Cool, independent travel and other tourist attractions

Today’s travel trends show where people are going, who they’re traveling with and what they want to do while they’re traveling.

“People are taking more trips and talking about them with their friends,” said Randy Yaroch, CEO and owner of The Travel Society in Greenwood Village. “Then you add social media and it determines how people decide where to go.”

Awareness of what is happening can be inspiring and motivating – such as women traveling alone – or it can lead to a different choice – such as choosing to avoid Western European cultural preferences due to crowding.

Yaroch’s Travel Society is a member of Virtuoso, an international group of organizations that work with quality and experience with thousands of travel consultants. A travel advisor is similar to a travel agent of old, but offers more advice and information.

“Travel agents used to order, but these days they’ve become professional advisors, like an advisor who manages transportation,” Yaroch said. While travel consultants tend to work with high-end clients, Yaroch said, they can also help with important travel needs such as booking all-inclusive packages and transportation to and from resorts.

By working with clients, Yaroch and his team are looking at what’s happening and evaluating how this information can be used to give their clients the best possible travel experience.

Virtuoso released a trend report recently and had some interesting information:

• Domestic travel is set to increase in 2024, but international travel continues to break records with Canada seeing a 168% year-over-year increase and Japan seeing a 160% increase.
• Some hot spots are getting a little cooler as well, so this fall could be a great time to visit Napa, Calif.; Amsterdam or Taormina, Sicily.
• The holiday season or “festival” is seeing continued interest in Mexico, Hawaii, Anguilla and Costa Rica, and double to triple in places like Saint Lucia, the Dominican Republic and Grenada. Although Maui, Hawaii, saw a decrease in travelers after the devastating fire in 2023, there is a 23% increase in bookings during the fall season and a 32% increase during the holiday season.
• These high-end travelers are looking for cruises, exotic destinations like Fiji or Thailand, and African safaris. The group is encouraged to attend festivals and once in a lifetime events.
• Have you heard of “Coolcations?” According to Virtuoso, this is a trend for winter travel in the summer (think Canada or Northern Europe) where they saw an increase of 44%. Hot places like Greece have slightly decreased tourists.
• While solo moms aren’t a new trend, Virtuoso and Yaroch recognized this trend and saw how it has grown from birth to generation. “What they’re looking for is like-minded people they can walk with,” Yaroch said. “They’re going to all the continents and looking for adventure tours or simple trips like sailing.”
• Not only do people want to travel off the beaten path, but they also try to avoid places that are suffering from tourism. This means that they are looking for trips during the “shoulder seasons” or off-peak times and go to South America, for example, instead of Europe. “The business will improve in the off season and the prices will go down,” Yaroch said.
• While Instagram and other social media sites may attract travelers, Virtuoso’s report found “a significant shift away from focusing on trending lists and emphasizing the personal experience of travel.” He also said that 77% of travelers prioritize interest and research.

Closer to home, the Colorado Tourism Office reports every year and found that in 2023 visitors to Colorado increased by 93.3 million visitors – an increase of 4% over 2022. Some of the highlights include:

• 38% of visitors to Colorado in 2023 come to see family and/or friends, with only 12% citing the outdoors as the main purpose of their trip.
• However, 60% of visitors said that outdoor activities are top activities (if not the goal), 58% entertainment, 40% cultural and 30% sports. Surprisingly, shopping at 23% was the top activity above ride/carrying at 16%.
• The majority of visitors were returning – 85% of overnighters were repeat visitors in 2023 and 62% returned in the previous 12 months.

Their report doesn’t show which cities or towns are seeing the most tourists, but Dean Runyan Associates’ annual, “Economic Impact of Travel in Colorado,” provides some insight: Denver is seeing a 4.8% increase in spending.

“Travelers choose Denver because of the ‘best in the world’,” said Justin Bresler, vice president and chief marketing officer for Visit Denver. “This town is a town on its own, and the allure of everything you can do in the neighboring Rocky Mountains makes us a great choice.”

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