‘Sports tourism, train travel’: Conde Nast Traveler identifies biggest travel trends for 2024

Scoping planes, trains and automobiles, elite travel journal Conde Nast Traveler has marked a series of new variances noted in international travel for 2024 on Monday.

Highlighting how travel was back with a bang and looking set to continue into next year, CN Traveler marked out 20 travel trends likely to guide how we see the world in 2024.

Astro tourism: The act of travelling with the aim of catching sight of astronomical phenomena – is set to increase in demand. While watching the Northern Lights was always popular, a slew of new resorts and hotels are facilitating views of eclipses, meteor showers and the milky way.

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Train stations as food destinations: As travel delays increase and visitors want more experiences, historic train stations are being revamped with curated food and drink offerings as part of the redesign. Toronto’s Union Station launched Union Market in May 2023, while New York’s new Moynihan Train Hall too welcomed new eateries. The city’s famed Grand Central Station has long-boasted Cipriani and Hermes, while also hosting Christmas markets seasonally.

Sports tourism: Taking cue from the recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar, visitors are increasing following a host of different sports in destinations across the world, planning holidays that center around watching games, races and other activities in exotic locales. The upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics will soon be testament to that, as the city puts its final touches on monuments and infrastructure. More than a million tourists are expected to check in across the French capital, added CN Traveler.

Luxury train travel: The trend is also on the rise as growing demand for sustainability in the travel industry has given rise to sleeper trains, especially in Europe. Along with the revamped Orient Express, specialist platform Railbookers plans to launch a luxury train itinerary.

With prices per person starting at $113,599, the 80-day ‘Around the World’, luxury train voyage will cross four continents and 13 countries.

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AI-enabled travel: This is also set to define traveler experiences as a slew of new AI-powered features and products aims to support travellers on the ground. Live translation, which Samsung plans to launch on its 2024 Galaxy devices, as well as personalised AI algorithms suggesting activities will all increase in 2024.

Earlier this month, the magazine also published the Holy Grail of travel rankings – The Gold List 2024, identifying exemplary hotels, resorts and cruises.

Among those that made the cut in Asia include the Bab al Shams resort, Dubai, Ahilya Fort Heritage Hotel Maheshwar – India, Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo and Amanpuri in Phuket, Thailand.

Badrutt’s Palace, Switzerland, Claridges, London and Hotel du Cap Eden Roc – Antibes, France were among those that made the European selection.

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Earlier this month, Euromonitor International identified the Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023, which was topped by Paris and Dubai.

The market research platform analysed cities based on more than 55 metrics across six key pillars, including economic and business performance, tourism performance, tourism infrastructure, tourism policy and attractiveness, health and safety, and sustainability.

Paris was named the world’s best city for the second year in a row. The ‘City of Light’ came out on top thanks to its “exceptional performance across the tourism policy and attractiveness”. Dubai came in second due to its growth of international arrivals in 2023, with 16.8 million, up by 18%.

Asian cities also had a strong presence, with five cities, including Singapore, Seoul, Osaka and Hong Kong in the top 20.

The top 10 cities in 2023:

• Paris, France
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Madrid, Spain
• Tokyo, Japan
• Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Berlin, Germany
• Rome, Italy
• New York, United States of America
• Barcelona, Spain
• London, United Kingdom