New traveler research reveals how, when and where travelers really book tours, activities and attractions, with nearly one in five still walking up on the day
NEW YORK, NY, July 28, 2026 – Travelers are stacking more tours, activities and attractions into their trips than ever, yet spending per person has stayed flat in the U.S. and edged down in Europe, according to Travel Experiences 2026: Market Sizing, Operator and Consumer Behavior Highlights, a new report published today by Arival, the global research authority for destination experiences, and travel research authority Phocuswright, sponsored by Civitatis. Building on the global market sizing the two companies released in February, the new report draws on a survey of 2,550 travelers across the U.S. and Europe to reveal how consumers choose, book and pay for experiences.
U.S. travelers who booked an experience averaged more than four tours, activities or attractions per category on a single trip, more than their European counterparts, despite taking shorter trips of 7.1 nights on average compared with 8.3 nights in Europe. The flat spending picture suggests travelers are protecting the number of experiences they enjoy rather than trading up to more expensive ones.
The research also reveals distinct tastes on each side of the Atlantic. “We see that cultural sites and landmarks topped the interest list for Europeans (47%), while sightseeing tours (42%) and culinary tours and classes (40%) lead among Americans,” said Bruce Rosard, co-founder of Arival. “Culinary experiences were a standout U.S. preference (40% versus 32% in Europe), while spa and wellness activities were far more popular among Europeans (33% versus 23%).”
Despite years of digital growth, old booking habits persist. Fewer than half of U.S. and European travelers booked their most recent tour, activity or attraction online, and nearly one in five travelers under 55, and 24% of those 55 and over, simply walked up to a provider or ticket office. More travelers are booking experiences earlier to lock in their plans: between 27% and 34% booked ahead because they were concerned spots might sell out, and only 18-24% of experiences were booked on the same day, compared to as much as 60% in 2023,
Rosard continues: “This shows us that more travelers are choosing destinations based on the why of travel and booking those experiences in advance then ever before”.
“The size and growth of this sector is now well established, and this research shows the behavior behind it: travelers are doing more in destination than ever before. But with spend per person flat and two out of three bookings still offline, the opportunity is not just finding new customers. It is capturing more of the demand that already exists, from the traveler stacking four activities into a week to the one still queuing at the ticket office.”
The consumer findings land in a market with strong momentum. The sector returned to its pre-pandemic level of $253 billion in 2024, growing 17% that year to $271 billion in 2025, against 6% for the rest of travel. Experiences is on track to reach $342 billion by 2029. Yet just 33% of experiences were booked online in 2025, compared with 64% of the travel market overall, with more than 70% of operators being small or micro-businesses.
“This report confirms what we see every day: travelers want more from every trip, and in a market this fragmented, curation is what makes that possible. At Civitatis, every experience we list has to earn its place through quality, not just availability. As the sector moves online, the platforms that make that trust easy to find will be the ones that capture this growth,” said Andrés Spitzer, CEO of Civitatis.
The findings draw on Arival’s bottom-up market model, built on 5,664 qualified operator responses worldwide, a survey of 2,550 experiences travelers across the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Spain fielded in the fourth quarter of 2025, and Phocuswright’s global travel gross bookings data and forecasts through 2029.