PARTNER POST | SPONSORED BY Civitatis
The travel experiences sector — tours, activities and attractions — has been the fastest-growing sector of travel for a while. But as anyone who’s worked in this sector knows, it’s far from uniform. So where are the biggest opportunities and areas for growth in in-destination travel experiences?
The latest report from Arival & Phocuswright takes a fresh look at the latest data to explore this question.
Travel Experiences 2026: Market Sizing, Operator and Consumer Behavior Highlights, pulls together market sizing, operator survey data and consumer research into a single comprehensive view of the sector — how big it is, how fast it’s growing, and how travelers actually book and spend.
The report — produced in partnership with Civitatis — draws on a three-step research approach: mapping active supply across 22 experience categories, data from Arival’s Global Operator Landscape (4th Ed.) study of 5,664 operators worldwide and Arival’s 2026 Experiences Traveler study including nearly 2,600 travelers from the U.S. and Europe, and building forecasts using third-party research alongside Arival and Phocuswright travel data.
Here are four of the findings that stood out.
1. Revenge Travel is Over, but Experiences are Still Growing Faster than Travel Overall
Global experience bookings surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2024, reaching $253 billion — and grew 17% that year alone, compared with just 6% for the travel industry overall.
That “catch-up” pace has since normalized. Growth slowed to about 7% between 2024 and 2025, with a more even, sustainable rate of growth projected through 2026 and beyond. Growth wasn’t uniform everywhere, however: North America lagged behind other regions, largely due to softening domestic demand and a slowdown in inbound tourism.
What this means for operators: The sector’s momentum is real, but the explosive catch-up growth of the past couple of years is leveling off. Plan for steady expansion, not a repeat of the “revenge travel” surge.
2. Online Booking Still Lags Far Behind the Rest of Travel
Despite the rise of specialized marketplaces like Viator and GetYourGuide, and general online travel agencies (OTAs) adding more experiences inventory, only 33% of experiences were booked online in 2025 — compared with 64% of the travel market as a whole.
Part of the reason is structural: supply in the experiences sector is fragmented and hyper-local, without the handful of dominant players that helped streamline online distribution in air, hotel or cruise. More than 70% of experience operators are small or micro-businesses, which makes recruiting them into online distribution channels a much heavier lift — and some simply aren’t looking to scale in the first place.
What this means for operators: This is a reminder that the shift to online won’t happen on its own — but online is where the biggest opportunity for growth lies. If you’re looking to grow or scale your business, make sure you’re online booking ready with a modern online booking system and a distribution strategy for third-party channels such as OTAs.
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3. Travelers Are Booking More Experiences — But Not Spending More
Travelers rarely book just one tour or activity per trip. Multiple bookings per trip are the norm, and U.S. travelers average more experiences per trip than Europeans, despite shorter average stays (7.1 nights vs. 8.3 nights).
What hasn’t grown is spend: the amount travelers pay per experience has stayed largely flat in the U.S., and has even dipped somewhat in Europe. Regional taste also varies sharply. European travelers favor cultural sites and landmarks, sightseeing tours, museums, and spa or wellness experiences more than their U.S. counterparts. U.S. travelers, meanwhile, show a notably strong interest in culinary tours and classes alongside sightseeing.
What this means for operators: The opportunity here is found in attracting a greater share of each traveler’s trip, through offering incentives to book multiple experiences, such as by bundling your products or cross-selling with other local experience providers.
4. Booking Windows Are Short — But Rarely Last-Minute
Same-day bookings make up a surprisingly small share of the market: only 12% to 30% of experiences are booked the day of, and that behavior is most common among older travelers (55+).
Most travelers book ahead of time, largely to guarantee they’ll get the experience they want. Between 27% and 34% of travelers cited concern that spots might not be available as their reason for booking in advance — suggesting that capacity limits and overcrowding are a real factor pushing bookings earlier in the planning process. Travelers were also motivated by the perception they would get lower prices by booking in advance.
What this means for operators: Encourage more advance booking through use of incentives, from limited capacity messaging to dynamic and variable pricing strategies, tailored to how different traveler segments actually plan.
Travel Experiences 2026: Get the full report
Travel Experiences 2026: Market Sizing, Operator and Consumer Behavior Highlights, produced by Arival and Phocuswright in partnership with Civitatis, offers the most comprehensive view yet of the size, growth and behavior patterns shaping the global tours, activities and attractions sector. Download the full report to learn more — available at no cost to Ariva Insider Free and Pro members – simply sign up for a free membership or log on to get your copy.
What’s Next? Dig Deeper with Arival
These four findings point to a common thread: the experiences sector is maturing and growing, but not at the same pace on every front. Bookings are recovering strongly, but digitization is lagging. Travelers are engaging more, but not paying more. It’s a sector worth watching closely as it continues to mature, adapt, and work out where the next stages of growth will come from.
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Header photo: Pexels / Zs Lin
