Guided Tours Are Making a Surprising Comeback
Once considered too touristy, guided tours are seeing a Gen Z and millennial-led revival.
The lure of a tour guide cannot be overstated. When you're in a new place, leaning on the expertise of a knowledgeable, charismatic individual who is teaching, humoring, and guiding you makes sense. At Thrillist, we've always enjoyed an excellent guided tour, but they haven't always appealed to young people. If young people take a walking tour, often it's because they're with their parents or fulfilling some college class requirement.
However, new data from Get Your Guide, one of the world's leading tour and activity booking platforms, shows that in 2024, Gen Z and Millennials are actually leading the way when it comes to booking guided tours. According to the Get Your Guide study conducted among 1,000 Americans between April 10 and April 15, 2024, 81% of Millennials and 80% of Gen Z will likely book a guided tour next year. Overall, 94% of leisure travelers booked a guided tour in 2023, and 89% of travelers believe that a local guide is the best way to explore a new destination.
"For young people, it's all about having an authentic experience when they travel—they really want to get to know a destination," says Madison Pietrowski, Director of Brand US at GetYourGuideWhile, to Thrillist. "People may have previously shied away from guided tours because they're worried about looking too touristy, young people embrace them because they realize that they're the best way to get immersed in a destination."
This is not entirely surprising; we already know that the way young people travel is changing. Gen Zers are more likely to book tickets for museum entry than they are to book a party bus. But the pivot from DIY trip planning and "never admit you're a tourist" ethos of young people travel from the last few decades is falling by the wayside. In its place is a traveler who wants to be well-informed and fully immersed in the destination and views guided tours as an essential component of that mission.
But don't worry—if you're dipping your toes in the water of tours for the first time, the world isn't limited to Hop On, Hop Off bus tours (though those are great) and generic history tours. Instead, these new tours are curated for a new kind of travel, curated for special interests and more inclusive histories.
"The most exciting part about Gen Z joining this demand for guided tours for me as a tour designer is the freedom to serve up narratives in new, fresh ways," Shabby Flanders, CMO and Co-Founder at Urban Saunters, told Thrillist. Flanders was the lead singer in an all-girls punk group before she helped found the London-based tour company Urban Saunters. "The biggest change has really been the production of our tours. We've created some new experiences which engage the senses, and are far more immersive and experiential than the traditional walking tour."
Urban Saunters now offers a Taylor Swift walking tour for all relevant London locals and will soon launch a look at the "underground" version of Soho and a true crime and beer tour.
"These days there are so many different types of tours available that there's something for everyone," Pietrowski says. "We've seen a big shift toward immersive and passion-based experiences. History buffs can book a walking tour of the city, while those looking for a more hands-on experience can join a cooking class to learn about the local cuisine. It's all about personalizing your experiences based on what you love and this trend is really changing the game with tours."
The most significant difference between the tours of yore and the tours that young people are seeking out today isn't so much the function of the tour but the method in which these tours are conducted. "What I enjoy most about younger travelers is their genuine enthusiasm to learn and their adventurous spirit," Marc Terrier, the owner of Edge of the World Tours and a tour guide at the company, told Thrillist. "They're always eager to try new experiences. Whereas older generations tend to go the more traditional route when visiting wineries and attractions, younger travelers are more adventurous and want to try unique wines, breweries, distilleries, and other out-of-the-box experiences."
For your next vacation, consider booking a tour that really connects to the place you're visiting or lets you indulge in one of your major interests or curiosities. "You just need to choose what floats your boat the most, book, and off you go to make unforgettable memories," Flanders says.
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