The consultant says that 2022 will be remembered as “the year of recovery of many of the traditional destinations in Europe, the Caribbean, and the Middle East”, noting that “it was confirmed that the demand for travel remained intact after the lifting of mobility restrictions”.
Mabrian points out in a report by Publituris, however, that “the motivations and interests shown by travellers in this tourism renaissance have undergone structural changes that have affected trends and are likely to continue into the future”.
Mabrian's analysis was based on the global evolution of the interests of millions of tourists and the spontaneous interactions recorded on the TripAdvisor platform, demonstrating how "the interest in tourist activities related to nature, active tourism and wellness has clearly increased in importance since 2019, in a trend that seems to continue to grow”.
While bucket and spade and cultural holidays remain the most popular, the new findings show a shift in tourist trends.
Analysing more than 700 destinations around the world, Mabrian identified the 10 destinations that offer the best balance between several factors: the importance of active tourism, the offer of nature and wellness products, the growth of new air routes and the number of places received for this year, as well as the average price of hotel accommodation for the coming months.
At the top of the list is Bali, Indonesia, a destination that has increased new routes by 45% and incoming vacancies by 115%, in addition to offering an average price for accommodation in a competitive hotel.
Second place belongs to Crete, Greece, a country that, according to Mabrian, broke records in 2022, despite the absence of Russian tourists, a market considered one of the main ones in previous years. Despite being a mostly summer destination with a high relevance of the sun and beach product, Crete registers 57% of tourist comments on active tourism, nature or wellness activities. In addition, the destination has a 17% increase in capacity compared to last year, both on domestic and international routes. As for the accommodation offer, it is the destination with the second most competitive hotel average for the coming months.
The Algarve finished the podium in 3rd place, “with an interesting mix of tourism products, very competitive accommodation prices and a significant increase in air connectivity”, says Mabrian.
With regard to the Algarve, Mabrian's indicators give the national destination a rate of active tourism, nature and well-being of 60% (against 54% and 57% for Bali and Crete, respectively), while in the growth of new air routes stagnation (0%) is reported, although in terms of capacity per room, comparing 2022 with 2023, there is an increase of 21.62%. As for average prices with regard to hotels, Mabrian indicates a value of 86.39 euros.
Mabrian also points out that “it is essential that destinations quickly detect new global trends among travellers, in order to work to offer a tourist product that is as diversified as possible and in line with new trends”.