2025, the year of transformative travel

Every year January is the time when all of us who create travel and tourism content spend the day analyzing next year’s trends and looking for the destinations we all want to travel to.

It’s also a good time to analyze the changes in tourism and see where it’s moving. In the end, it is also our society’s history, habits, culture, economy or geopolitics that determine our trips every year (yes, also what we see in the media and social networks).

But this year there seem to be signs of change in the behaviors and desires of travelers and tourists. These changes could generate more dynamism in the future and that is for now very good for everyone.

I’ve been searching for days for information, reading official reports, reports in the leading travel magazines and articles by well-known journalists about it. And I really like what is coming.

Here are 5 key tourism trends for 2025

1. Regenerative tourism.

Get the idea that most luxury travelers are already looking beyond sustainable travel to experiences that directly benefit local communities. According to the UNWTO’s “The Future of Luxury Travel 2025” report, 73% of luxury travelers prioritize destinations with certified sustainable practices. It is encouraging that this is the case. I am sure it will be a factor that will stir more consciences in tourism in the coming years.

2. Wellness Tourism.

At a time when our society is going through difficult times in terms of mental and physical health, wellness tourism is also growing. The Global Wellness Institute puts the growth in the wellness tourism sector, and especially in integrated physical and mental health programs, at 18 percent. It seems that this goes beyond the yoga retreat in Bali.

3. Personalized trips.

What an important and human aspect! Not everyone has the same needs when it comes to travel. We are no longer talking about the same budgets here, although if we look again at the luxury sector, it is the one that is clearly leading these changes. The report from hotel chain Accor’s luxury brand estimates that 85 percent of travelers value personalized experiences more than traditional amenities. That’s also good in an impersonalized digital world.

4. Multigenerational tourism

Another tremendously human aspect. Trips in which several generations enjoy a destination. I find this very enriching! I practice it whenever I have the opportunity. My mother flew with me to Rome in her 70’s and my daughter accompanies me whenever her budget and her job allows it. Alone we have been to Bali or the Primitive Way and with her couple, both in their 30’s we will travel this year to the wonderful Mexican Yucatan looking for beaches, cenotes, Mexican food and the essence of the Mayan world. Virtuoso, our partners at Fora Travel, detect a 34% increase in their multigenerational travel bookings.

5. Transforming experiences

Everything we experience in our travels changes something inside us. Whether those changes are transformative or not is our job as we think and live them. No type of travel should be a bad experience if our mind is aligned with the place where we are going to travel, we are open to other cultures and we allocate the right budget according to what we want to experience. Here I return to data from the luxury sector, because it illustrates what I mean. Despite having the highest quality in accommodations, activities, restaurants, etc., travelers in the luxury sector are the ones who are looking for other types of experiences. 67 percent of them, and we are talking about data from the Four Seasons chain, are looking for more than just a perfect stay in a wonderful hotel, but for their trip to have a special impact on their personal development.