Choose a currency
ToursByLocals Blog Posts
1 / 11
The Year That Was: Travel in 2022!
Dec 13 2022
At the end of each year, we get to use our bookings data to compile a lot of interesting numbers: how many travelers toured with our guides? Which tours were the most popular? What were the hottest destinations? How will next year be different? Of course this sort of data helps us make business decisions for the coming year, but it also creates some fun trivia we like to share! And so, we present:
ToursByLocals Travel Trivia: 2022 Edition
How many people went on tour in 2022?
After a very slow 2020 and 2021, the travel industry roared back in 2022 and we sent approximately 300,000 travellers on tour this year. (Sneak peak into early 2023: we expect to hit the great big total of two million travellers served since ToursByLocals launched!)How many brand new tours were created in 2022?
The guides on ToursByLocals created 3,824 brand new tour itineraries in 2022 in 745 different cities. From discovering 15th century castles in Albania to floating the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, that’s a whole lot of exploring for you to do!What percentage of tours were one-of-a-kind, customized tours?
Did you know you can do that? While we have over 30,000 tour itineraries already created and ready to book on ToursByLocals, you can also tweak any of them or design your own! Just message any guide in advance and they’ll customize an itinerary to make it perfect for you. (And the answer is 27%!)What was the most booked tour in 2022? And who were the runners up?
Private tours with art experts at the Louvre topped the most popular tour list this year, as art historians Hugo. and Catherine between them brought hundreds of art enthusiasts on tours to visit the masterpieces at the Louvre. Whether you’ve never been, or been a dozen times, these guides will make any visit to the legendary galleries unforgettable.
Coming in close behind were tours taking travellers to the fairytale-like Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal, with guides Luis and Rafael designing and leading the tours that took the most travellers there. Are you headed to Lisbon in 2023? Don’t miss a day trip or half-day trip to Sintra!Which guide gave the most tours in 2022?
This is a pretty impressive category to lead. It means a lot of hours spent on foot, and also a lot of hours talking! By the end of the year, guides are definitely ready for a well-earned rest.
Catherine, an art historian, professional portrait painter, and long-time licensed tour guide from Paris, is the winner! Travellers absolutely love Catherine’s in depth knowledge of every aspect of the Louvre: “Catherine was a magnificent tour guide. She made touring the Louvre an exceptional experience. Her knowledge and love of art made the tour both educational and meaningful. We were talking about the things we learned about art history for days. Unforgettable tour!”
Since he started with ToursByLocals in 2013, Madrid tour guide and runner-up Pepe has led over 1000 tours! He specializes in Jewish Madrid, day trips to Toledo and “doing Madrid like a local”. As one recent traveller shared: “Pepe, through being a fantastic storyteller, provides you with a history of Madrid bringing you through the political, social and cultural routes of Europe and Spain. This is so much more than facts and figures with fascinating insights that had us all talking long after the tour finished. Pepe's passion, knowledge and enthusiasm puts him above all other guides we have experienced.”Both guides have each led well over 200 private tours in 2022 - congratulations!
Which country sold the most tours in 2022?
ToursByLocals has tours in 190 different countries. Who was the big winner this year?While 2020 saw very little in the way of travel at all, and 2021 still saw people travelling mostly domestically, 2022 was the year people returned to Europe. Particularly Western and Southern Europe, the UK and Ireland.
The top-selling country overall was perennial favourite Italy!
Followed by sunny Spain.
Which city sold the most tours in 2022?
The most popular city to book a tour in 2022 was Paris. This isn't the first time Paris has held that coveted spot!
Paris was followed closely by Rome, also no surprise. These two are always heavy hitters.
Between those two cities you can find over 130 amazing tour guides on the ToursByLocals platform!What was our top-selling non-European destination?
While 2022 saw the strongest travel recovery in Europe, that doesn’t mean no one went anywhere else! Many American cities were exceedingly popular, and as we near the end of 2022, warm weather destinations in the south are seeing a big surge in bookings.Our top-selling non-European destination in 2022 was Mexico City.
And the runner up? Boston!