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10 minutes readContents
- Travelers crave solo trips
- Travelers spend more on domestic options
- Authentic, off-the-beaten-path destinations
- Baby boomers are the big spenders
- Detour destinations
- Fleet and route expansions will impact airfares
- Shifting source markets
- Noctourism for nighttime experiences
- Peru, Rwanda, and Vietnam are attracting more visitors
- AI adoption accelerates
What are the top travel industry trends for 2025?
Travelers’ desires evolve over time, influenced by social, economic, and environmental factors, tech advances, consumer preferences, and global events. They seek new thrills and greener pastures that deliver value for money. As a travel agent or advisor, consider tourism trends for 2025 when crafting your clients’ vacation, business leisure, and adventure itineraries. Add new destinations and train routes to expand options beyond traditional hotspots.
Here are the top travel industry trends for 2025:
1. Travelers crave solo trips
More travelers are interested in solo trips. According to a 2024 survey of 2,000 Americans, 62% of the respondents aim to take 2-5 solo vacations within a year. Younger generations are more open to exploring alone. Another report found that 76% of Gen Z and Millennials plan solo travel within a year. The lone explorer population is split almost 50-50 between men and women.
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Women are more curious and intrepid during solo trips than men. However, both have similar reasons for exploring alone. About 66% of solo travelers seek self-care opportunities. Going solo eliminates the hassle of coordinating itineraries and provides short, refreshing getaways. It also offers opportunities to meet new people.
Provide unique solo travel experience to your clients
As a travel agent or advisor, provide more solo trip packages to capitalize on this trend. Ensure your offerings target Gen Z and Millennials tourists because they are more interested in exploring alone than other age groups.
2. Travelers spend more on domestic options
More travelers seek to visit local destinations. Domestic experiences account for 75% of global travel spending, expected to increase in 2025. The US is the world’s largest domestic travel market at $1 trillion in annual spending, followed by China at $744 billion. According to McKinsey, 68% of all trips that start in the US remain within its borders. Five US national parks broke attendance records in 2023.
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The demand for domestic experiences is rising globally. India’s domestic travel market is growing at around 9% yearly. It could overtake Japan and Mexico by 2030.
Maximize your earnings by offering more domestic experiences
Focus on fast-growing travel markets to boost sales. You can book high-quality accommodations in these markets for your customers on RateHawk.
Europe leads in intraregional travel, with 70% of its travelers’ international trips staying within the region. Spain, Italy, and France dominate Europe’s intraregional travel market.
3. Authentic, off-the-beaten-path destinations
Many travelers seek to avoid overcrowded destinations. According to a 2024 survey, 63% of travelers are likely to visit an off-the-beaten-track destination on their next trip. They want to explore locations that haven’t been discovered by many people. For example, some people prefer to visit Reims, France, because they’ve visited popular French cities like Paris many times. These lesser-known destinations are enticing because they offer authentic experiences without a hefty price tag. Trending off-the-beaten-path spots include Trieste, Italy; Tromso, Norway; Willemstad, Curacao; Tignes, France; Villajoyosa, Spain; and Houston, US.
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Adventurous souls are looking for something different. Unfortunately, off-the-beaten-track locations are hard to reach. Airlines seek to address this challenge to capitalize on the demand. For example, United Airlines has introduced nonstop flights from Newark, New Jersey, to Marrakech, Morocco. Marrakech is a sunny getaway spot, but reaching it was challenging because passengers flew to Madrid, Paris, Portugal, or Casablanca to find connecting planes. United Airlines plans to expand its global services to Senegal, Greenland, and Mongolia in 2025.
Find high-quality options in trending locations on RateHawk
RateHawk offers access to over 2.6 million hotels from more than 230 suppliers internationally, even in remote tourist sites. Create unique travel packages with everything you need on one platform, from car rentals to transfers and airline tickets. Offer these hotels to your clients should they want to visit trending off-the-beaten-path spots:
- Savoia Excelsior, Palace Suite, and Residence San Giusto in Trieste, Italy
- Clarion the Edge, Radisson Blu, and Scandic Ishavshotel in Tromso, Norway
- Brion City and Scuba Lodge & Ocean Suites in Willemstad, Curacao
- Hôtel Le Diamond Rock in Tignes, France
- Blue Line Apartment, Hostal El Mercat, and Censal in Villajoyosa, Spain
- SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Best Western, Comfort Suites Northwest, and Hyatt Regency in Houston, Texas, US
Delta Air Lines is also launching nonstop flights from New York to the Italian island of Sicily. These new services unlock lucrative opportunities for travel advisors and agents.
4. Baby boomers are the big spenders
Baby boomers want to explore and complete their bucket lists. They travel and spend more than younger generations. Some parents are interested in SKI (Spending Kids’ Inheritance) trips. According to a 2024 report, 49% of baby boomers would rather spend money on an SKI trip of a lifetime in 2025. Several agencies and online platforms recorded a spike in bookings by baby boomers.
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Older generations are reliving their younger years through adrenaline-filled experiences. One survey found that about 23% of baby boomers are interested in adventure vacations, up from 10% in 2024. They seek to push beyond their comfort zones and engage in adrenaline-filled activities like horse riding, wine raves, canoeing, and mountain hiking.
5. Detour destinations
Savvy travelers plan to visit lesser-known locations near top-rated hotspots for day trips. Combining a popular hotspot with detour destinations can maximize value for money. For example, Europe’s high-speed trains cover 131 kilometers from Paris to Reims in around 45 minutes. Visitors can explore Paris’ splendors, landmarks, luxury fashion, and nightlife. Then, take a day trip to Reims to explore world-famous champagne houses for wine tasting.
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Reims is also home to Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims, where French kings were crowned for over 1,000 years. Combining Paris and Reims ensures travelers maximize their French vacation.
Other trending detour destinations include:
- Brescia, Italy;
- Cozumel, Mexico;
- Santa Barbara, California;
- Waikato, New Zealand;
- Girona, Spain;
- Fukuoka, Japan;
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates;
- Krabi, Thailand;
- Canmore, Canada.
Girona is a beautiful Spanish city along the River Onyar in the Catalonia region. The city is known for its medieval architecture, walled Old Quarter, Roman-era Força Vella fortress, and Passeig Arqueològic landscaped gardens. It offers the perfect detour from the bustling crowds of Barcelona. Tourists visiting Barcelona can take a train to Girona to explore this Spanish gem. High-speed Barcelona-Girona trains take around 38 minutes, covering 87 kilometers between the two cities.
Exploring detour destinations with RateHawk
Your clients deserve to explore these detour destinations comfortably and conveniently. You can use RateHawk’s car rental service to find and rent cars for your customers. Check available car rental options near detour attractions with RateHawk.
6. Fleet and route expansions will impact airfares
Several airlines are expanding their fleets, routes, and online capacity. For example, United and Delta will launch nonstop services between US cities and tourist hubs in Italy, Senegal, Greenland, and Mongolia. United Airlines recently introduced direct flights from Newark to Marrakech, Morocco. Fiji Airways also unveiled its new nonstop service between Dallas and Nadi in 2024.
Photo: StockSnap / pixabay.com
These expansions will reduce airfares as more planes compete for customers. Airfares are already dropping in some routes between Eastern US cities and European hubs like Paris, London, and Amsterdam. It has far-reaching implications because flight ticket prices can be financially burdening, discouraging aspiring travelers.
Find affordable flight options with RateHawk
Offer these affordable flights to your customers to sell more travel experiences. Book flights for your clients with RateHawk!
7. Shifting source markets
The US, Germany, the UK, China, and France accounted for 38% of global travel spending in 2023. They are the world’s five largest sources of travelers. However, India and blossoming countries in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia are shifting the balance of outbound flows. India’s annual GDP growth of 6% is empowering a new generation of travelers. Its travel-related spending is projected to grow 9% annually between 2024 and 2030 versus 7% for Southeast Asia.
Photo: picturism /pixabay.com
Cambodia, Malaysia, and the Philippines fuel growth in Southeast Asia. China, Singapore, and Thailand agreed to reciprocal visa waivers to encourage short-term trips. The fastest-growing Eastern European countries include the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. This region’s travel spending is expected to grow at 7% annually, 2% higher than Western Europe. Consider tapping into these new source markets to grow your business.
Offer new trending destinations to your clients
As a travel agent, add these fastest-growing countries to your offering to boost your business. For example, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland are attractive to some tourists.
8. Noctourism for nighttime experiences
Noctourism (nocturnal + tourism) involves nighttime travel experiences, including stargazing, late-opening museums, wildlife viewing, bioluminescent beaches, and moonlit activities. Some animals, like leopards, hippos, bats, honey badgers, and caracals, are active at night, making it easy to spot them. Regions like Finnish Lapland, Norway’s Lofoten Islands, Svalbard, and Iceland offer the best destinations for viewing northern lights. Solar activity is peaking to its highest for decades in 2025, increasing charged particles interacting with the Earth’s atmosphere. This event creates dramatic aurora viewing opportunities.
Photo: EvaL Miko / Shutterstock.com
Noctourism offers a unique opportunity for tourists to explore popular hotspots without crowds. Many stargazers are interested in photographing the moon, observing meteor showers, and tracking constellations in 2025. Others plan to watch bioluminescent illumination in the water or engage in moonlit activities like kayaking, beach walks, and safaris.
Offer your clients to explore astronomical experiences
As a travel agent, you can offer astronomical experiences to capitalize on this trend. Find prime noctourism destinations for your clients to indulge in nighttime tourist activities. You can use RateHawk to book flights, rental cars, and accommodations for your customers around these locations.
9. Peru, Rwanda, and Vietnam are attracting more visitors
The US, Spain, China, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Italy, Thailand, Japan, and India are the world’s top ten destination countries. They receive 45% of all travel spending. However, new locales have crafted innovative revenue-generation strategies. For example, Peru works with Peruvian restaurants abroad to market itself as a top-notch culinary destination. The country also highlights its less visited archeological sites to capitalize on the demand for off-the-beaten-track experiences.
Photo: JomNicha / Shutterstock.com
Rwanda is capitalizing on sustainable tourism and investing in infrastructure to become a major African transit hub. The pandemic eroded Vietnam’s gains made over 5 years. In the post-pandemic period, Vietnam has rebounded by waiving visa requirements for European tourists. Peru, Rwanda, and Vietnam are gaining traction and attracting more visitors.
Add Peru, Rwanda, and Vietnam to your portfolio
Travel agencies and agents can refresh their portfolios with new experiences from Peru, Rwanda, and Vietnam. Tap into these emerging countries in 2025 to boost sales and fuel growth.
10. AI adoption accelerates
More tourists and tourism industry players are embracing technology. Booking platforms like RateHawk leverage AI to deliver personalized offers, enhancing customer satisfaction. They also use AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants to assist and guide customers through the booking process.
Some hotels and airports have adopted AI-powered robots for face-to-face customer service. For example, Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki deployed robots specialized in check-in and checkout processing. London Heathrow Airport has a robot that guides travelers in terminals. AI adoption will accelerate in 2025 and beyond.
Photo: group.hennnahotel.com
Capitalize on new travel trends with RateHawk
Analyzing global travel trends allows you to anticipate customers’ needs instead of reacting. It can help your travel agency grab more opportunities and grow. Many travelers seek solo trips and explore domestic, off-the-beaten-track, and detour destinations in 2025. Embrace new AI technologies and expand your options to cater to baby boomers and eco-conscious clients. Don’t forget to refine your portfolio to capitalize on shifting source markets and emerging hotspots.
You can rely on RateHawk as your trusted partner in 2025 and beyond.
At RateHawk, we help travel agents, advisors, and agencies deliver the best experiences to their clients. Our platform offers train tickets and over 2.6 million accommodations, flights, transfers, and car rentals. To grab more opportunities, join RateHawk today!
