Travel in 2021 may have had its starts and stops, but one thing was for sure this year: travelers‘ appetite to get out and explore showed no signs of waning, said Tripadvisor in a release. While travel as we know it may have looked different this year, people still got their fix in some way or another.
As the year ends, Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, on Tuesday looked back over the last 12 months at some of the ways it reengaged the world as travelers connected, supported, and guided each other to discover all the good out there in 2021.
The pandemic has continued to make an impact on travel and tourism. However, despite lockdowns and travel restrictions, travelers remained hopeful that travel will recover.
In fact, more than 44 million new travelers joined the Tripadvisor community in 2021 and 2.5 million travelers posted a review for the first time in a year.
Guidance and people-powered travel remain at the heart of Tripadvisor’s purpose. Without tips, recommendations, and suggestions from people who have been there before, Tripadvisor wouldn’t be the invaluable resource that it has become for the millions who visit the platform every month. Travelers like @alessandrofL127YD deserve a special mention – his 358 reviews in 2021 alone got a whopping 26,259 upvotes from fellow travelers who found them helpful.
Reviews aside, here are some other inspiring insights from 2021 worth celebrating:
- Travelers were big on Trips this year
- More than 7 million new Trips (travel itineraries) were created on the platform – If you took a trip a day, it would take you more than 13,830 years to do them all.
- The planning was endless, both the little escapes and the big occasions. Just ask the travelers who named their trips “Mom needs a getaway so no Momster comes out” and “Where is Alexis going to propose?”
- Travelers took the time to appreciate each other and the interactions they did manage to have, whether virtually or in-person
- “Thank you” was mentioned over 41 million times in reviews and forums this year.
- Despite the impact of COVID-19 and its effect on travel, travelers managed to find bright spots everywhere
- Tripadvisor’s “Highlight of the day!!!!” forum has 5,000+ posts (and counting) that saw traveler updates both big and small.
- As travel recovers, new businesses have been popping up everywhere this year to welcome guests back through their doors
- 309,270 new accommodations, 109,110 new experiences, and 175,286 new restaurants listed their businesses on Tripadvisor in 2021
- Travelers were longing for sunshine this year. These were some of the favorite sunny destinations travelers were searching for this year
- Honolulu, Hawaii – saw 3.2x more Experiences bookings than pre-pandemic
- Cancún, Mexico – saw a 17% increase in searches compared to 2020
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – saw a 96% increase in searches compared to 2020
- Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt – more than doubled (106%) its searches compared to 2020
- Hurghada, Egypt
- In addition to sunny destinations, travelers were “obsessed” with outdoor experiences. Based on bookings done this year, these are some of the most popular destinations for outdoor experiences in 2021
- Denver, Colorado – received 65% more bookings in 2021 compared with 2019
Top experience: Hiking Adventure in Rocky Mountain National Park from Denver - Sedona, Arizona – bookings in 2021 grew by 116% compared with 2019
Top experience: The Original Sedona UFO and Stargazing Night Tour - Ontario, Canada – increased in bookings by 313% in 2021 compared with 2019
Top experience: Niagara Falls Grand Helicopter Adventure - Moab, Utah – saw 53% more bookings in 2021 than 2019
Top experience: Moab Xtreme 3-Hour Experience - La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica – received 152% more bookings in 2021 than 2019
Top experience: Sloth Tour in La Fortuna
- Denver, Colorado – received 65% more bookings in 2021 compared with 2019
- Looking ahead to 2022, travelers are more than ready to get out of their work-from-home setups and back to exploring the world.
- There are over 66,000 Trips with “2022” in the title already saved
“2021 was full of ups and downs in travel but despite that, it was heartening to see how travelers showed up for each other, continuing to support, appreciate and share how they traveled where they could,” said Steve Kaufer, President & CEO at Tripadvisor. “While a lot remains unknown in the year ahead, we remain hopeful and positive that travel will continue to recover, and travelers will be able to get back out to finding the good out there. As a company, Tripadvisor and the Tripadvisor Foundation will do its part to help those in need get through this period of change.”
In addition to planning their return to travel, it was inspiring to see how its traveler community mobilized to support pressing social issues and celebrate their diversity.
- Tripadvisor joined the Billion Mile Challenge led by Welcome.US and Miles4Migrants to secure 70,000 flights for Afghan evacuees ready to resettle but in need of a flight to their new home. With the support of our traveler community, Tripadvisor contributed over 49 Million Miles and 3,200 flights, including a match and contribution from the Tripadvisor Foundation, to this first-of-its-kind effort. They are 80% to their billion-mile goal, but still, need support to help them cross the finish line. You can donate your miles, points, or dollars to join the challenge here.
- Its support for the tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees also included a $1 million contribution from the Tripadvisor Foundation to World Central Kitchen’s operations at key arrival destinations (including Dulles, Virginia, U.S.A.; Madrid and Rota, Spain; and Doha, Qatar). Their efforts served more than 170,000 hot halal meals sourced from 14 local restaurants to individuals and families fleeing Afghanistan – many of whom hadn’t eaten a meal in days.
- Tripadvisor highlighted the importance of diverse representation by building content with advertising partners to celebrate Global Pride and yearly commemorations of Black History and Hispanic Heritage. The company also completed landmark research specific to better understand the needs of travelers within the Hispanic community.
- Travelers are joining the company and Kiva in making a difference with life-changing loans this holiday season. For every loan to an entrepreneur, the Tripadvisor Foundation is providing another $25 to lend again – up to $150,000 raised. You can click here to make a loan that changes lives.
About Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, helps hundreds of millions of people each month become better travelers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to discover where to stay, what to do, and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than 988 million reviews and opinions of nearly 8 million businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants, and discover great places nearby. As a travel guidance company available in 43 markets and 22 languages, Tripadvisor makes planning easy no matter the trip type.