Memory and meaning over cheap deals: the rise of 'true value' travel

Skyscanner unveils 'Travel Trends 2027' report

Next year's focus: spending smarter, not less

Travelers to invest more in flights and accommodation

Exchange-rate savvy trips gain traction

Hakodate searches surge 443%

Jessica Min, a travel expert at Skyscanner, presents the 2027 travel trends at the Travel Trends 2027 media day held Wednesday at Cotton Club in Sounds Hannam, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. [Kim Myung-sang]

A travel culture centered on "true value" — concentrating budgets on personal experiences and meaningful moments rather than simply cutting costs — is gaining ground, according to new research. Some 61 percent of travelers said they plan to actively use AI to plan itineraries and compare prices.

Global travel platform Skyscanner held its Travel Trends 2027 media day Wednesday at Cotton Club in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, unveiling seven key travel trends expected to shape next year and announcing popular and value-for-money destinations for Korean travelers.

In a survey of 1,000 Korean travelers, 80 percent said they plan to travel as much as or more than this year. Some 73 percent said they would spend as much or more on flights next year, and 68 percent said the same for accommodation. The findings point to a pattern in which travelers seek to be frugal overall while concentrating their budgets on the essentials of a trip.

Skyscanner summed up the core theme for 2027 as "Travel, Better Spent" — the idea that travelers are moving beyond cheap prices to redefine value around the memories and meaning a trip creates. Trends include unplugging from digital devices to rest, hunting for locally exclusive products, and maintaining fitness routines while abroad, all reflecting a growing tendency to weave personal lifestyles and values into travel.

Skyscanner's 'Travel Trends 2027' report [Skyscanner]

Skyscanner identified seven travel trends to watch in 2027: goods pilgrimage, gym-cation, exchange-rate travel, logout trip, local sound hunter, repeat honeymoon, and civilization road trip.

The goods pilgrimage trend describes travelers who plan itineraries around finding locally exclusive souvenirs — such as regional limited-edition products or items from neighborhood supermarkets — rather than generic merchandise available anywhere. In practice, six in 10 Korean respondents (61 percent) said they had visited a destination or store specifically to buy something sold only in that location.

Gym-cation captures the tendency to maintain diet and exercise routines while traveling. Some 31 percent of Korean travelers and 39 percent of Generation Z respondents said fitness facilities would factor into their choice of accommodation. Cities where Skyscanner users most frequently applied the "health club" filter alongside Seoul included Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, Mumbai in India, and New York in the United States.

Exchange-rate travel refers to using currency fluctuations to stretch a travel budget. Some 54 percent of Korean respondents said they had changed their destination after spotting a favorable exchange rate.

The logout trip trend reflects a desire to escape digital fatigue by leaving smartphones behind and immersing fully in a trip. Some 35 percent of Korean travelers said they could focus entirely on the present moment when they cut off outside contact without a phone, and 30 percent of Generation Z respondents said they minimize or eliminate digital device use while traveling.

Local sound hunter describes a shift away from large concert venues toward distinctive local stages — underground jazz bars, warehouse venues, forest festivals and the like. Some 24 percent of Korean respondents said they wanted to enjoy music in unique venues, while 23 percent preferred local bars.

The repeat honeymoon trend involves taking multiple smaller "mini-honeymoons" rather than one grand trip. Some 31 percent of Korean respondents said they had taken or planned to take their honeymoon in stages — including a minimoon right after the wedding and subsequent anniversary trips.

The civilization road trip trend is driven by media content inspiring travelers to seek out historic architecture and ancient sites. Korean respondents cited historic architecture (44 percent), historical figures (35 percent), and films or series depicting civilizational narratives (33 percent) as sources of travel inspiration.

Rankings of popular and value-for-money destinations for 2027 [Skyscanner]

According to Skyscanner data, Hakodate in Japan topped the list of destinations with the biggest surge in searches by Korean travelers for 2027, with a 443 percent increase. Luxembourg (+312 percent), Quy Nhon in Vietnam (+274 percent), Yantai in China (+246 percent), and Omitama in Japan (+199 percent) followed. Copenhagen in Denmark (+108 percent), Komatsu in Japan (+104 percent), Taichung in Taiwan (+98 percent), Denver in the United States (+81 percent), and Dusseldorf in Germany (+65 percent) also made the top 10.

For value-for-money destinations — those where airfare has fallen the most — Miyazaki in Japan ranked first with a 34 percent drop in fares. Hamburg in Germany (-29 percent), Perth in Australia (-22 percent), Vancouver in Canada (-22 percent), and Chiang Mai in Thailand (-20 percent) followed. Obihiro in Japan (-18 percent), Stockholm in Sweden (-18 percent), Cebu in the Philippines (-18 percent), Shenyang in China (-16 percent), and Vienna in Austria (-16 percent) rounded out the top 10.

The use of AI in travel planning is also expanding. Some 61 percent of Korean respondents said they felt confident using AI for itinerary planning and bookings. The top uses cited were comparing flight and accommodation options and prices (34 percent) and building travel itineraries (32 percent).

"The data clearly reflects Korean travelers' growing preference for experiences that are personally meaningful over simply cheap options," said Jessica Min, a travel expert at Skyscanner. "In 2027, we expect even greater attention to ways of enhancing travel satisfaction by reflecting individual tastes and values."

terry@heraldcorp.com