On November 22, Expedia and Hotels.com held the “Expedia Group Media Roundtable on Travel Trends for 2023” in Tokyo. Ms. Natsuko Kimura, Expedia Group’s Director of Retail Japan, gave an explanation of the event. Also present at the event were Ms. Saya Ohki of the Korea Tourism Organization, Tokyo Branch Office, and Ms. Shu-Hua Chen of the Taiwan Tourism Association, Tokyo Office, who presented information on the current situation in their respective countries and their efforts to promote travel.
Major cities around the world are once again becoming a popular trend. More people are traveling because of movies and TV dramas. In particular, “now, the popularity of major cities around the world is on the rise again. Travelers are increasing to Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland, World Pride in Sydney, and cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo. Many large cities that are experiencing a full-fledged revival of arts and cultural events are included in the list, he said. Popular destinations for 2023 ・Edinburgh, Scotland
Lisbon, Portugal
Tokyo, Japan
Dublin, Ireland
New York, U.S.A.
Sydney, Australia
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Montreal, Canada
Munich, Germany
Bangkok, Thailand: In the last two years when travel was restricted due to the Corona disaster, national parks and other areas rich in nature were the most popular travel destinations, while in 2023, historical cityscapes and urban areas with neon lights were the most searched for destinations. According to the same survey questionnaire, an increasing number of people are choosing destinations inspired by streaming services such as Netflix, and trips to visit the settings of dramas and movies are becoming a trend. Sixty-six percent of respondents worldwide and 44% in Japan said they have chosen a travel destination after watching a streaming service, which proved to be as influential as advice from friends and family. As for the “wellness travel” that was highlighted by the Corona Disaster, 33% of Japanese travelers are positive about it, and 49% of Millennials (25-34 years old), nearly half of them, are looking for new ways to enjoy wellness travel. Among them, unusual activities such as forest bathing and fruit harvesting tend to be popular, and the group expects that more and more people will want to experience even more interesting things. Other popular activities include value-for-money 3-star hotels. Fifty-four percent of Japanese travelers said they plan to stay at 1- to 3-star hotels in 2023, and 34% said they plan to book packages with additional services such as amenities and free breakfast. Nowadays, more and more hotels are offering high quality services that go beyond mere accommodations, and many people would rather choose a value-for-money 3-star hotel and increase the number of trips than splurge on one or two luxury trips. People’s attitude toward future travel is shifting from the idea of visiting destinations on the list of destinations they wanted to visit to the spontaneous approach of “going to the destinations they want to go to now,” according to the Corona disaster.
© Source travel watch