Pantone study discovers trending travel colors

The Pantone Color Institute, working with quantitative influencer marketing platform Fohr and Visit Carlsbad (the convention and visitors bureau for the California town), released the results of the 2019 "Colors of Travel Study," which identifies trending colors used in inspirational travel photos across social media and the color psychology that informs these themes. 

According to the study, this year’s trending colors of travel are Pantone 16-1522 Rose Dawn, "a gentle and comforting or soft and subtle or warm and welcoming dusty pink"; Pantone 15-4323 Ethereal Blue, "an open and expansive blue hue"; Pantone 19-4535 Ocean Depths, "a refreshing deep teal reminiscent of the color of the sea, coastal shorelines and the watery paradise of deep lagoons"; and Pantone 16-0948 Harvest Gold, "a warmly lit solarized shade emblematic of autumn’s yellow florals as well as spectacular sunsets and exotic culinary surprises."
 
To create the study, Fohr selected 75 influencers with an Instagram following of 50,000 or more and their five most engaged Instagram photos. These images were analyzed to determine the four most common colors.
 

“Color has always been a part of why we travel. The desire to 'see' a new place is rooted in a mental image we've already conjured: we are drawn to land and cityscapes that look drastically different to our own. Instagram's influence over people's travel decisions is incredibly dominant,” says Grace Murray, VP at Fohr. “Using a quantitative analysis approach, we discovered that the current trending, appealing and engaging hues in inspiration travel photos are much more grounded, calming and muted compared to the vibrant hues from a similar study last year.”

“This year’s colors highlighted in the 2019 'Colors of Travel Study' brings to life the unique beauty of Carlsbad’s natural surroundings and wellness-oriented lifestyle,” Laurie Pressman, VP of the Pantone Color Institute, said in a statement. “Calming and comforting, yet at the same time inspiring our imagination and containing a touch of the exotic, a palette of color that expresses our desire to engage, connect and experience; not only with nature and with others, but also with ourselves.”

The Colors of Carlsbad Palette

Based on the study, Visit Carlsbad and Pantone developed the second annual Colors of Carlsbad palette to showcase how these individual trending colors form a cohesive palette in Carlsbad, Calif. 

Compared to last year’s results, 2019’s palette reflects "grounded, earthy and calming hues" that can be found throughout the town, particularly in the natural settings. 
 
Visit Carlsbad is celebrating the launch of this new palette with a variety of multicolored culinary offerings, wellness treatments and outdoor experiences from the town's restaurants, resorts and spas. The Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa, the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort & Spa, the Cape Rey Carlsbad (a Hilton resort), the Omni La Costa and the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa will offer food, drinks or spa treatments that link back to the color themes.