Travel is a non-negotiable essential, a much-needed break from the mundane, daily routine. Everyone needs it at some point, letting the new experience rejuvenate them.
Every year, there are new experiences and new destinations that make travelling exciting. These ensure that no two trips feel the same. Travel is all about reinventing itself in new ways.
A travel report from British Airways Holidays shared glimpses of 2025 travel trends. The report shared new travel styles and hotlist destinations on the rise.
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Most-sought-after travel destinations
The report shared the top most sought-after holiday destinations, indicating the evolving preferences for holidays. The list includes cities that provide a myriad of experiences, from the ones with stunning skylines to natural paradises. It's as per the 2025 January sales on British Airway's site.
Topping the list is New York, a city that never loses its charm, attracting visitors with its iconic skyline, Broadway shows, and more. Dubai followed closely in second spot, an opulent blend of ultramodern architecture, luxury shopping experiences, wild desert adventures, and mesmerising world-class attractions. Barbados ranked at third spot, with its beaches, nightlife, and cultural heritage, is a top choice for those looking for a tropical escape.
Other highly searched destinations include Cancun, Tenerife, Orlando, Maldives, Mauritius, St. Lucia, and Malta.
Rising stars
Some cities may always be in the spotlight, remaining evergreen favourites for travellers, like the ones mentioned above. But again, not all are for Bucketlist or restrained within a checklist. Travellers are also preferring other underrated cities as the report mentioned a spike in the searches.
Leading the surge of rising stars is Agadir (city in Morocco), with a whopping 308% increase in searches, attracting travellers with its golden beaches, and historic sites. Abu Dhabi (+94%) is also seeing significant growth, thanks to its luxury experiences. On the third spot, Crete (+44%) in Greece is drawing visitors with its Mediterranean charm.
Other rising stars making their mark are Koh Samui, Gibraltar, Nashville, Kos, and Qatar, all emerging as travel hotspots.
Travel trends
Travel is a unique experience and every story is shaped by a unique motive or purpose. As these motivations evolve, so do the experiences they create. So let's see what curated experience this year brings, based on the report's findings.
- Taste hunting: Palates will steer travel plans as travellers shape their itineraries around food-related experiences. Many local cuisines' dishes go viral on social media, from must-try street foods to authentic restaurants to try. Social media trends have also moulded this trend. Earlier, travel was only centred around attractions, with food in the periphery, but now the experience of eating abroad is also prioritized.
- Paperback packers: Reading a book has become difficult in the daily grind. So travel is a perfect chance to go back to reading and immerse in a good book. The trend suggests people carry e-books and even purchase new books at airports before flying.
- Trivial pursuits: Traveling is also a golden opportunity to learn something new. People now book hotels that provide unique activities, workshops, and sports facilities. Generally, hotels offer age-old spa and other wellness, and relaxation services. But now, people are demanding active experiences too, showing a more vigorous wind-down style.
- Trad holidays: This vacation style is making a comeback, especially in the younger generation. It includes all-inclusive vacations with pre-planned meals, organised activities, and budget-friendly packages. This makes travel hassle-free and more organised, avoiding the stress of planning everything to every little detail.
- Trip collectives: People love to travel in groups, but group travel's booking style is changing. Earlier, groups were booked together, but now people are coordinating with their friends and family while making individual reservations. Typically, where one booking would cover the entire group, there are now individual bookings for smaller subgroups. This helps them better sync their travel dates, allowing for greater flexibility.
To sum up, travel is an experience that is continuously evolving as a result of both contemporary changes like social media trends and lifestyle priorities like taking a no-stress approach with trad holidays. The way people explore is changing to make sure every travel experience is new.
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