The new year will bring in a new era of travel, defined by nostalgia, personalization and the rise of destination hotels. And with Asia’s tourism sector experiencing a remarkable boom, travelers are increasingly drawn to authentic experiences that foster spontaneous connections, a new survey has revealed.
“After a year where change has become the backdrop to daily life, travelers are seeking a deeper connection to people and places more than ever,” said Daniel Batchelor, vice president, global corporate marketing and communications at Amadeus. “We’ll see a blend of old favorites and new immersive experiences, with one-of-a-kind stays putting destinations on the map. Asia is set for a tourism revival, while we are also seeing a rise in spontaneous solo travel, as people seek more off-screen, authentic experiences.”
According to the Travel Trends 2025 study by Amadeus and forecasting agency Globetrender, five key trends will shape the travel landscape in 2025.
New Heydays
Change-fatigued travelers will be eager to return to simpler, happier times of the past. This will inspire people to replay the vacations of their youth and revisit places connected to defining milestone experiences. For example, Airbnb listed a Polly Pocket-inspired rental and U.S. travelers flocking back to Miami, a “Miami Vice” era hostpot.
With Millennials entering middle age, European holiday company Eurocamp has reported a remarkable uptick in bookings, indicating that 2024 could be the “most significant” in its 50-year history as this nostalgic demographic seeks to relive the holidays of their youth with their families. In the U.S. adult summer camps are witnessing a surge, with Club Getaway reporting a 9% increase in revenue from its adult segments in 2024 compared to 2023.
Personalized Flying
The new year will see air travel soaring new heights of personalization, merging smart technology with customized in-flight experiences. Although it is common for passengers to consume content on their own devices while in air, airlines are taking it a notch higher and combining algorithmic entertainment with hyper-personalized in-flight systems that deliver fresh content (movies and series to adverts and things to buy) that are tailored to the individual flyer, based on their historic preferences [specifically for loyalty members].
For example, Delta Air Lines announced the launch of free “streaming quality” Wi-Fi on some international flights to offer free connectivity on its entire global fleet by the end of 2025.
High-speed Wi-Fi from providers like SpaceX’s Starlink are now available, enabling passengers to stream content while in air just like they would at home. Airlines may also start offering VR headsets to passengers in first and business class. Earlier this year, premium airline startup Beond began offering Apple Vision Pros to premium passengers flying its Maldives route.
Trailblazer Hotels
Travelers are increasingly exploring hotels that have their own unique identity, and in most cases, are putting destinations on the map. These hotels allow guests to immerse in the local culture, history and natural beauty of the surroundings.
While most “trailblazer hotels” will be completely independent (privately owned and operated), some will belong to hospitality chains. Bigger chains are launching and expanding their own branded collections of independent properties. For example, Reverb Hamburg, a Hard Rock hotel, opened this summer in a German World War II-era bunker, while the historic landmark of Admiralty Arch in London will be reopening as a luxury Waldorf Astoria hotel in 2025. This summer, Hilton announced it was expanding its portfolio of luxury hotels and has incorporated roughly 400 boutique hotels from the Small Luxury Hotels collection.
Asia Uplift
After years of restricted flying, travelers can finally rediscover Asia’s cultural treasures. In 2025, inbound and outbound travel to and from Asia is projected to touch pre-pandemic levels.
In 2019, China was the world’s most valuable source market for tourism globally and its comeback has long been awaited. Amadeus’ total traffic figures show that outbound travel from Chengdu in China jumped by 66% to 35.2 million passengers between 2016 and 2023. Similarly, outbound traffic from Guangzhou increased by 20%. During the same period, outbound traffic from Delhi in India, another high growth country for travel, increased 31% to more than 30 million.
Over the next 15 years, IATA predicts that Asia Pacific will witness the fastest rise in passenger numbers and contribute to more than half of the net increase in global passenger numbers by 2043.
Connections IRL
Following years of pandemic-induced dependence on virtual communication, people are facing digital fatigue and closing their apps and using travel to make new friends. According to Amadeus booking data, solo leisure travel soared by 15.6% in 2023 compared to 2022, with a further 9.2% rise so far in 2024.
In the U.S., Road Scholar is a tour company created for adult learning adventurers who believe that “the world is the true classroom.” This autumn, small-group operator G Adventures introduced a series of “solo-ish” trips to help overcome the loneliness epidemic.
