Keychains and coffee mugs? So passé. Well, that is, if you line them up against the cutting-edge travel souvenirs of 2025. Tattourism, driven by Gen-Z and millennials in recent years, is very much a thing. Like the word implies, it “combines ‘tattoos’ and ‘tourism’ as a way to celebrate and commemorate travel with meaningful inked designs,” explains Vicki Poulos, head of luxury & lifestyle brands, Americas and global Kimpton, IHG Hotels & Resorts.
The Kimpton X Tiny Zaps Tattourism Partnership
Poulos is speaking on the matter because Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants just partnered with Tiny Zaps to offer 18+ guests at select hotels speciality permanent, pre-selected ink. The micro designs “reflect the unique spirit, culture, and character of each city, and leave guests with a meaningful and location-specific piece of art to commemorate their travels,” the hospitality veteran shares.
According to Statista, as of 2021, 40% of millennials, and nearly 25% of Gen-Z were already permanently inked. So, while some travelers may still opt for a romantic spa getaway as a reason to skip town, the younger jet-setter may yearn for a different level of excitement.
“We wanted to bring [travel mementos] to life for our guests in a unique and engaging way,” Poulos says. “Kimpton ingrains the culture, design and spirit of the city into each of its hotels with no two Kimptons designed alike. This partnership perfectly represents that.”
Five major U.S. cities are participating in the pop-ups, and each accompanying hotel will offer three dates from now through end of June to explore the offer. (Kimpton Theta New York in Times Square, NYC - April 18, May 23, June 20; Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Washington, D.C. - April 5, May 17, June 7; Kimpton Everly Hotel in Hollywood, CA - April 23, May 29, June 26; Kimpton Hotel Fontenot in New Orleans, LA - April 10, May 15, June 12; Kimpton Aertson Hotel in Nashville, TN - April 12, May 2, June 28)
Evolving Travel For The Younger Jet-Setter
The tattourism trend “can represent a specific destination, a memorable experience, or a memento for which that place is known,” Poulos shares. “While the concept of tattourism dates back centuries when sailors marked their journeys around the world with tattoos, it’s evolved into a modern movement that blends travel, self-expression and storytelling. Currently, many Gen-Z and millennial travelers are driving this cultural trend, favoring meaningful ink as the preferred souvenir over traditional keepsakes.”
Staying true to its contemporary aesthetic and younger-leaning clientele, Kimpton saw the Tiny Zaps partnership as a no-brainer.
“We’re known for creating unexpected and thoughtful experiences for guests,” Poulos says. “Tiny Zaps is an emerging, innovative tattoo studio, specializing in small, meaningful flash tattoos that lean into high-quality and personalized ink. As we were looking to expand our unique guest experiences to fit the interests of the modern traveler, Tiny Zaps felt like the perfect fit to bring this emerging trend to life. Millennials and Gen-Z are looking for more curated and personalized experiences when they travel, so we’re continuing to evolve and expand our guest offerings to meet those needs.”
With designs ranging from an apple and taxi cab in New York, to beads and beignets in New Orleans, guests won’t have to second guess where they went, years from now.
"People get tattoos for the same reasons they travel,” says Tiny Zaps co-founder Sam Kelly, on his decision to tap into the tattourism trend. “They create and commemorate life experiences. Having unique design collections centered around each city adds a fun, passport stamp-like feature, providing travelers with a lifetime of memories."
