With 2024 on the horizon, we are already thinking en masse about next year's holidays. Booking.com with its annual survey of travel trends among the Dutch, charts what we are and are not looking for in particular. The Dutch traveller increasingly takes emotional distance from the news and uses travel to escape from the hectic home environment. We also like ourselves more on holiday (55 per cent), want to be more like the person we are on holiday in everyday life (51 per cent) and feel more alive (67 per cent) once we are away from home.
This study is the most comprehensive survey to date and shows through seven trends how the Dutch will travel in 2024. The Dutch will be looking for coolness, themselves, love, they are more adventurous and sustainable than ever and prefer to choose a surprising destination where they want to discover local cuisine.
This year's trending travel destinations have an extra Dutch touch. This is because Valkenburg is in the global top 10 most popular destinations. Every year, Booking.com looks at which ten global destinations are rising the fastest in popularity on Booking.com and therefore should not be missed on travellers' bucket lists in 2024. The complete list of the ten travel destinations can be found below.
In 2024, we will see where the ship runs aground. The Dutch increasingly want to be surprised. 40 per cent of Dutch travellers would like to go on a surprise trip, where everything up to arrival is a surprise, including the destination. The adventurous traveller of 2024 is done with the everyday grind and avoids standard tourist getaways. We no longer want a thirteen-in-a-dozen holiday. Almost half of Dutch travellers (46 per cent) prefer to step out of their comfort zone for once or even travel with strangers (31 per cent). These adventurers do not plan their holidays from day to day, preferring spontaneous encounters and experiences determined by fate. Thus, by 2024, over half of the Dutch (57 per cent) want to travel without plans, so they can decide for themselves exactly what they feel like at that moment.
Just under half (47 per cent) of Dutch people enjoy the anonymity of travelling and the chance to get to know themselves in a different way. There is even evidence that people adopt a different persona while travelling to make themselves feel better. More than half (55 per cent) of Dutch travellers think they are the best version of themselves while on holiday. We feel fewer barriers and we can discover new aspects of our personality. However, the alter ego can also express itself materialistically, 29 per cent of Dutch people rent a nicer car on holiday than they have at home to live an ideal life away from home reality. 38 per cent of Dutch people even admit to experiencing "main character energy" on holiday. They prioritise themselves and listen to their own desires during the holidays. Is this perhaps why we always recognise Dutch people on holiday?
With winter just around the corner, cooling down does not seem to be the first thing on our minds. Yet more than a third of Dutch travellers (37 per cent) say that rising temperatures in the Netherlands and climate change will play a role in booking a holiday in 2024. But a small proportion (31 per cent) of Dutch people say that if temperatures rise close to home, they will use their holidays to cool off elsewhere. The presence of water is increasingly central to our holiday choices. Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of Dutch travellers say they immediately feel more relaxed when they are close to water. A third (28 per cent) of Dutch travellers say they are interested in a holiday with water in the lead role by 2024. The number of people who consider 'conscious immersion' during their holidays is also increasing, matching the growing popularity of mindfulness and meditation. No doubt, fads like wild swimming and the ice-bath therapy movement, which have become increasingly popular in the Netherlands in recent years, will also play a role in this.
The Dutch have a reputation for being picky when it comes to trying new things, but when it comes to holidays, they turn out to be quite adventurous when it comes to culinary matters. Almost half of Dutch travellers (45 per cent) want to discover the local cuisine with traditional dishes of the country they are visiting. While we might stick to our familiar palette of flavours at home, we use our holidays to broaden our culinary horizons and be tempted by the flavours of the world.
Over two-thirds (67 per cent) of Dutch travellers want to taste the traditional flavours of original cuisine by 2024. In this way, they want to discover the culinary secrets of cultures in other parts of the world that may have been lost or forgotten. In this way, local communities around the world can proudly share their culture and provide their own income.
B&B full of love was, of course, last year's TV hit. And this search for love across the border has inspired Dutch travellers. Of Dutch single travellers, almost a quarter (24 per cent) would like to set aside time for a dating holiday in order to meet a new partner or lover. In addition, more than 23 per cent would opt for a holiday to get over a relationship after heartbreak.
On the other hand, among couples, 1 in 5 (20 per cent) see deepening the bond with their partner as the main priority for travel in 2024. Then there are parents with children. They express a need for time to themselves. Almost half of Dutch travellers with children (46 per cent) plan to travel alone in 2024, leaving the children and their partner at home for a while.
The energy crisis has faded into the background for a while, but we are still feeling the inflation in our pockets. Therefore, Dutch people will not shy away from money-saving tricks in 2024 in order to take their holidays to the next level. For instance, in 2024, 43 per cent plan to choose a destination where the cost of living is lower than at home, 35 per cent also find travelling closer to home attractive to keep costs down and 41 per cent are willing to buy a day pass to use the amenities at a five-star hotel without actually staying there. Finally, we are not always taking it easy in the coming year. Nearly a third (30 per cent) of Dutch travellers with children plan to take their children out of school in 2024 to travel in the off-season, so they will be cheaper.
There was once a time when the words sustainable and stylish did not go together and the word 'eco holiday' conjured up an image of primitive campsites. Thankfully, that is a thing of the past. These days, comfort and unique design can be perfectly sustainable too. There is a growth in hotels and other unique accommodation that prioritise sustainability. Fortunately, because responsible travel is also playing an increasingly important role for Dutch travellers in 2024. Over 36 per cent of Dutch travellers are looking for sustainable accommodation and 49 per cent prefer green spaces and plants in their accommodation, so that nature does not stop at the front door of their stay.
"Our travel forecasts for 2024 show that travel not only allows you to escape reality for a while, but can certainly be a catalyst for living your best life at home too. From exciting adventures in a new destination to feeling the heartbeat of a new culture and every experience in between - travel allows us to discover the best version of ourselves.''
● Valkenburg, Netherlands
● Beppu, Japan
● Vlorë, Albania
● Mérida, Mexico
● Portland, Oregon, United States
● Buenos Aires, Argentina
● Chemnitz, Germany
● Rotorua, New Zealand
● Panglao, Philippines
● Cairns, Australia