous Mi’kmaq for millennia.
Mike Leigh’s brilliant 1976 Dorset-based comedy Nuts in May begins with Keith and Candice-Marie taking the chain ferry from Sandbanks across the mouth of Poole harbour to the Isle of Purbeck, where they camp, visit Corfe Castle, walk along the mighty Jurassic coastline and end up in an altercation with a young Brummie couple called Finger and Honky. For me, watching Nuts in May is an annual tradition, as is visiting the peninsula where it was filmed. Most of us have places for which we feel a particularly strong pull; one of mine is Purbeck. And since this peninsula’s recent status as England’s first “super” nature reserve, I’m beginning to understand why.
The carved face of a cateran stares out of the waymarker before me. Deriving from the Gaelic word ceatharnach, meaning a lightly armed warrior, “cateran” later came to denote the cattle raiders particularly active here in Strathardle, Glenshee and Glen Isla up to the 18th century.
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