Travel Trends: The Rise of Detour Destinations
What are detour destinations?
A ‘detour’ destination is a lesser-known location near a popular tourist area or an alternative destination that offers similar experiences. The growing demand for ‘sister’ destinations has been highlighted in our Loved This? Travel Here segment in the Star Brochure, for example.
A focus on seeking respite from overtourism, allowing travellers to have genuine interactions and refreshing perspectives on a region or country is at the heart of why ‘detour’ and alternative destinations are on the rise. Forbes has termed this sentiment ‘untouched tourism.’
The Rise of the ‘Detour’
So, why are alternative destinations a key consideration this year and as the travel industry evolves?
Overtourism vs authenticity
Today’s traveller seeks more authentic connection during their trips, but overtourism has led to significant crowding, local unrest, environmental damage, and negative impacts on local communities. Consequently, an increasing number of travellers are opting for ‘detour destinations’ to achieve their desired genuine connection and authentic experience, with research showing that approximately 63% of travellers are likely to choose a detour destination on their next trip, as suggested in a recent Expedia report.
As a few examples, instead of the Bahamas you might send travellers to Kaua’i; Reims instead of Paris; Fukuoka instead of Tokyo or Osaka; Cozumel in place of Cancun; Waikato for travellers wanting Auckland; and Abu Dhabi instead of Dubai. Stand-out growth in travel to new and emerging markets is also expected, including the likes of Saudi Arabia and Albania as two examples, which achieved visitor arrival growth of 80% and 74% respectively in 2024 compared to 2019.
Responsible travel
Firstly, travellers are increasingly aware of the impact of travel on the environment, local communities, and economies. Although about 83% of people agree that responsible travel is important (as suggested by Booking.com's recent Sustainable Travel Report) there remains a gap between sentiment and action. Here is where the responsibility falls on travel distributors to facilitate sustainable travel choices, such as promoting alternative destinations to alleviate overtourism, which we explore further in this article.
Personalised itineraries and 'niche' travel
With the rise in traveller preference for tailor-made travel experiences and the growth of 'niche' tourism, this can extend travellers itineraries beyond traditional sightseeing to more personalised trips that include ‘secondary’ destinations to satisfy their unique values and interests.
However, when it comes to experience tourism, key drivers of demand are gastronomy, music and events tourism, and film and tv tourism, termed ‘set-jetting’.
Budget-consciousness
While travellers intend to spend about 9% more on travel this year, demand for cost-effective alternatives is not slowing down. For example, if travellers can’t afford Tokyo during peak season, Yokohama, just a short train ride away, offers a similar experience.
Sustainable regulation is on the rise
With many popular countries suffering from the effects of overtourism, increased regulations are becoming more common. Short-term rental bans, heightened tourism taxes, emission mandates, and even reservation systems in some popular destinations are expected to impact travel bookings and in-destination experiences.
Additional Factors Shaping the Demand for Detours
Just who, and what, are we seeing as impactful drivers of this demand for alternative destinations, and why does it matter?
Gen Z as Detouring Trailblazers
Over the past decade, the travel landscape has been reshaped by the growing presence of the youngest generation of travellers: Gen Z.
It is no surprise that detour destinations and alternative locations are becoming key trends for travel buyers, sellers, and distributors across the industry. Young travellers are not ‘the next generation of travel’, they’re making significant waves in the industry now.
Gen Z travellers are incorporating a humanistic element into their travel experiences, much more so than previous generations. The shift towards increased authenticity, experiential tourism, and preference for local immersion, may be popular with Millennial travellers, but Gen Z is amplifying the demand for people-first travel.
Not only do 57% of global travellers express a keen interest in the ‘next best thing’, aligning with this surge in preference for new destinations and unique experiences, but 70% of Gen Z travellers actively look for travel experiences which are ‘off the beaten path’ and which their family and friends might not be aware of.
Mental health matters
Alongside this consciousness around unique experiences, around 73% of Gen Z travellers plan holidays and leisure trips to enhance their mental, physical, and emotional well-being, and 61% specifically look for personal wellness and well-being experiences.
These key motivators are crucial to consider as travel distributors, especially when it comes to which products and places might resonate with this large travel segment, and also where any gaps in your portfolio or offering might be present.
De-influencing as a Countertrend
The rise of social media has given birth to the concept of ‘de-influencing,’ which is increasingly becoming a backlash against the influencer market. De-influencing seeks to counteract the trends and consumer habits that influencers typically promote and get us to rethink what we buy, or book.
This movement highlights the negative impacts of consumerism on both the environment and mental health. When it comes to travel and tourism, this concept applies to ‘de-influencing’ travellers from visiting overcrowded areas, offers alternatives and unknown areas which might offer a similar experience, and in some cases, discourages tourism altogether for its impact on the environment.
While the aim, naturally, is to continue selling travel, this notion of 'de-influencing' popular choices can be better considered as 're-influencing' travellers to consider the repercussions of viral locations, and the impact this has on local communities, the environment, and also the authenticity of the experience.
This notion of 're-influencing' more positive travel behaviours, and 'de-influencing' visitation to popular hotspots also impacts more than just the end travellers' experience. During the pandemic, travel and hospitality was one of the hardest industries hit, and regions like Asia Pacific experienced a 95% drop in international arrivals from January 2021. Now, underserved and underrepresented communities can benefit from renewed and redirected attention and visits from international and domestic travellers alike.
While the influencer economy is valued at approximately $250 billion, with Goldman Sachs predicting it will grow to nearly half a trillion dollars by 2027, the message of de-influencing resonates strongly with younger audiences. On platforms like TikTok, billions of views have been generated on 62,000 relevant posts, signalling that savvy consumers are taking heed of this growing movement.
This is especially relevant when it comes to the 'Instagram vs. Reality' epiphany that many people experience when visiting a viral destination or place, which again, ties back to the notion of wanting to escape overcrowding, and the occasionally disillusioned view of a destination new visitors can have thanks to expectations driven by social media.
‘Dupes’ Are the New Next Best Thing
An increasing number of travellers are embracing an ‘against the grain’ mindset – one which has always present in adventurous travellers, the travel segment previously commonly seen detouring from the norm, and seeking remote places.
But ‘detour’ isn’t synonymous with ‘remote’, and in fact the intersection between that adventurous mindset of wanting to discover something new, and the desire for genuine connection is where the magic of the ‘detour’ destination lies. This is why ‘dupes’ - destinations that ‘feel-like’ their more popular counterparts - are rising in popularity and could very well be the key for travellers who don’t want to venture too far outside their comfort zone when it comes to avoiding crowds.
An increasing number of social media posts feature ‘feel-alike’ alternatives to popular destinations, with #dupe on TikTok accruing 5.9 billion views. The trend involves travellers opting for lesser-known ‘second’ or ‘sister’ cities as alternatives to overrun tourist hubs.
Similarly, searches for ‘hidden gem holiday destinations’ have surged by 150%, confirming that alternatives represent the future of many travel experiences. Flight data reinforces this trend, showing remarkable increases in interest for destinations such as Taipei (up 249%), Curaçao (185%), Perth (109%), and Liverpool (97%), all emerging as appealing options compared to their more popular counterparts.
Promoting and booking these alternative destinations not only addresses the challenges of overtourism but also enhances the overall travel experience for the end traveller, fostering deeper connections with places previously overlooked. This, combined with a genuinely valuable portfolio, makes any travel distributor a go-to provider for today’s traveller.
The Responsibility of Tourism Dispersal
According to recent McKinsey & Company analysis, around 80% of travellers visit 10% of the world’s top tourist hot spots, and in response to the challenges posed by overtourism, many destinations are actively advocating for a more even distribution of tourism throughout their regions.
This can be seen recently in France for example, where approximately 80% of tourism is concentrated in just 20% of the country. To combat this, the government recently launched an €11 million campaign encouraging both domestic and international travellers to explore beyond popular hotspots.
In a similar vein, the implementation of protective measures by local governments, such as higher tourism taxes during peak seasons and short-term rental bans, is increasingly bringing the adverse effects of unsustainable tourism to the forefront for modern travellers – not to mention impacting their experience.
Here, it’s clear that there lies a measure of responsibility on travel sellers and distributors worldwide to alleviate the pressure on heavily impacted tourist areas, for local communities, host regions and the experience of the end traveller.
In fact, in an effort to counter overtourism, Intrepid Travel even created a ‘Not Hot’ list in collaboration with Globetrender, highlighting 10 underrated destinations ideal for exploration.
These locations are unveiling new routes of travel, improving their infrastructure, launching incentivising initiatives to make them unmissable when it comes to visitation, attention, and conservation. All of which are key factors when it comes to sustainably diversifying tourism levels around a region. Some of these featured destinations include Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan, Disko Island in Greenland, and Accra in Ghana, among others.
This is a prime example of accountability when it comes to diversifying traveller awareness of alternative destinations, but also of recognising the shift that must take place to alleviate the strain felt by that smaller percentage of the world’s locations which accommodate the vast majority of global tourism.
Booking Alternative Destinations for Today’s Traveller
In an era characterised by hyper-personalisation and overtourism, travellers are on the lookout for experiences tailored to their individual preferences, while simultaneously getting a ‘real’ flavour of their destination and avoiding crowds of visitors all doing the same. Therefore, for those seeking alternatives to the typical ‘must-see’ sites, a comprehensive portfolio of unique travel options is necessary to meet their needs.
But not only this, you need to be able to offer the right products at the right price, at the right time.
As Hotelbeds, part of HBX Group, a leading travel ecosystem player in the B2B space, this is where we specialise, offering intuitive and innovative TravelTech solutions which reduce friction from the end-to-end travel experience, both for the end traveller, and for travel distributors all around the world.
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To start your journey with Hotelbeds, and position your business as a key player in the industry with the helping hand of our powerful, business-enhancing tools and platforms.
