Travelers are looking for something new as they head out on the road once more, many after two years of travel restrictions.
Research from Tripadvisor, in conjunction with Ipsos Mori, reveals more than a third of travelers across the U.S., U.K, Australia, Japan and Singapore say traveling to a destination they have not previously visited is more important now than before.
The percentages rise to almost half, 49% for travelers from Singapore and 46% for travelers in Australia and 41% for those in the U.S.
Travelers also said the top three most important factors in future plans were to have new experiences, learn about history and culture and “get immersive” by seeing new places.
The Tripadvisor Travel in 2022: A Look Ahead research goes on to reveal that 44% of Singaporean travelers and 38% of Australians feel it’s more important now to immerse themselves in “authentic local experiences.”
For travelers from the U.K. and U.S., this dips to about a third.
Many travelers are also want to do as many activities as possible while on holiday with 30% of U.S. and Australian travelers looking to pack in experiences.
The findings spell good news for tours and activities suppliers with about a fifth of travelers also planning to do more guided tours than before the pandemic.
Travelers also feel it’s more important than before the pandemic to invest in a big trip with more than 25% of travelers across the five markets looking to “splurge.”
Crucially for the industry, Tripadvisor site behavioral data taken from December, reveals average spend per trip for 2022 is likely to exceed that of 2019.
The company says American travelers are likely to spend 29% more on their average trip while the average booking rate for Australian travelers is likely to be up 19% this year versus 2019.
However, Japanese, British and Italian travelers are all expecting to spend less in 2022.
The Ipsos Mori research was carried out with about 2,000 travelers from each of the markets via an online poll in November 2021.