A third of UK consumers plan to travel more in 2024 with more than a quarter increasing their spending.
They expect to average 2.2 trips next year, up from two in 2023, according to new research by Skyscanner.
Travellers from the EMEA region are booking flights further in advance, with most committing more than 90 days ahead for both short-haul and long-haul trips.
The global study presents a positive outlook for travel demand in 2024, with 42% of travellers planning to travel more and 39% planning to spend more.
Skyscanner found that 32% of UK travellers will travel more and 27% will spend more.
A consumer survey and proprietary search and booking data by the firm reveals that word of mouth (43%) is the top source of travel inspiration for UK consumers, followed by film and TV (28%) and guidebooks (23%).
Globally, YouTube is the top source of travel inspiration, followed by word-of-mouth recommendations (35%) and Instagram (33%), however there are big variations by market. Guidebooks (27%) and TikTok (21%) also feature.
Just 8% of UK travellers use TikTok to get inspired compared to around 20% for YouTube and Instagram, and 15% for Facebook.
Air fares (30%) and hotel (21%) costs are the biggest decision-making factors in travel planning across the global survey covering data from 18,000 customer from 15 markets.
Hotels (25%) are the biggest cost factor, followed by flights (22%) for UK travellers.
Insurance (42%) and seat selection (34%) also top the list.
The overall travellers surveyed were found to be “highly engaged” on mobile devices in the travel planning and booking process, researching destinations (48%), comparing flight and hotel options (47%), booking (40%), with a fifth (22%) having used an AI chatbot.
UK travellers said that they used mobiles for researching destinations (39%), comparing flight and hotel options (37%), booking (29%), with nearly one in ten (8%) having used an AI chatbot.
Cultural experiences top the overall travel agenda for 2024, with destination choice influenced not by just the weather (60%), food (58%) and culture (54%), but the overall ‘vibe’ (41%).
Unsurprisingly, 69% of UK travellers said weather topped the list, followed by food (57%), culture (55%) and the ‘vibe’ (27%).
Activities in destinations also play a role, in particular local cuisine (46%), sightseeing (42%) and beach (40%).
The top three for UK travellers are local cuisine (52%), sightseeing (43%) and beach (40%).
Skyscanner destination marketing director Mike Ferguson said:“2023 has been a seminal year in travel. In all regions we see that travellers are highly engaged in the booking and planning process, searching for destination inspiration from a variety of sources and planning long-haul trips further in advance.
“Destination choice is increasingly influenced by not only cultural factors but also the particular ‘vibe’ that aligns with individual preferences and motivations.”
Strategic relations and development vice president Hugh Aitken added: “Airlines continue to restore and re-orientate their global networks to meet traveller demand.
“Countries such as India and Turkey have outlined ambitious plans and will be important drivers of both domestic and international air connectivity in 2024 and beyond.
“At the same time, travellers in many markets are signalling a willingness to upgrade their fares and build customised itineraries that provide them with the best value.”
Trending destinations for UK travellers, according to Skyscanner:
Vigo, Spain
Leipzig, Germany
Rimini, Italy
Bydgoszcz, Poland
Sapporo, Japan
Osaka, Japan
Nantes, France
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Billund, Denmark
Tokyo, Japan