Travel company Black Tomato has launched its latest travel trends report which reveals seven key influences predicted to drive travel bookings for the year ahead. 

The report shows a particular desire for strengthening connections through travel, citing group therapy and ‘generation passion’ as trends to look out for. 

Black Tomato said bookings for eight or more people have increased by 35% and account for 30% of all bookings for 2024. 

Luxury hotel collection Leading Hotels of the World detailed a similar trend, according to the report, with group bookings of three rooms or more growing by 33% from 2022.

Among such bookings, travel experiences will be shaped by families sharing their passions and hobbies across generations, the report said, with “everything from pottery and sculpture to cooking and climbing” making up trip itineraries. 

A “renewed interest” in personal and family history will also play a role in trip destinations, according to Black Tomato, as families take trips down memory lane. 

One traveller who booked with the company mapped a journey around Lake Como to mirror a trip their grandparents had taken, the report shared. 

This desire for intentional travel is reflected in other trends cited in the report too. Reductionism - doing less with more - is said to be a growing trend in 2024, especially relating to the on-going trend of wellness escapes. 

Black Tomato said “rather than embarking on dramatic overhauls,” wellness-seeking travellers are choosing more “targeted” and “accessible” trips. 

These “slower” and “more focused” trips will address key health concerns such as insomnia, anxiety, and diet through solutions like breath workshops, sleep clinics and meditation masterclasses. 

Travellers are also seeking new “psychological” frontiers as well as geographical, the report claimed, as the desire to visit untrodden destinations while “pushing their own personal barriers” increases. 

Such experiences could include camping under the stars in the wilderness or trekking the sacred path of the Kumano Kodo in Japan, the travel company suggested. 

Popular destinations in 2024 will also be those that allow travellers to “soak in the silence,” according to Black Tomato, such as tranquil national parks and the world’s most remote locations. 

Lastly, the report cited modern-day pilgrimages as a key travel trend for the year ahead as people search for nuanced culinary experiences that reflect and reimagine historic influences.