Video games and conventions are adding another dimension to travel
With the release of flagship video game titles and new consoles, 2025 is set to be a massive year in gaming. And the excitement won’t just be felt in people’s homes – the world of travel will see the effects as gamers bring their online world into real life and share their love of gaming with others from around the world.
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Building on last year’s trend of ‘Main Character Energy’ – where travellers step inside the shoes of their favourite TV and film characters…
21%
of UK travellers are inspired to book a trip abroad based on locations from their favourite video game.
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Skyscanner’s data shows a rise in flight searches to worldwide gaming conventions:
GamesCon, Cologne, 20 August 2024:
508%
increase in searches
to Cologne in August 2024 vs previous month
TwitchCon, San Diego, 20-22 September 2024:
167%
increase in searches
to San Diego in September 2024 vs previous month
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In June ‘24, we saw a 10% YoY increase in bookings of hotels with games consoles.
The most popular hotel destinations where travellers have selected the ‘games console’ filter during this period on Skyscanner are:
Move over golf clubs. Did you know that some 17% of UK travellers take a video game console away with them on holiday?
Skyscanner’s resident gaming expert, Jen Rankine, shares her top tips for travelling with your games console:
1.
Check with the airline to make sure the console fits in the overhead storage or under your seat.
2.
Pack it in your hand luggage and protect it with a hard case – and be sure to add extra padding to minimise any potential bumps.
3.
Make sure to place it in a separate tray when going through security.
Pete Murphy
The Pokémon Company International
“In 2023 we saw more than 1.9 million total attendances across the Play! Pokémon Programme and fans travelled from over 50 different countries and regions to compete or spectate.
We are already on track to significantly surpass these numbers for our 2024 season. Since returning to our live events circuit in 2022, we have seen astronomical growth in people travelling to all our Pokémon events – whether it’s local level Pokémon leagues, or larger scale multi-day tournaments like the upcoming 2025 and 2026 World Championships in Anaheim and San Francisco that we’ve just announced.
We also work very closely with our partners at Niantic on events for Pokémon GO – a game designed around exploring the real world to catch Pokémon. Earlier this year, we hosted Pokémon GO Fest which brought over 1 million people together to explore various cities and play the game.
Over the next year, the Pokémon International Championships will take place in:
15-17
November 2024
Latin America International Championships, Sao Paulo
21-23
February 2025
Europe International Championships, London
13-15
June 2025
North America International Championships, New Orleans
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Ahead of the Pokémon World Championships in Hawaii from 16-18 August 2024, we saw a 152% increase in searches during the week of the championships compared to the previous week – showing how much gamers want to connect and play in real life.
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Guild Esports is a leading global esports organisation, working to pave the way for a better, more inclusive industry that provides opportunity for everyone who loves gaming.
Guild Esports
“The once sub-culture of gaming has become an integral part of the Gen Z culture. Esports has also become a key industry for diversity.
Image credit to 8ce media
Once a predominantly male industry, gaming is slowly morphing into a more inclusive industry, with some countries, according to our data, such as the United Kingdom, having 47% of gamers identifying as women.
And although only 5% of that make it to the pro scene, this is changing with more and more tournaments being tailored for women gamers in recent years such as the upcoming Women’s Esports Finals, which will be a first-of-its-kind event created by Guild Esports and Sky Broadband.”
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