eDreams ODIGEO, one of Europe’s largest e-commerce businesses and the world’s leading travel subscription platform launches its ‘Year in Travel’ report today. In the UK, the company’s best-known brand is Opodo. The report analyses searches and booking data from customers in all key European markets* and the USA, revealing the evolution of travel,including top destinations, booking habits and growth destinations during 2024, as well as a foretaste of what we might expect in the year ahead.

TOP 2024 DESTINATIONS:
London remained in the top ten (ranking 5th) for most booked destinations globally, with Paris in 1st place followed by Barcelona in 2nd and Palma de Mallorca in 3rd. Other top destinations included Madrid, Rome, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Istanbul, and Malaga for 2024 (see Table 1).

The report also reveals which nations were keenest to visit the UK during 2024. Bookings data for global travellers heading to the UK shows that 20% came from Germany compared with 17% from Spain, 15% from France and 9% from Italy. Top ranking UK destinations for travellers globally were London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham (see table 2 for all top-ranking UK destinations). London remained a firm favourite, ranking 4th for Germans, 6th for Portuguese, 7th for Italians and 9th for Spaniards.

British travellers favoured Amsterdam, then Paris, followed by Barcelona. Other key destinations for Brits included Istanbul, Belfast, Lisbon, Malaga, Rome, Munich and Dublin.

TOP 2024 SEARCHES:
Globally, London remained the top-searched destination in 2024, followed by Paris and New York City. It ranked 2nd in searches by French and Spanish travellers and 4th in searches by German and American travellers. This year. Bangkok, Tokyo and Barcelona also ranked in the top-searched destinations by global travellers (see Table 3).

Flight searches by British travellers reveal Paris as our most popular destination (likely due to this summer’s important sporting events), followed by Amsterdam in 2nd and Bangkok in 3rd place. Other top search destinations by the Brits included New York City, Barcelona, & Dubai.

2024 GROWTH DESTINATIONS:
Top growth destinations across all markets in 2024 compared to the previous year include Kuala Lumpur (+49%), Hurghada, Egypt (+38%), Santiago de Chile (+36%), Jakarta (+36%), Bremen (+35%) and Dallas (+35%) (see Table 4). These newly-trending destinations may be a result of growing consumer demand to discover fresh regions that blend cultural exploration, rugged landscapes and adventure tourism.

eDreams ODIGEO’s data also reveals that 2024 growth destinations for UK travellers were: Munich (+53%), Cologne (+47%), Stuttgart (+30%), Bilbao (+27%) and Frankfurt (+26%) – possibly driven by Germany hosting sporting events includingUEFA’s European Football Championship with attracting significant numbers of fans across all markets.UK travellers also showed an appetite for new cultural, natural and less-popular destinations: Bilbao, Stuttgart and Jersey all made it into our top 50 new destinations in 2024 compared to 2023.

TRAVEL HABITS:
Globally, the most popular length of stay for travellers in 2024 was 3-4 days (32%). 24% of all travellers opted for between 7-13 days. 15% chose 5-6 days. For UK travellers, 3-4 days was also the most popular with 34% of all trips falling into this quick-getaway category.

Last-minute bookings remained popular: 36% of global travellers and 37% of UK travellers chose to book just two weeks before departure. By comparison the second most-popular time to book globally was 61 or more days before travel – 26% globally and 25% for the UK indicating not just last-minute decisions but a significant appetite for forward-planning.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025:
Opodo’s search data reveals that, globally, travellers are dreaming about long-haul destinations in 2025 – these include Bangkok and Tokyo, with short-haul Paris ranking third most popular. Bangkok also ranks highest for bookings globally. All three cities are ever-popular as short and long-haul choices: whether for the tech and buzz of the Asian capitals or for all three cities’ unique culture, iconic landmarks, luxury shopping and exquisite food.

London is the second most-booked destination to date for global travellers for 2025, (and it ranks fourth for searches for 2025).

The Report reveals the top 3 most-searched destinations by Brits for travel in 2025, are Bangkok, Tokyo and New York City: all long-haul dreams. The truth, though, is that bookings for 2025 so far reveal that Brits are staying closer to home: top-booked destinations so far are Amsterdam, Barcelona and Malaga.

2024/2025 TRAVEL TRENDS:
In 2024 the demand for personalised holidays has grown. An eDreams ODIGEO poll of 10,000 people1 reveals that an overwhelming majority of consumers (84%) prioritise having multiple travel options to choose from, actively seeking to compare and combine multiple airlines and hotels rather than defaulting to a single provider’s offering. This indicates that consumers are making more strategic, value-driven decisions by carefully weighing factors such as cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and convenience.

Sports Tourism was one of the hottest trends of 2024 and responsible for 10% of global tourism and one of travel industry’s fastest growing sectors. Bookings to Paris were up by 62%2 (compared to the same dates in 2023) and the Euros contributed to a 60%3 increase in bookings to Germany.

Sports tourism in 2025: searches for destinations with major events are already spiking. The Women’s Rugby World Cup in the UK has encouraged global searches for travel to tournament cities to rise by +74%3 y/y. Searches for travel to Harbin, China, during the Asian Winter Games have risen by +245%5 y/y.

Cultural events are driving increasing travel interest next year. Searches for travel to Osaka during The World Expo are up +85%6. For the Catholic Church, 2025 will be a Holy Year: searches for travel to Rome for the Jubilee are +16%7 y/y.

Music events remain a significant reason to travel in 2025. On the announcement of Oasis’ Reunion, searches for flights to 2025’s tour destinations surged: for Manchester +700%8, for Dublin +635%, Edinburgh +557% and London +212%. For Dua Lipa’s tour dates searches for Madrid are up +24%9, Lyon +11% and Milan +31%.

Dana Dunne, CEO of eDreams ODIGEO, comments: “Travel in 2024 has been defined by increasing demand for personalised holidays, with today’s global travellers seeking choice, flexibility and cost savings. Technology advances and the increasing use of AI have continued to transform the way we travel, invisibly powering our journeys from sparking inspiration, comparing costs, through to streamlining bookings and building tailored itineraries. Indeed, our latest research confirmed 73% of travellers are already using or would be interested in using travel-related AI. We’ve also seen social media-inspired travelling continue as a significant trend this year, with TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest remaining popular platforms for destination advice, location guides and authentic, first-person reviews.
When looking at the 2024 global travel map, regular favourite destinations – Paris, Barcelona and Palma – have topped the rankings, while further afield, we’ve seen destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Hurghada and Santiago de Chile grow in popularity. Our data indicates that consumers are eager to explore new destinations and are embracing immersive travel opportunities. In addition to major sporting events, it’s been fascinating to track the impact of music tourism on global economies this year, with global artists like Taylor Swift inspiring travel to concert destinations across the world. This trend is set to continue into next year, with the Oasis reunion sparking an increase of global searches to Manchester by 700%.
Looking ahead to 2025, with a continued focus on new experiences and discovery, global travel interest is already taking shape with a spotlight on significant cultural, sporting and musical events around the world. While Bangkok, London and Paris claim the top spots for 2025 bookings so far, we’re seeing customers search for a mix of locations across America, Europe, Asia and Australia. As we step into a new year of global travel, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation to deliver fresh, dynamic experiences that meet the evolving needs of today’s travellers.”