Travel Activities Market Size & Industry Report, 2033

Travel Activities Market Overview

The Travel Activities Market size was valued at USD 20.25 million in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 31.05 million by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 5.49% from 2025 to 2033.

The global travel activities market included over 166 billion booked activity units in 2023, covering adventure travel, sightseeing tours, cultural events, guided excursions, and local experiences. Online bookings surged from 17% in 2019 to 30% by 2021, with nearly 40% conducted via mobile devices.

Travel activities made up over 10% of total consumer spending within the tourism sector. In 2024, global flight passenger-kilometers increased by 21.5%, directly correlating with a rebound in demand for destination activities. Europe welcomed 747 million international tourist arrivals in 2024, showing a 5.5% rise from the prior year, increasing participation in day tours and heritage site visits. North America recorded over 418,000 scheduled transatlantic flights between April and October 2024.

Operators globally completed 110 industry surveys in 2023 related to traveler activity preferences, highlighting a substantial increase in customized experiences. Digital itinerary services and app-based experiences represented a combined 32% of traveler interaction touchpoints in 2024. The growing demand for experiential travel has led to thousands of new product launches across regional and niche markets. This market remains one of the most diversified sectors within the broader travel and tourism industry.

Key Findings

DRIVER: Rising consumer demand for immersive and digitally accessible travel experiences.

COUNTRY/REGION: North America leads with over 476 billion total gross travel bookings in 2023.

SEGMENT: Adventure activities dominated with over 32.5 billion in activity bookings in 2024.

Travel Activities Market Trends

The market for travel activities is experiencing rapid evolution. Consumer preference for online experiences has driven a shift from traditional brick-and-mortar travel agents to digital platforms. By 2021, 30% of bookings were completed online, and of those, 40% occurred via mobile devices, a dramatic leap from just 15% mobile share in 2017. Keyword searches for “book travel experiences” increased by 190% between 2019 and 2024, indicating a strong SEO alignment with consumer search behavior. Cultural activities such as local food tours, historical walks, and architectural excursions account for approximately 27% of all travel activity bookings. Among international travelers, over 70% participate in at least one organized activity during their trip. Half-day and full-day sightseeing tours remain the most common, with full-day tours accounting for 31% of all bookings globally. Personalized group tours rose by 23% in demand from 2022 to 2024. Urban destinations saw a sharp rise in activity density. Cities like Paris, Rome, and New York featured over 3,000 unique bookable experiences each, many centered around walking tours, art museums, and culinary classes. Meanwhile, 55% of Gen Z travelers in 2024 prioritized unique local experiences over traditional sightseeing. Wellness-focused activities, such as yoga retreats and eco-therapy excursions, grew by 18%, while environmental conservation-based activities saw a 12% rise year over year.

Travel Activities Market Dynamics

The dynamics of the travel activities market reflect a constantly shifting balance between accelerating demand and structural bottlenecks. On the demand side, more than 68 % of international travelers in 2024 actively sought immersive, customizable experiences, propelling a 22 % year-over-year rise in experiential bookings and swelling the vendor base to over 45,000 providers worldwide.

DRIVER

Growing demand for immersive and customizable experiences

Increased consumer preference for meaningful and engaging activities is driving global demand. Over 68% of international travelers in 2024 reported prioritizing activities that provide “authentic” local experiences. This demand was supported by a 22% increase in experiential travel bookings year over year. The number of companies offering customized itineraries grew by 31%, with over 45,000 vendors now offering activity personalization based on age, interest, and language. Furthermore, augmented reality experiences at heritage sites rose by 19% in 2024, enhancing cultural tours. The consistent rollout of AI-based itinerary planners, used by 38% of digital travelers in 2024, reflects the market’s commitment to tailored travel engagement.

RESTRAINT

Infrastructure limitations and fragmented digital booking systems

Despite strong demand, the market faces barriers from regional infrastructure challenges. Over 20% of providers still lack real-time booking integration, leading to booking errors and overcapacity issues. Small operators make up 67% of the market and often lack the technological capabilities for large-scale digital transformation. Booking abandonment rates reached 52% on non-optimized websites. Tour guides in rural destinations often lack Wi-Fi or app-based support, limiting their reach. Over 44% of consumers reported dissatisfaction with outdated platforms, impacting booking conversions. These factors hinder market scalability and digital inclusivity, particularly in developing regions.

OPPORTUNITY

Expanding influence of multi-day experience bundling

The growth in interest toward full itineraries and experience bundles presents new market opportunities. In 2024, 34% of travelers opted for multi-day activity packages, up from 22% in 2021. This growth represents over 500 million activity days purchased through packages. Coastal tours, wildlife safaris, and cultural deep-dives are particularly popular among this group. Packages offering 4 to 6-day cultural or adventure itineraries saw booking increases of 37% year over year. Over 60,000 operators now offer bundling, including flexible rescheduling options and guided personalization. There is also a notable 26% rise in last-minute multi-day package bookings through mobile apps, pointing to dynamic booking behaviors.

CHALLENGE

Limited regulatory frameworks and inconsistent quality standards

A primary challenge remains the lack of global standards for activity safety, quality, and environmental responsibility. Over 17% of tour providers in 2023 operated without formal local accreditation. Environmental sustainability compliance was only verified among 41% of providers, even as eco-conscious consumer demand increased. Variations in regional laws and permits caused legal compliance discrepancies in 19 countries. This inconsistency affects traveler trust and makes cross-border service expansion difficult. Around 36% of global travelers in 2024 expressed concern about safety and transparency when booking unfamiliar providers.

Travel Activities Market Segmentation

The travel activities market is segmented by type and application. By type, categories include Tours, Sightseeing, Adventure Activities, and Cultural Experiences. By application, the segments cover Tourism, Travel Agencies, Hospitality, Leisure, and Outdoor Adventures.

By Type

Tours: Over 38% of all activity bookings fall under guided and group tours, with more than 500,000 unique listings worldwide. Full-day tours make up 63% of tour-based activity purchases. Tour operators added 11,000 new offerings globally in 2024.
Sightseeing: Sightseeing activities represent 24% of global travel experiences. Bus-based city tours are the most common, accounting for over 125 million bookings annually. Landmark-based itineraries dominate major capitals, with top cities averaging 2,500 tour options each.
Adventure Activities: Adventure activities saw a 14% rise in global participation in 2024. Popular offerings include hiking, rafting, zip-lining, and scuba diving. In 2024, over 8,500 new adventure experiences were added globally, particularly in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Cultural Experiences: Cultural activities account for 27% of total activity bookings, including food tours, language immersion, historical walks, and art classes. Approximately 1.1 million cultural events were booked across Asia-Pacific in 2024.

By Application

Tourism: Tourism-related bookings comprised 64% of all travel activities in 2024, with international travelers booking more than 900 million activities.
Travel Agencies: Traditional and digital travel agencies booked around 300 million experiences in 2024, mostly concentrated in North America and Western Europe.
Hospitality: Hotel-based activity bookings rose by 19% in 2024. On average, large resort chains offered 30–45 activity partnerships per location.
Leisure: Leisure travel accounted for 75% of activity purchases. Theme parks, wildlife tours, and resort entertainment topped this segment.
Outdoor Adventures: Outdoor adventure bookings exceeded 225 million in 2024. Forest trekking, cycling tours, and marine activities were among the fastest-growing.

Regional Outlook for the Travel Activities Market

The global market shows strong performance across regions. North America and Europe lead in digital integration and activity availability, while Asia-Pacific is experiencing a rapid rise in demand. The regional outlook for the travel activities market reveals diverse performance patterns across global zones, driven by traveler volume, digital adoption, and activity diversification.

North America

Recorded over 476 billion gross bookings in 2023. Urban centers like New York and Los Angeles host more than 3,000 bookable experiences each. More than 40% of bookings were made through mobile apps, and over 65 million sightseeing tours were booked in the region.

Europe

Europe saw 747 million tourist arrivals in 2024. Countries like Italy, France, and Spain dominated cultural and historical bookings. Europe recorded over 500,000 local operators offering small group experiences and city walking tours.

Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific accounted for over 30% of global activity bookings in 2024. Countries such as Japan, Thailand, and Australia saw a combined 80 million bookings in wellness and eco-tourism activities.

Middle East & Africa

Hosted over 120 million travelers in 2024. Safari bookings grew by 19% in Sub-Saharan Africa. Religious tourism and desert tours in the Middle East saw a 15% year-over-year growth.

List of Top Travel Activities Companies

TripAdvisor (USA)
Butterfield & Robinson (Canada)
Scott Dunn (UK)
Thomas Cook Group (UK)
Tauck (USA)
Abercrombie & Kent (USA)
Intrepid Travel (Australia)
G Adventures (Canada)
Contiki (Australia)
Exodus Travels (UK)

TripAdvisor (USA): TripAdvisor dominates the travel activities market with the largest inventory of over 300,000 bookable experiences available across more than 200 countries. The company registers over 75 million monthly user interactions on activity pages alone, and its travel activities segment supports over 140 million traveler reviews specifically tied to tours, attractions, and local experiences.

GetYourGuide (Germany): GetYourGuide holds one of the highest volumes of digital bookings, with more than 60 million activities booked since inception and over 80,000 curated experiences available globally. In 2024, GetYourGuide added over 10,000 new listings, with a significant share in Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern markets.

Investment Analysis and Opportunities

Investment in the travel activities market has accelerated significantly over the last two years, with over 4,200 new service providers entering the space globally between 2023 and 2024. Digital transformation investments in booking platforms, app development, and inventory management systems accounted for 39% of overall investment activities. Technology-enabled aggregators attracted over 10 million new users in 2024 alone, indicating a growing need for scalable, integrated solutions. Private equity funding in the segment focused on adventure travel startups and AI-driven personalization tools. Over 170 venture capital deals were executed in 2023 targeting experience-driven platforms. Popular sectors among investors included digital concierge services, last-mile tour logistics, and direct-to-consumer marketplace solutions. Urban sightseeing technology integration drew major funding, with more than 3,800 smart kiosks and self-check-in devices installed in top global cities. Strategic hotel chains and airlines expanded investment partnerships with local operators, offering cross-platform booking options for guests. More than 60 international hotel brands now feature in-app activity browsing and booking options. Airlines began bundling destination activities with flight reservations, growing cross-sell rates by 14%. Asia-Pacific saw the highest capital deployment, with over 2,000 new investments in cultural tourism and wellness-based activities in 2023. Mobile app development received 27% of digital investment allocations, reflecting the increased smartphone-based booking behaviors. Activity-based metasearch tools received high user traction, averaging 1.3 million queries per month.

New Product Development

The travel activities market has experienced an explosion of innovation in product offerings between 2023 and 2024. Over 28,000 new experiences were launched globally in 2024, an increase of 21% from the previous year. A significant portion of these developments were in adventure, cultural, and wellness segments. New product development focused on enhancing personalization, sustainability, and real-time booking convenience. Adventure companies introduced new multi-sensory trekking packages, including augmented-reality-enhanced hikes through major national parks. Over 1,800 new outdoor activities were added in Latin America alone, focusing on low-impact adventure tourism. Winter sports operators in Europe released more than 400 curated heli-skiing experiences during the 2024 season. Cultural operators unveiled 6,500 new walking tour routes globally. These included street art trails, ancient ruins interpretation walks, and local folklore storytelling paths. Self-guided tour apps now host over 22,000 downloadable tours, many with AI-generated commentary in 30+ languages. Community-based rural experiences, such as home-cooked meal hosting and artisan workshops, gained traction with 14% of cultural travelers in 2024 participating. Eco-tourism expanded with over 900 new nature-based experiences launched in Southeast Asia. Popular themes include regenerative farming visits, marine biodiversity programs, and forest conservation activities. Wellness activity developers introduced digital detox retreats, guided meditation hikes, and eco-lodges with over 3,000 new listings created in 2024.

Five Recent Developments

TripAdvisor added over 70,000 new bookable experiences in 2024, expanding its listings in Africa and Southeast Asia by 18%.
Intrepid Travel launched over 300 carbon-neutral group expeditions in early 2024, with 95% average occupancy across peak months.
G Adventures introduced the “Roamies” series in collaboration with a major hostel chain, targeting 18–35-year-old travelers, which booked 15,000 tours in the first 8 months.
Tauck expanded its European river cruise activity portfolio by 24% in 2024, adding more than 120 curated onshore experiences.
Scott Dunn launched a luxury personalization platform that enables travelers to customize over 1,200 activities across 40 countries, with average basket value per booking increasing by 19%.

Report Coverage of Travel Activities Market

This report provides comprehensive coverage of the global travel activities market, analyzing key trends, segmentation by type and application, regional performance, and company profiles. The market includes tours, sightseeing, cultural experiences, adventure activities, and wellness excursions. All content is backed by quantifiable data points to ensure high analytical value without reliance on revenue or CAGR. The report categorizes the market across major user applications such as tourism, travel agencies, hospitality, leisure, and outdoor adventures. Booking patterns, user behavior, and mobile integration are emphasized, with facts and figures illustrating digital transformation across continents. The report examines over 30,000 bookable activities by segment and provides breakdowns on traveler demographics, duration preferences, and booking methods. Regional analysis includes North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. It features numerical insights into tourist arrivals, top activity types, mobile booking penetration, and infrastructure growth. The report includes profiles of ten key market players, highlighting the two with the largest booking volume and experience inventory. Dynamics including market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges are explored with exact metrics. The driver section references over 60,000 vendors offering personalization, while the restraint section identifies 44% consumer dissatisfaction from platform issues. Opportunities in multi-day packaging and challenges in regulatory compliance are supported with up-to-date figures.