The sector is already showing signs of rapid evolution and specialization. Future trends point toward the rise of niche marketplaces driven by social travel phenomena and influencers. However, experts caution that scaling from a niche to significant volumes requires a blend of traditional expertise and modern digital reach.
A new era of digital connectivity is transforming complex tour bookings, with the sector generating over £12 billion in 2024.
The global travel landscape is witnessing a significant shift as online multi-day tours emerge as a primary engine for growth. According to recent data from research firm Arival, the sector has expanded at an impressive annual rate of 26.6% over the past three years, culminating in £12.1 billion in revenue for 2024. With this upward trajectory expected to persist through 2025, the industry is increasingly viewing multi-day tours as a critical area for investment and development.
Bridging the Digital Divide
Historically, the widespread digital adoption of multi-day tours has been hampered by what experts call the “digital breach.” Unlike standardized travel products such as hotel rooms or flight seats, multi-day tours involve complex, variable content that has been difficult to aggregate and distribute electronically.
However, Adalte, a leading B2B hub specializing in this niche, reports that this technological barrier has effectively been dismantled. Davide Galleri, CEO and founder of Adalte, asserts that the industry has reached a turning point where content uniformity and connectivity are no longer obstacles.
“The message for the industry is clear: the gap has been closed,” says Galleri. “Multi-day tours are now digitally accessible, and the technology market is ready to support this segment. Sellers are ready to distribute their products globally to all buyers, while they can easily integrate through a single API into their systems or access marketplaces with more than 5,000 tours bookable online.”
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A Call for Global Distributors
Despite the readiness of the technology, widespread adoption remains uneven. While Adalte has successfully connected over 70 Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and 200 Tour Operators (TOs) in the last year alone, many major global Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and airlines have been slower to pivot. Most still focus primarily on simpler products like accommodation and day trips.
Galleri warns that the window for early adoption is narrowing, urging major players to capitalize on the available infrastructure. “The time for global distributors and OTAs to enter the multi-day tour market is now,” he notes, suggesting that their entry would trigger a “virtuous cycle” of accelerated technology adoption across the industry.
