Heritage tourism is hot and getting hotter. Heritage tourism is defined by Oxford Languages as “the practice of traveling to places of historical or cultural interest.” And from the Roman Colosseum to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, millions of people are hungry to visit and learn.
The global heritage tourism market was valued at US$ 607.35 billion in 2024, according to Astute Analytica. This total represented a large chunk of total global tourism, which reached $1.6 trillion in 2024. With a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.51%, heritage tourism is expected to reach US$ 903.36 billion by 2033.
Astute Analytica says the global heritage tourism market is fueled by the financially powerful 50+ demographic’s surging demand for authentic cultural experiences.
As people grow older, they grow more curious about their origins and that of the culture that formed them. As individuals get more established, they often have the money and time to travel to historic heritage sites and to their own ancestral homelands.
Among Americans, 61% are interested in traveling with extended family or friends. Such multigenerational families and groups also travel to “find their roots” and discover shared cultural connections. Such trips often include educational and experiential (cooking, wine-tasting, pottery-making and other artistic creation, etc.) components.
Fueling this is a deep desire for a real connection, evidenced by 73% of global travelers who say they actively seek more local experiences. Searches for unique stays like Japanese ryokans or Moroccan riads have soared by 125%. Meanwhile, travelers now book an average of 4.7 tours per trip to learn more about an area, up from 2.7 in 2019.
In Ireland, some 13.8 million visitors explored heritage sites in 2024. In Britain, the independent museum sector attracted nearly 20 million people in 2023. Israel is a modern country with beautiful beaches, world-class restaurants and a thriving night life, but it also has 3500 years of history, culture and religion to display.
Some 1.3 million people visited Israel in 2025, to see heritage tourism sites like the walled city of Jerusalem, The City of David, the Dome of the Rock, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Even followers of British royalty can make a heritage visit to the final resting place of Princess Alice of Battenberg, grandmother of King Charles, who is entombed on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives.
Europe and the Mediterranean areas have a special appeal in the global heritage tourism market. Greece, a cradle of Western civilization, drew 20.66 million people to its world-renowned archaeological sites and museums in 2024. The Acropolis of Athens alone drew over 4.5 million visitors.
In Scotland, Edinburgh Castle was the top paid attraction in 2024, welcoming 1,981,152 visitors. The appeal of Scottish heritage extends to Stirling Castle, attracting 594,938 visitors and the Culloden Visitor Centre. In 2024, it hosted 374,443 visitors learning about the last pitched battle on British soil, a devastating defeat for the Highland clans.
The heritage tourism market is worth billions to local and national economies. In the United States, museums contribute $50 billion to the nation’s economy each year.
From a business perspective, the heritage travel market can bring a financial windfall to a city or region. But people in beloved heritage cities like Venice, Barcelona and Dubrovnik, have complained about over-tourism. It’s not just a question of crowding the streets and shops. It’s also about raising the cost of scarce housing through vacation rentals like Airbnb.
Nonetheless as Astute Analytica notes, the heritage tourism market is a growing source of employment. In the United States, museums directly and indirectly support more than 726,000 jobs across the country. In Colorado, estimates are that every $1 million spent on preserving historic buildings generates approximately 32 new jobs.
New sites, museums and hiking trails like the new 320-kilometer trail in Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan are constantly being developed for the growing heritage travel audience. Some 24 new sites were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024, bringing the global total to 1,248 as of 2025.
UNESCO is also partnering with Expedia to promote the UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Pledge. The goal is to inspire and provide incentives to local tourism businesses in coastal and World Heritage site destinations, to support sustainable tourism. The first collaboration took place in Thailand.
In addition to Expedia, many other organizations offer heritage travel, often with expert guides. These include Exodus Travels, American Express, AARP, Kensington/Ancestry, Audley, Jewish Heritage Travel, and Roadscholar, formerly Elder Hostel.
There’s nothing wrong with spending your vacation at the beach, on a shopping spree in Paris or New York, or kicking back at a fishing cabin. But many travelers have deeper needs to be met. They seek to learn more about our world and themselves, through heritage travel.
