Where there is travel, and travel experiences, there will always be caveats and nuances that are carved out, and these can be referred to under the umbrella term of ‘niche tourism’.
Niche markets are specialised segments within the travel industry that offer products and services designed to cater to specific interests, demographics and travel styles.
Niche markets, and thereby niche travellers, can provide a steady stream of revenue compared to a ‘one size fits all’ approach to the products and services you’re offering to customers.
By identifying a niche, a market, and what products and services would most satisfy this demand, this allows your business to benefit in several ways:
Niche tourism is similar to the experience industry in that niche tourists are constantly looking for engaging and unique experiences that match their interests, and want to do so in-destination when on their trips.
Niche tourism can—most of the time—be divided into both macro and micro niches. Now, of course, as with anything that is dependent on traveller behaviours, interests, preferences and the wider travel industry, definitions and expectations are flexible and must be agile in order to keep up with customer and industry changes.
However, what is most prevalent is that both macro and micro niches are a complete shift away from traditional ‘mass model tourism’, where travellers book a ‘sun and beach’ trip from an agent in a store, and that’s that.
Usually, the four macro niches are large market sectors within the niche tourism industry, and some examples include: environmental, cultural, urban, and emerging niche themes. Within this, you then have micro niches which function most often as unique traveller motivation and inspiration for booking their trip. So, for example, within Sports tourism, a micro niche could be a particular sport or event. In environmental tourism, you could have eco diving—though, more on that later.
So, let’s look at six niche tourism trends for today’s traveller! Bear in mind, there are many niche tourism types—this is just an exploration of some of the growing and existing trends for today’s traveller.
According to recent reports, arrivals into international destinations from Muslim travellers grew from around 108 million to 160 million in the last several years. Of course, the global pandemic halted the progression of this segment for a few years, but many countries are looking to attract this high-value segment as their spending power grows.
Many younger travellers are more exposed to the world and may not want to continue the more expected traditions of visiting destinations that have remained popular with the Muslim traveller such as Saudi Arabia. However, these younger travellers want to see more of the world without compromising their religious values.
This is where what would become known as ‘halal tourism’ came in:
As with any demographic, it’s vital that you’re offering recommendations that align with personal values and beliefs for a bespoke experience that satisfies your clients’ needs.
Authenticity and immersion are key for today's traveller. Gone are the days when travellers were happy to settle for a superficial look at their destination of choice; travellers want to get under the skin of wherever they go, to understand the culture, the environment, and the people there.
Eco-tourism can be understood as travel that ‘responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education.’
Of course, this can be understood in many ways, but any business that is involved in the promotion, organisation or curation of eco-tourism should adhere to these key principles.
An achievable way to start accommodating this niche is to consider more micro ways that eco-tourism might come into play for your clients, or potential clients you want to target. How might this manifest as something tangible that can be offered?
For example, eco-diving is a prime example of a sub-trend within the ecotourism niche and is gaining high popularity within the last few years.
Why? In 2022, UK marine biology charity The Reef-World Foundation found that around 95% of diverse struggled to book with sustainable operators, despite high demand for eco-friendly diving. In response, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) launched its Eco Center accreditation (on World Earth Day 2023, no less), in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program, and Reef-World itself. Now, there are 100 accredited Eco Centers worldwide, and PADI has set a goal to reach 660 by 2030.
Eco-conscious travellers made it clear that there was demand, and the industry raced to cater for it—and it's seen significant success.
So, with this example in mind, consider where you see opportunities within a broad-ranging niche like eco-tourism, should this be your chosen focus, in order to curate a range of products and services that fill the gap in your target audience.
Discover how we help travel agents promote sustainable tourism here.
From the internationalisation of new and existing sports leagues and teams thanks to TV and streaming, to the rise of experience tourism as a major trend following the resurgence of global after the world’s borders reopened, live experiences and sports events are at the top of many travellers’ lists when it comes to travel making decisions within this niche.
In fact, sports tourism is expected to double in value to £1.3 trillion by 2032, as found in a recent report conducted by Collision International.
Did you know that the Women’s World Cup drew 95,446 unique international visitors in 2023? Or a total of 3.1 million tourist arrivals were recorded during the Olympic fortnight in Paris 2024? This is a massive and very in-market audience seeking experiences before and after their time in their stadium of choice.
Sports tourism offers key opportunities not only for local communities and economies in host destinations, but also for travel providers and bookers savvy enough to jump on this burgeoning trend.
Gastro-tourism is one of the most popular motivations for travel – given that around 34% of global travellers suggest that they visit a country solely because of its cuisine.
Food is a big part of culture, and exploring local food tourism trends helps understand different cultures deeply, which is especially important to today’s traveller and the increasing prioritisation of authentic cultural experiences. Food allows travellers to connect with different people, ways of life, and food traditions, and as the demand for experience-based tourism grows, so too must the shape of gastronomy tourism.
A micro niche, or narrow niche, focusing on travel experiences and travel products that cater to the needs and demands of tech enthusiasts and adventurous sorts, space tourism is a burgeoning trend firmly linked to the development of the virtual world, and its encroachment into ‘physical’ reality. Some travellers want to go a step further, and head into the ‘next frontier’—space.
Of course, given its price tag, this is a niche tourism trend for the ultra-wealthy. Given that a journey to the International Space Station (ISS) is now estimated to cost anything between $20 to $25 million; NASA also recently suggested that companies like SpaceX and Space Adventures are offering a journey around the moon for around $70-100 million.
Attracting tech enthusiasts and adventure seekers-alike, space tourism, right at this moment, is a narrow niche featuring products and experiences accessible to a small percentage of the market.
However at the MarketHub Americas, one of the flagship events from our parent company HBX Group, Astronaut José Hernández spoke about the future of space tourism, alongside Stephen Attenborough, one of the founding members of Virgin Galactic. And while it’s clear that the accessibility of space tourism right now is limited, both of these experts were optimistic about ‘democratisation’ of space tourism and its vast potential as technology advances, and increasing competition brings down the price range of these experiences.
However, for travellers keen on experiencing the thrill of space right now, and for whom a lofty price tag is unattainable, wellness-centred hotels and spas are creating spaces for guests to gaze upwards into the sky in what’s called astro-tourism. Visitors can while away their trip watching for comets, identifying constellations and patterns in the wide, glittering expanse of the sky.
Ancestry tourism attracts travellers seeking to discover history, and their place in it. Some travellers may be more interested in discovering their own personal history, and strengthening their connection to a personal past. This niche’s unique products and experiences can be tailored to individual needs, but each focuses on unlocking and accessing the stories associated with personal history.
This niche overlaps with the industry-wide preoccupation with authenticity, travel that aligns with personal values, and the visible trend within younger travellers of travel as a way to express their identity or indeed reconnect with the self.
In fact, ancestry tourism is skyrocketing in popularity. In recent years, Airbnb studies revealed that the number of tourists who decided to travel to their roots had increased by 500% since 2014. Since then, the ancestry market has reached, and surpassed, an estimated $556 billion.
This niche manifests in certain ways:
Recognised across the industry, niche tourism offers the opportunity for any company to set themselves apart in the hypercompetitive travel industry. Doing so requires that you:
And of course, to help you out with the curation of stays and experiences that meet the needs of your niche market, you can work with a global travel partner.
Having access to a global portfolio of accommodation and experiences in-destination can help you find your clients the trip they were looking for. There are many options out there, and sometimes travellers can find it hard to know where to look, even for specialised experiences.
Plus, an expansive portfolio allows you to widen out the scope of your clients’ experiences, using their niche interest as the gateway to a new destination or region. Encourage them to stay longer after an event or specific experience! This way, travellers can maximise the time spent in-destination and you can maximise your sales.
With our powerful travel booking engine our partners can:
Specialisation can help distinguish you from other agents, whether you want to focus on destination weddings and honeymoons, a favourite region of the world, adventure travel, wellness vacations or any other niche.
Regardless of what segment of the market you choose, you'll need to make sure you’re equipped to offer your clients the trip that most aligns with their needs and interests.
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