As we jump into 2025, the year is expected to see an increase in travel demand and travel spending. According to the “Winter Edition” of MMGY’s Portrait of American Travelers® study, interest in international travel over the next six months is at its highest level since 2020. The survey also identified a significant increase in brand loyalty across all sectors – with airlines and hotels witnessing extensive growth in their loyalty programme memberships.
The impacts of climate change continue to be front and center as we witnessed unprecedented devastation this month with the Los Angeles wildfires. While specific areas of Los Angeles County have a long road to recovery ahead, Visit California is assuring travellers that California is open for business and Southern California is ready to welcome visitors to experience its iconic attractions and hospitality.
Following is a summary of the key global travel and hospitality trends that will shape the industry in 2025 as compiled by our teams in the UK, U.S. and Europe.
TRENDS IMPACTING THE TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
• Experiences Are the Hottest Commodity – Spending on experiences over things prevails. Skift Research’s new Global Travel Outlook 2025 indicates that travel is the most splurge-worthy discretionary purchase. The New York Times reported that auction houses are pivoting away from selling art to focus on niche experiences as they continue to be prioritised over products.
• Cruise Nightlife Expands With More Overnight Portings – An estimated 37.1 million cruise passengers are expected to set sail in 2025, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Condé Nast Traveler highlighted cruise nightlife as a growing trend as more lines add overnight port stays to their itineraries, allowing passengers to experience everything a destination offers long after the sun goes down.
• Dry Tripping Year-Round – Sober tourism isn’t just for Dry January anymore. Forbes reports that sober travel is no longer a niche offering but has become a hospitality industry standard.
• Solo Female Travel Is Booming – A number of reports show that demand for female solo adventures is growing, leading some companies to shift their focus towards inclusivity and safety to attract this audience. The Adventure Travel Trade Association revealed that more than half of those booking adventure travel are women.
• Rail Travel Celebrations – This year marks the 200th anniversary of passenger train travel, with many companies seizing the anniversary to promote rail journeys. Wanderlust highlights the best new rail routes for 2025.
• All Inclusives Attracting New Audience – Hotels.com has revealed that all-inclusive resorts are attracting Gen Zers who are looking for stress-free stays and a good deal. One-third of Gen Z travellers said their perception of all-inclusive hotels had improved, with 42% saying an all-inclusive resort would be their preferred hotel type.
UK MEDIA SHIFTS
• The Times has changed its domain from thetimes.co.uk to thetimes.com, reflecting its position within the global media landscape and vision to expand. The news comes ahead of the newspaper launching its own travel agency in the spring and creating a new Culture section online, among other changes.
• City A.M. has ended its Monday print edition, reducing its schedule to three days per week, citing a heavier focus on video and audio journalism.
• Toby Skinner has announced that he will step down as features director at Condé Nast Traveller to become a contributing editor while exploring other projects.
• Jack Lefley has left his role as managing editor at The London Standard (previously Evening Standard) and is now editor in chief at PA Media, where he plans to accelerate the news agency’s digital transformation.
• With a career spanning 20 years at olive and Good Food magazines, Christine Hayes has left her role as editor at large to go freelance.
• Publisher and editor Laura Bartlett, who founded House of Coco 10 years ago, has sold the magazine and left to pursue other projects. No details have been shared yet regarding the new ownership.
• Wanderlust magazine has seen some changes at the start of the year, with Jessica Reid leaving her role as digital editor and Dianne Apen-Sadler taking on the position.
U.S. MEDIA SHIFTS
• Dotdash Meredith laid off 143 staff members in January. Additionally, TimeOut is expected to announce layoffs soon. With major publishing houses continuing to downsize and the media landscape evolving, it’s essential for PR teams to remain nimble and build trustworthy relationships.
• The New York Times celebrated 20 years of “Places to Go” by examining how travel – and the list – have changed over the past two decades. The destinations included in “52 Places to Go in 2025” show that trends such as set-jetting, literary travel and detour destinations aren’t going anywhere.
• Travel and lifestyle magazine Fifty Grande has shuttered, although the website will remain for its audience to revisit past published articles.
• Good Housekeeping is revamping its annual Family Travel Awards for 2026. It will expand beyond family travel to include categories such as couples, solo and wellness travel.
• Following restructuring at Eat This, Not That!, Alexa Mellardo is moving to freelance writing full time. She will be focusing on travel, commerce, wellness, fitness, food & beverage, first-person experience pieces, lifestyle, fashion/beauty and more.
• InsideHook is launching a new weekly series called “Up and Comers,” where the next wave of creatives in the worlds of food, tech, drinks, fashion, culture, travel, sports and health, among others, will be profiled.
