Travel Trends for 2025

Another year has come and (almost!) gone. With it, we’ve seen the rumblings of change that indicate, and indeed, reiterate that the only constant in the world of travel is change. In collaboration with our adventure-focused clients, we’ve looked at the travel landscape around us and compiled a list of some of the fastest growing trends, now and going forward into 2025 (and beyond!), as we see them.

"Play" Tourism Takes Over

Experiential travel continues to grow in popularity, especially among younger travellers.

As experiential travel continues to grow, it has evolved into something now being referred to as “play” tourism, travel that includes sports, entertainment and cultural experiences.  The trend is being driven largely by younger travellers – Millennials and Gen Z – who are seeking out play-type experiences when they travel as a means of connecting more to a place and its people. It is generally viewed and experienced as a more authentic way to travel.

According to a recent report from Skift, “86 percent of travellers agreed that participating in entertainment, sports, and cultural experiences (including food!) when they travel is important to an overall sense of happiness and well-being. That figure swelled to about 90 percent among Millennial and Gen Z travellers.” It was also identified as being more important to this same segment now than it was five years ago (80 percent among Millennials vs. 40 percent among Baby Boomers).

The popularity of immersive cultural experiences is evident to Oku Japan, a small group guided and self-guided walking and trekking company based in Kyoto. Throughout 2024 and going into 2025, they are seeing a massive amount of interest in their culture-specific tours, among them the Japan’s Culinary Heritage, an 11-day foodie adventure that explores the country’s many culinary traditions.

“While cuisine plays a role on all of our tours, we often hear that this is one of the highlights of our guests' experience in Japan,” says Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Oku Japan’s general manager. “It's a look into how people live, but it's also often a way to feel a connection to the local community. Dedicating an entire tour to this theme allows us to take our guests to more destinations across Japan, providing them with a richer and more diverse range of experiences than they might encounter otherwise.”

The Outdoor Economy Grows

Demand for access to nature and active transportation, including cycling, booms.

The outdoor economy continues to experience robust growth, and this is particularly true within the adventure travel segment specifically, which is projected to reach US$2 trillion globally by 2032. This growth is driven by factors such as an increased demand for unique travel experiences, health-conscious activities, and eco-tourism awareness, among others.

“We have seen about a 9% increase in the number of first-time travelers on our European hiking trips and expect to continue to see this trend grow through 2025 and beyond,” says Scott Abbott, managing partner at Wilderness Travel. “More and more often, we see people looking for travel that gets them out and into nature, experiencing the places they visit at a uniquely human pace. In addition to many new travelers choosing active trips, 17% of our 2025 European bookings are on trips that cross international borders by foot! Not only do guests value time in nature, but they also appreciate the experiential element of this style of travel and the opportunity to see a few different places while they’re visiting.”

The growth of the outdoor economy in tourism also includes cycling tourism, which, according to a recent State of the Cycling Tour Operator Industry report by the ATTA, is “booming.”

“Though a simple vehicle, since the very beginning the bicycle has been a disruptor – be it social, as part of the women’s liberation movement, or economic, as we are seeing now with the massive popularity of e-bikes; it continues to be something that really catalyzes change in the world,” says Maria Elena Price, co-owner of ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours. “It is also the best way to experience the world as it allows you to connect deeply with the places and people you visit, in a truly impactful and authentic way.”

One of the key trends detailed in that report is the “rapid adoption of e-bikes… with e-bikes being acknowledged as a revolution that makes the activity more accessible to all,” and 64 percent of all respondents reporting at least 25 percent of their clients opting for e-bikes on tours.

“E-bikes are a silent revolution helping to make the magic of cycling accessible to many more people for longer,” says Stevie Christie, managing director for Wilderness Scotland. “Available as an option on cycling trips alongside normal bikes, they level up the group, taking the strain out of cycling consecutive days. For anyone who loves life on two wheels but is worried about keeping up, it's the perfect option.”

Other notable trends quoted in this report included the growth of gravel cycling (15 percent) and self-guided tours (14 percent).

Detour Destinations and Coolcations

Cooler and less busy places become the ideal destinations for adventure travel.

As overtourism continues to be a sad reality in many destinations, and climate change is leading to some places becoming unbearably hot in peak summer months, travellers are shifting focus to less-visited regions and cooler climates, with peripheral destinations offering a fresh alternative without the crowds.

Places such as Scandinavia are particularly appealing, blending stunning landscapes with sustainable travel opportunities. For 2025, Wilderness Travel has expanded its presence in Norway to offer a brand-new Hiking the Heart of Norway adventure that has already sold-out. The same holds true for ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours’ new Cycling Copenhagen to Oslo itinerary, which features three departures in 2025, all of which are currently waitlisted.

For Oku Japan, which operates exclusively in Japan, this has resulted in expanding its presence in the north, boosting its offering on the island of Hokkaidō – Japan’s coolest region – to three tours (two self-guided and one guided), and adding a new guided tour along the Michinoku Coastal Trail, which also enjoys a more temperate climate, alongside two self-guided options (one launched earlier in 2024, and other that is coming soon).

There is also always the option of winter travel to popular destinations as well, such as Scotland. Although not a place that may have immediately popped to mind when looking to get away in the winter months, Scotland offers fewer crowds, dark skies, endless stars, storm-watching, the expansive solitude of the Highlands, and sweeping coastal views of the Islands. The appeal is there for those drawn to invigorating and exhilarating adventure coupled with the world-famous hospitality, cozy fires, and warming drams.

Nature's Greatest Shows

Aurora Borealis, solar eclipses, and bioluminescence.

If this year’s solar eclipse taught us anything, it’s that people will travel to see nature put on a show. This is nothing new; indeed, Wilderness Travel has been hosting special Solar Eclipse Journeys for years now – with each selling out almost immediately – and 2025 will continue to be exceptional time for seeing natural phenomena IRL. The search for spots to take in nature’s great shows continues to be a powerful motivator for travel.

With NASA, the NOAA, and the International Solar Cycle Prediction Panel recently confirming that the Sun has reached its maximum phase in the 11-year solar cycle – which influences the frequency of the Aurora Borealis – and that it could continue for the next year, night sky gazers can look forward to more opportunities to watch the Mirrie Dancers put on a stunning show across a variety of destinations.

“This could be one of the best years in our lifetime to view the Northern Lights,” says Cedar Swan, CEO of Adventure Canada. “Because we have reached solar maximum in this cycle, our chances to view the iconic phenomenon are greater than they have been in years. Our guests were able to experience this first-hand on many expeditions in 2024, and we hope this will continue through 2025, especially on itineraries that feature Arctic and Far North places – when they are not experiencing 24-hour sunlight in the height of summer, of course!”

As mentioned, another phenomenon which proved to be popular in 2024 is the solar eclipse – the ‘total’ kind – which will not take place again until 2026 and 2027 although they are set to be two of the most spectacular solar events of our time. During the 2027 solar eclipse in particular, earth will experience the longest period of totality of the 21^st century at six minutes and 22 seconds. This length of land totality hasn’t been seen since 1991 and won’t be experienced again until 2132. Combining two of this year's biggest trends, nature’s great shows and the continued growth of experiential travel, Wilderness Travel have planned two trips to take in the 2026 and 2027 solar eclipses in Northern Spain and Luxor, Egypt, respectively.

Of course, nature has other great things to show us too. In South Africa with Wilderness Travel guests not only search for the Big Five of the savannas of Great Kruger and the Marine Big Five off the cape, but they also search for bioluminescence while kayaking through Knysna Lagoon. This mesmerizing reaction in which living organisms in earths waters produce a colourful light in response to stimulation are not unique to marine organisms, however. Other creatures, like fireflies, also create a bioluminescent reaction.