I can’t remember the last time I felt so optimistic about group travel.
Everywhere I look, I see signs that our industry is thriving. Some of this optimism is based on overall trends in the tourism economy. Many destinations reached record levels of visitation in 2024, and some anticipate similar — if not higher — numbers for 2025.
Similarly, cruise lines reported record profits last year and are projecting continued success in the future. Even airlines — which can be particularly vulnerable to economic headwinds — seem bullish, with both Southwest and JetBlue recently upgrading their earnings guidance for the fourth quarter of 2024.
These general travel industry trends seem to hold up for the group tour segment as well. NTA recently announced the results of member surveys that showed strong growth for tour operators, destinations and tour suppliers in 2024. Each of those three constituencies also reported anticipating similar — or even better — business results this year. And the association’s Travel Exchange event, which took place in November, saw an 18% increase in attendance over its 2023 edition. (You can read more about Travel Exchange and NTA’s research findings in my story “NTA Celebrates Industry Growth in Huntsville.”)
I noticed a lot of positive signs at Travel Exchange, as well as at TripCon, a November event in New York City where I spoke to hundreds of tour directors, guides, tour operators and other tourism entrepreneurs about the past and future of group travel. TripCon was the inaugural conference hosted by TripSchool, an organization that trains guides and up-and-coming tour company founders, and the energy among attendees was positively electric.
One of the things that struck me at both events was the youth movement that seems to be taking place. In the legacy tour market, Gen X and millennial leaders are stepping up to take the reins of some tour companies that were founded by baby boomers (or even their parents). They’re bringing a lot of new ideas, new energy and a growth-focused mindset. And in the new tour operator space, the overwhelming majority of entrepreneurs launching and leading tourism start-ups are young and optimistic. This is a welcome development in an industry that has, at times, been gray and sleepy.
There’s something else to note about young people starting group travel businesses. By and large, they do it because they believe in the power of group travel — and they believe their friends and peers will love the products they’re offering. They aren’t deterred by the conventional wisdom that “group tours are for old people.” Instead, they’re finding ways to create travel experiences that are relevant to younger audiences — and those audiences are responding with enthusiasm.
Finally, I’m encouraged by the emergence of another professional segment embracing group tourism: travel agents. Though travel agents have long been considered a category unto themselves, there is strong evidence suggesting that many agents are looking to grow their group bookings, either by increasing their sales of existing tour operator products or, in many cases, by packaging and operating their own group trips. I spent more time talking to travel agents about the group market in 2024 than in my previous 20 years in tourism combined.
So, call me an optimist. I believe the future of our industry is bright.