A new year is here, and along with it, a growing list of travel trends that are set to shape the tour, activity and attractions industry.
We’ve broken down the most sought after traveller experiences to help operators optimise their tours and maximise their bookings!
So, let’s take a look at some of the 2025 travel trend highlights…
Botanical Breaks
Our first blossoming trend for 2025? Botanical breaks.
According to research by SkyScanner 62% of travellers said they enjoyed visiting gardens on their holidays and Tiktok trends have seen #backtonaturgirls see a huge spike with over 15 millions posts!
We’ve also taken a deep dive into search data for the last year from Google, which suggests that botanical breaks are only set to grow…
- ‘Lavender Field Tours’ +1600%
- ‘Tulip Fields Near Me’ +122%
- ‘Cherry Blossom Tours in Japan’ +173%
In 2025, Google searches for ‘Botanical tours’ are predicted to grow 21%.
In an ever-increasingly technological and connected world, travellers are looking to disconnect and get back to nature when they are on holiday. We expect this trend to bloom throughout the year with trips booked around cherry blossoms in spring, sunflower fields in summer and autumn foliage in fall.
Detour Travelling
Building on 2024’s trend of taking trips off the beaten path, 2025 is going to be the year of detour travel. Travellers are adding detour stops before, after and even during their trips in a bid to experience immersive cultural experiences and find lesser-known destinations that are likely to be less crowded.
A recent study by Booking.com revealed that 67% of travellers are eager to explore less-crowded destinations, signalling a shift toward more personalised and off-the-beaten-path experiences in 2025. Additionally Expedia’s 2025 Trend Report found that their list of ‘Destination Detours’ all experienced an increase in searches last year.
Detour travel is also likely to be a favourite option for cost-savvy travellers who want to experience hidden gems and cultural experiences but without the price tag of more well-known destinations.
Coolcations
Coolcations… A trend that has been heating up for over a decade with Google search data indicating searches for ‘cooler countries’ has risen by 2590% in the past 10 years!
Increasing climates, as well as the well-reported health benefits of cold-therapy, have got travellers excited to experience cooler climates.
As part of coolcations travellers are seeking out natural and outdoor experiences such as fly-fishing, sledding, husky dog tours. And, one of the clear stand-out experiences is ‘natural cold plunges’ which saw an 853% increase in searches last year compared to 2023.
Want to find out more about Coolcations? Take a look at our insights here.
Astro-Adventures
Solar activity is going to be at its highest for over a decade in 2025 and travellers are keen to experience natural phenomena such as the Northern Lights and solar eclipses, as well as star-gazing.
Booking.com found that 62% of travellers are considering visiting darker sky locations this year in order to experience a number of cosmic events, including:
- Starbathing experiences 72%
- Star guides 59%
- Once-in-a-lifetime cosmic events 59%
- Constellation tracking 57%.
Skyscanner has also noted this trend for 2025, and predicts travellers will organise trips around catching a glimpse of one of the four solar eclipses this year.
From the Big Screen
2024 saw many travellers looking for ‘Main Character Energy’ when taking their trips. Expedia found that two-thirds of travellers were influenced by films, streaming services and TV shows when booking a trip.
In a similar vein, one other trend to keep an eye on in 2025, is what Skyscanner has coined ‘Gami-vacation’.
Major gaming conventions in 2024 drove huge increases in search volume, for example GamesCon, Cologne saw a 408% increase and 167% for TwitchCon, San Diego. And, they also found that 21% of UK travellers are inspired to book a trip based on the locations of their favourite games.
Hooked on this trend? Find out more here.
The Round-Up
In 2024, more travellers were inspired to book a trip based on the tours, activities and attractions they wanted to experience. 2025 is set to follow in those footsteps with travellers looking to connect with nature as well as fellow travellers with similar interests.
Our top tips for operators who want to grow their bookings this year:
- Ensure your descriptions and imagery is up to date and highlights your USPs
- Encourage travellers to share their experiences on social media to expand your reach
- Keep an eye on trending film and tv shows and look to see if you can optimise tours to include this angle
- Update your future availability to capture bookings in traditional shoulder and off-seasons
- Sell with global OTAs such as Viator, GetYourGuide, Klook, Civitatis and more to reach millions more monthly travellers.
Want to start growing your bookings this year but not sure where to start? Sign up to a 14-day free trial of Bókun and get exclusive access to our distribution Marketplace of over 6,000 resellers!
Enjoy staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and insights, as well as Bókun news? Follow us on our LinkedIn page here!
