Hostelworld Unveils New
Insights into the Solo Travel Community
·
More than half of solo
travellers rank the people they meet on their trip as the most
memorable aspect of solo travel.
London, UK,
12th September 2024 - Hostelworld,
the global leader in youth accommodation and social travel, today
released its groundbreaking 2024 Solo Travel Report, offering a
comprehensive look into the motivations, destinations, and
experiences of solo travellers worldwide.
Data-Driven
Insights from Millions of Trips
Based on anonymised data collected from
millions of trips worldwide, Hostelworld's Solo Travel Report 2024
offers valuable insights into the demographics, preferences, and
emerging behaviours of solo travellers.
Key findings
include:
·
Meeting Interesting People
Trumps Memorable Experiences: The report
reveals that meeting interesting people (55%) is a more memorable
aspect of solo travel than discovering unique experiences
(38.2%).
·
Thailand's Enduring
Popularity: Thailand is still the top choice
for solo travellers, with its diverse attractions, vibrant culture,
and range of affordable accommodation drawing in budget-conscious
explorers.
·
Dream
Destinations: While Japan leads as the top
bucket-list destination (23.3%), solo travellers also aspire to
visit other places like Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and
Thailand. However, Japan remains a prime choice, highlighting its
unique global allure.
·
Culinary Delights and
Diverse Cultural Connections: 30.9% of solo
travellers prioritise food in deciding where to visit.
Additionally, 45% of solo travellers seek cultural connections and
opportunities for authentic and immersive experiences.
·
Youth-Led
Movement: Solo travel continues to be driven by
younger generations, with 68% of solo travellers under the age of
thirty-one. The largest age groups are 18-24 (37.7%) and 25-30
(29.4%).
The report also looked at economic status,
motivations for travel and destination choice, app usage, budgeting
strategies, travel essentials and concerns.
Gary Morrison,
Chief Executive Officer, Hostelworld,
commented:
"Solo travel
is no longer a trend; it's a lifestyle choice that reflects a
growing desire for personal exploration and connection. The rise of
flexible working continues to fuel this shift, allowing travellers
to combine work with adventure.
Despite the
prevalence of digital connections, our data indicates that solo
travellers are increasingly choosing travel as a means to meet
like-minded individuals to share diverse experiences in real life,
both in well-known destinations and emerging
hotspots.
Our report
provides valuable insights into the motivations of solo travellers,
and we're pleased to present this latest information which not only
underscores the importance of Hostelworld's mission - to help
travellers find people to hang out with - but also highlights the
evolving needs of the solo travel community. By continuing to lead
in delivering innovative solutions in the solo travel space,
Hostelworld aims to stay ahead of this exciting
movement."
Hostelworld is committed to fostering a
supportive and inclusive community for solo travellers. By offering
a wide range of accommodation options and resources in 180
countries, Hostelworld empowers individuals to embark on
unforgettable solo journeys, creating new connections and lasting
memories.
For detailed
information, with country-by-country breakdowns, and motivational
insights from more than 3,000 solo travellers please view the full
report: https://www.hostelworld.com/state-of-solo-travel
[High-resolution images available upon
request]
Notes to
Editors
Survey Methodology: The 2024 State of Solo
Travel Report is based on data from over four million trips
conducted via Hostelworld's booking platform and a survey of 5,231
travellers, including 3,428 solo travellers, conducted in May and
June 2024.
About
Hostelworld Group
Hostelworld Group PLC is a ground-breaking
social network powered Online Travel Agent ("OTA") focused on the
hostelling category, with a clear mission to help travellers find
people to hang out with.
Our mission statement is founded on the insight
that most travellers go hostelling to meet other people, which we
facilitate through a series of social features on our platform that
connect our travellers in hostels and cities based on their booking
data. The strategy has been extraordinarily successful, generating
significant word of mouth recommendations from our customers and
strong endorsements from our hostel partners.
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Ireland,
Hostelworld is a well-known trusted brand with almost 230
employees, hostel partners in over 180 countries, and a
long-standing commitment to building a better world. To that end,
our focus over the last few years has been on improving the
sustainability of the hostelling industry.
Over the last two years we have commissioned
independent research to validate the category's sustainability
credentials, and recently introduced a hostel specific
sustainability framework which encourages our hostel partners to
move to even more sustainable operations and provides the data
points for our customers to make more informed decisions about
where they stay. In addition, our customers are now able to offset
their trip's carbon emissions should they wish to do so, and we
have maintained our 'Funding Climate Action' label awarded by South
Pole.
For further information on Hostelworld, please
contact:
presshw@hostelworld.com
Hostelworld
Group plc