Travel experts explain why Ireland will be tourism hot-spot in 2018

They also list the top 8 travel trends expected to arrive next year

Rory Cashin

Looks like a staycation might be on the cards next year.

We’ve already got some professional insight for potential holiday destinations for 2018, including the must visit cities, must visit countries, and best places to go if you’re looking for value for money.

But this time we’re looking at travel trends in 2018, the reasons behind why holidaying folk choose specific places to go, and the folks at booking.com have revealed whats hot in travel next year.

They’ve broken it down to eight specific points, with one of the major ones being that 2018 will see people taking what they call a “Pop Culture Pilgrimage”, or heading to the famous settings of their favourite movies and TV shows.

With that in mind, we can expect to see a bigger uptick than ever next year, as thanks to Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Game Of Thrones, fans will arrive in Ireland in their droves – as well as other famous GoT settings including Croatia, Spain and Iceland – as 29% of those looking at holidays next year saying the were inspired to choose their destination by Jon Snow, the Queen of Dragons and the rest battling it away within the seven kingdoms.

Putting together the combined customer insights from over 128 million real guest reviews with research from 19,000 travellers across 26 countries, these are the eight primary travel trends expected to kick off in 2018:

New Tech Frontiers – more travellers are comfortable with online programs booking holidays based on our previous trips, as well as “trying before you buy” using virtual reality previews of destinations.
Bucket List Destinations – more people in 2018 than previous years are aiming to get one of their BIG destinations of their bucket list. We’re sure this has nothing to do with Trump and any impending nuclear war he’s likely to kick off.
Retro Revisits – millennials are said to be one of the most sentimental generations around, so visiting destinations that previously travelled to as a child with their family is apparently pretty high up the list next year.
Pop Culture Pilgrimages – as well as GoT, London will be a major hot-spot thanks to Sherlock, New York due to Billions, and Los Angeles thanks to (ugh) Entourage.
Wellness Trips – health and wellness are much higher on the agenda than they were in 2017, with almost double the travellers looking to take on luxurious spa trips, sports and activities trips, as well as full body detoxes.
Economic Outlook – money is important, with everyone looking for a bargain. With the majority taking in currency exchange as a factor for their destinations, expect the UK visits to skyrocket once the full effect of Brexit hits the pound.
The Great Mate Escape – group holidays continue to rise in popularity, as groups of friends or a number of couples sharing the cost will allow everyone to head to accommodation they wouldn’t have been able to afford by themselves.
Living Like A Local – the number of people who will choose the likes of AirBnB over a hotel is steadily increasing, with 33% saying they’d prefer to rent an apartment or house over staying in a hotel room.