85% of travellers opt for day trips as bookings grow 110%: The Tour Guy

64.9% of respondents declare they like day trips because they’re curious to see the countryside, seaside, and natural landscapes; 53.4% of respondents already know a precise attraction outside the city and want to visit that specifically.

As the travel industry approaches World Tourism Day on September 27, the trend of the day trips emerges as clearly as ever. A recent survey by the destination marketplace and tour operator The Tour Guy found that 85.4% of travellers opt for day trips when visiting a destination. They move beyond the Colosseum, the Louvre, or the Uffizi to explore what lies just outside city limits. The finding lines up with booking data. Day trips on The Tour Guy platform are up 110.7% year over year in 2026. The pattern is clear: tourists are adapting to crowded popular destinations by getting out of the city.

64.9% of respondents declare they like day trips because they’re curious to see the countryside, seaside, and natural landscapes beyond the city borders. On the other hand, 53.4% of respondents already know a precise attraction outside the city and want to visit that specifically. A very limited number of travellers – 8.5% - simply want to take a break from visiting a city.

“Ahead of World Tourism Day, travellers are telling us something very clearly: tourism doesn’t end at the city gates,” said Sean Finelli, CEO and Co-Founder of The Tour Guy. “Day trips represent a huge opportunity for the whole travel industry, as they allow to create new experiences starting from what people already know. Recognition and innovation represent the magic formula to make travelers book.”