Spring is finally here, and travel trends suggest a renewed focus on personalised experiences with heavy assistance from AI. Gen Zers continue to drive demand for increased flexibility and sustainability across their business and personal travel. Zoomers will also unleash an increased appetite for spending, while travellers across all generations book music-fuelled getaways, cowboy-inspired trips, outdoor escapes and viral epicurean adventures. Also of note for the U.S., 69% of international travellers have shared that the current Trump administration policies won’t affect their travel plans to the country, according to the latest Wanderlust Reader Survey.
Across the UK, Europe and the U.S., emerging trends – from the rise of AI to the appeal of offbeat destinations – are increasingly shaping travellers’ itineraries, furthering the need for personalised, distinct holidays that are anything but average. The following is a summary of travel and hospitality trends and industry shifts that our global PR teams have compiled from recent media feedback, industry conferences, articles and webinars:
TRENDS IMPACTING THE TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
• Personalised and Flexible Travel: Gen Zers’ influence on the workforce is driving demand for more personalised and flexible business travel experiences. In 2025, Gen Zers will make up more than a quarter of the global workforce, driving a shift in business travel toward flexibility, sustainability and meaningful experiences. New-gen frequent flyers are seeking more control and customisation, leading them to tap into AI to assist in business travel planning, according to Amadeus. AI is also playing a larger role in travel planning overall, with platforms like Booking.com and Tripadvisor now offering virtual travel assistants. AI can provide suggestions and personalise the planning process by offering itinerary recommendations, finding deals and more.
• Gen Z Is Splurging: Bread Financial released insights about spring break travel that show Gen Zers are leading in spending, as well as splurging on extras. Twenty percent of respondents from this generation say they are willing to spend on the best experiences (the highest of all generations), with 37% staying at resorts and 37% booking spa experiences. The company found that Gen Z travellers are also 2.6 times more likely to pay for extras such as city tours or language classes, 38% will travel internationally, and 60% will fly to their destinations. They’re even doing some major pre-trip spending: 97% are prepping for their getaways by shopping, be it for clothes (63%), footwear (44%), beauty products (46%) or jewellery (30%).
• Spring Adventures: Travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth surveyed more than 8,000 travellers about their spring break plans, finding that more than 60% of respondents are “seeking adventure.” This is a significant increase from last year, when just 42% of travellers cited adventure as their primary trip goal. Squaremouth also found that sales of adventure travel insurance policies have increased 18% compared to 2024, with top activities ranging from hiking/trekking to going on safari, snorkelling, scuba diving and horse riding. Music is also driving the rhythm of travel this spring according to Airbnb, with Eurovision host city Basel, Switzerland, and country-music capital Nashville emerging as the most-searched-for destinations.
• Cowboy Core: The rising popularity of cowboy culture is driving interest in Southern states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana this spring among 29% of campers, 33% of Gen Zers and 34% of Millennials, according to TravelAge West. Another 29% of campers are heading to Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina to take part in the lifestyle.
• Taste Hunting: Eating habits are shifting gears, moving beyond fine dining into a social media–fuelled treasure hunt. We have seen this happening for some time now in the U.S., and other global markets are following suit. While most UK travellers (69%) agree that food is an important factor in choosing their travel destination, the trend is evolving, and travel planners are now crafting entire itineraries around viral dishes and local specialities – transforming everyday meals into shareable epicurean adventures.
• Wander Woman: The global travel industry is increasingly catering to female travellers – and more women than ever are on the move. A recent study commissioned by Condor Ferries found that 64% of travellers worldwide are female, while only 36% are male. And many of them are setting out alone. According to a recent study by Virtuoso and Globetrender, 71% of their solo travel clients are women.
UK MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES AND SHIFTS
• Becky Donaldson has been promoted from features director to lifestyle director at HELLO! Magazine and managing editor at HELLO! Luxe.
• Harriet Charnock-Bates moved from HELLO! Magazine to The Telegraph, taking on the role of acting senior content editor for hotels.
• Wanda Sachs has been appointed daily writer at House Beautiful and Country Living.
• DailyMail.com has launched its subscriber-based content platform DailyMail+ in the U.S. and Canada.
• The latest set of ABC figures (January–December 2024) for consumer titles were recently released. Key findings include:
- Women’s interest titles, including Grazia, Women’s Health, HELLO! Fashion, ELLE, Red, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Closer, Good Housekeeping and Prima, are showing positive growth.
- Other titles also show positive growth in circulation, with the most notable example being The Red Bulletin (+107%), National Geographic Traveller (+21%), ELLE Decoration (15%) and Wanderlust (11%).
- A few publications, such as Tesco magazine and WI Life, appear to have maintained steady circulation numbers and show no change (0% growth).
GERMAN MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES AND SHIFTS
• New women’s and family lifestyle magazine Glow will be launching in June. The magazine, with a circulation of 100,000 and available free of charge in select medical practices and fitness clubs across Germany, will focus on health, well-being, beauty and travel.
• The founder and long-term editor in chief of the luxury lifestyle supplement Icon, which is disseminated with one of Germany‘s leading national Sunday newspapers Welt am Sonntag, has left Axel Springer publishing house after 44 years of service.
• Austrian publishing house Deluxe, of the glossy regional lifestyle publications Vienna Deluxe, Munich Deluxe and Switzerland Deluxe, has partnered with Menzies International to extend its exclusive distribution channels. The bilingual magazines are now also available in VIP Pearl Lounges in Sweden, Denmark, Italy, South Africa and other countries, reaching 1.8 million VIP passengers annually.
• The editor in chief of Germany‘s leading digital MICE magazine, tw Tagungswirtschaft, will leave dfv publishing house. Her successor has not yet been announced.
• Editor in chief of German MICE magazine Convention International has split with HWG publishing house, taking the magazine brand with her. She will relaunch Convention International in the summer, creating a digital issue and newsletter while letting go of the former print format.
U.S. MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES AND SHIFTS
• Disney to lay off 200 employees across the ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks unit, including “Good Morning America,” “20/20” and ABC News, according to WSJ. The shows “20/20” and “Nightline” are consolidating into one unit, resulting in job cuts, while all three hours of “Good Morning America” branded shows will be consolidated under one producer.
• Following mass layoffs, the majority of Outside magazine’s editorial team has resigned in an open letter to CEO Robin Thurston on LinkedIn.
• Ruthanne Terrero is leaving Questex. She will be starting her own consulting business focused on luxury travel content development and speaking, as well as creating travel agent advisory boards for luxury travel suppliers.
• Rosa Heyman is now editor in chief at Yahoo News. She was previously executive director of content and brand strategy for the Fashion and Luxury Group at Hearst Magazines.
• Brooke Minters, who previously worked at The Verge, is now an executive producer for podcast video at The New York Times.
• Suzanne Spector is now deputy editor at The New York Times.
• Will Swarts is now the senior editor at Inc. magazine.
• Kristen Fiore is now the culture editor at Denver Westword.
