There is palpable excitement for upcoming festive-season getaways and the anticipation of new destinations to discover in 2025. Leading travel publications have been releasing their 2025 must-visit lists, sparking a wave of wanderlust. UN Tourism reports that the global tourism sector is on track to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic this month, marking a key milestone and setting the stage for continued growth throughout the industry.
The following is a summary of the key global travel and hospitality trends that will shape the travel and tourism industry in 2025 as compiled by our teams in the UK, U.S. and Europe.
TRENDS IMPACTING THE TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
• Luxury Travel Is Being Redefined by Younger Generations – Luxury travel continues to see strong growth, with those aged 18–34 prioritising travel experiences and causing a paradigm shift in the sector. ILTM Cannes reported record attendance this year, with focus on “new luxury,” including a shift from luxury as a status symbol to a symbol of self-expression and meaning. Travel Weekly highlights luxury no longer being defined as indulgence but rather as artfulness.
• Silent Travel – Forbes’ Travel Trends Report 2025 identified “silent travel” as a top trend for the year ahead, as travellers seek journeys that provide an opportunity to truly disconnect from the noise of urban life. Byway Travel highlighted “quietcations” as a form of travel on the rise, with 2025 being the year that travellers begin to slow down, looking for holidays that give them a chance to reset and recharge from the busyness of daily life.
• Travellers Are Seeking Purposeful, Transformational
Holidays – Travellers are increasingly seeking out more purposeful, interactive experiences, including active learning opportunities, arts and cultural classes, and immersive education. People are prioritising impactful activities and engaging with local communities in a meaningful way, and they are willing to pay for these opportunities, with 79% of Millennials and Gen Zers stating that the quality of an experience is more important than the price.
• Wine & Spirits Travel Helping Fuel Immersive Tourism – Sommelier trade organisations note that wine tourism is flourishing as younger travellers seek immersive, educational, authentic and technology-enhanced experiences that blend cultural discovery, hands-on learning and sustainable exploration. Looking ahead, Future Market Insights predicts that the global wine tourism market is projected to grow from more than US$95 million in 2024 to more than US$332 million by 2034. Millennials are leading this growth across emerging and established wine destinations worldwide.
• Hotels Putting Destinations on the Map – Based on insights from Amadeus, “trailblazer hotels” are helping place lesser-known destinations on the map. For example, until Christian Louboutin opened his hotel, Vermelho, the town of Melides in Portugal was not well known amongst travellers. Gracing the cover of Travel + Leisure, the stunning new hotel drove demand for the destination. Small luxury hotels with unique stories can be significant tourism drivers and successful investments for hotel groups. The boutique hotel market is estimated to be valued at US$17.9 billion by 2032.
UK MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES AND SHIFTS
• Emma Beaumont has been appointed deputy hotels editor at The Telegraph.
• Anna van Praagh has been appointed acting editor at The Standard.
• Hannah Crosbie joins The Guardian as a wine critic.
• Callum Hoare has been promoted to head of news and brand for the Daily Express, Sunday Express and Express Online.
• Corin Ripley has been promoted to junior fashion editor at Good Housekeeping.
• Tim Hayward is set to become food writer at the Financial Times.
• Anna Bailey has been appointed digital content director at Woman & Home.
• This month, HELLO! Magazine announced the release of its travel issue, HELLO! World.
• The Guardian recently announced that it is officially selling The Observer to Tortoise Media, so potential shifts in editorial coverage may be on the horizon at the long-standing publication.
U.S. MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES AND SHIFTS
A number of media houses saw significant layoffs in December as the publishing world continues to downsize. This reinforces how critical our media relationship-building has become. We nurture these relationships so they stand the test of time. We become a valuable resource, working with these journalists as they take on freelance assignments or following them to their next outlet. It’s also why we don’t rely on working with only one editor at each outlet. We ensure we have multiple contacts to minimise the impact of these reductions on our work. In addition, we have developed a wide base of freelancers, giving us ample opportunities for ongoing storytelling. As the industry continues to evolve, it’s crucial that we look for alternative outlets and ways to tell our stories, and most importantly, that we remain flexible and are able to pivot our PR plans as necessary.
• Condé Nast, Hearst and DotDash Meredith announced layoffs, as well as Vox Media, which is reportedly shuttering the Thrillist brand after having laid off most of the publication’s newsroom.
• Google is no longer displaying Forbes Vetted content, and as such, Forbes is indefinitely pausing its work with freelancers. This update follows the recent shutdown of USA Today’s Reviewed platform, which was also significantly impacted by changes made to Google Search.
• Moriel Mizrahi Finder has been appointed editorial and social media assistant at ELLE.com.
• Leigh Gilmore has joined Bloomberg as the global head of Bloomberg Live Experiences where she will oversee the brand’s various events, including Bloomberg New Economy and Qatar Economic Forum.
WINE & SPIRITS SUGGESTED READING/LISTENING/WATCHING
• Bloomberg Pursuits’ Top Shelf newsletter features exclusive spirits news, reviews, event features, and wine and spirits tourism–related features.
• The Drinks Business recently announced the winners of the DB Green Awards for 2024, spotlighting beverage companies that are industry leaders in sustainability.
• UK publication The Spirits Business launched The American Pour, a new U.S.-focused newsletter with the latest breaking news, trends, interviews and more from the spirits industry. They also recently began releasing the World Spirits reports for 2024, with stories thus far published on American whiskey, Scotch whisky and vodka.
• For those seeking straightforward, important trade information, WineBusiness Monthly’s newsletter is amongst the gold standard of news aggregates.
• The “VinePair Podcast” provides a mix of lifestyle-friendly wine and booze topics, greater trend think pieces, and interviews with important people from across the industry.
• Sommelier André Mack has an interesting video series on Bon Appétit’s YouTube channel where he tries various wines, spirits and gadgets in an educational and fun way.
