Nostalgia, personalization, destination hotels, the rise of Asian tourism and real-world connections will redefine global travel.
Amadeus, the travel technology leader, today released its highly anticipated annual trends, which provide insight into the future of global travel.
In partnership with travel trend forecasting agency Globetrender and leveraging proprietary Amadeus and other industry data, the report Amadeus 2025 Travel Trends highlights five key trends that promise to reshape the travel landscape in the year ahead:
- Memories Renewed : Bored with too many changes, travelers yearn for simpler, happier vacations, motivated by past experiences and a phenomenon known as “rosy retrospection.”
- Personalized Flights : Advances in AI, 5G mobile connectivity and virtual reality (VR) will converge to create highly personalized, connected and immersive experiences for air passengers.
- Pioneer Hotels : hotels are increasingly becoming destinations in their own right, with travelers planning their trip around iconic, “business card” establishments with a unique identity.
- Rise of Asia : Asia is preparing for a travel revival, to reclaim its position as a key player in the global tourism sector.
- Real Links : As online dating becomes saturated, travel will become a new way to form real-world relationships, whether they’re vacation romances or lasting friendships.
Memories Renewed
Nostalgia fuels the rise of “Renewed Memories,” where the past takes center stage. From the return of ’90s movies and CDs to Gen Z’s infatuation with digital cameras, culture is embracing retro everywhere we look. In travel, adults are looking to relive gap years, faraway honeymoons and childhood dreams — for example, Airbnb listed a Polly Pocket-inspired rental — and American travelers are returning to Miami in droves , a hot spot from the “Miami Vice” days.
As millennials enter middle age, we will see the renaissance of caravan and camping holidays. Eurocamp is seeing a considerable increase in bookings, and 2024 is shaping up to be the best year in five decades. In the United States, adult summer camps are also booming, with Club Getaway reporting a 9% jump in revenue from its adult segments in 2024 compared to 2023.
Personalized Flights
In 2025, personalization will be the norm in air travel, combining intelligent technologies with personalized on-board experiences. Although many passengers use their own devices, airlines are going a step further by combining algorithmic entertainment with hyper-personalized in-flight systems that deliver new media content – from movies and TV series to advertisements and shopping items. – tailored to each passenger, based on their historical preferences [en tant que membre d’un programme de fidélisation].
With high-speed Wi-Fi from providers like SpaceX’s Starlink, passengers can access their favorite content mid-flight as easily as they would at home. Airlines will also increasingly lend VR headsets to passengers in first and business class – in 2024, the start-up Beond, a high-end airline, began distributing Apple Vision Pros to people taking its line to the Maldives.
Hotels Pioneers
In 2025, hotels will make headlines by increasingly becoming destinations in their own right – immersing guests in the local culture, history and natural beauty of their surroundings. For example, guests will be seduced by the charm of the restored Mozambican Dhows at Jannah Lamu in Kenya or will look at the ancient charm of the Maryhill Estate in Sweden.
While many pioneering hotels are independent establishments, some belong to larger chains. Reverb Hamburg, a Hard Rock establishment, opened in a World War II bunker; Bunkhouse Hotels in the United States, known for creating uniquely memorable experiences, has locations in Texas, California and Kentucky; while Marriott International’s Edition Lake Como, located in a 19th-century Italian mansion, will open its doors in 2025. Major hotel groups are also adapting, launching elegant hotel collections such as the Handwritten Collection by Marriott International. ‘Accor, which should have more than 17 hotels worldwide by 2025.
Rise of Asia
After years of restrictions, travelers are eager to rediscover Asia’s cultural treasures. China opens its doors to millions by expanding visa waivers, while Thailand offers new visas for digital nomads and an expanded visa waiver program for 93 countries, aimed at attracting an international audience.
Pop culture is also generating interest, with the next season of The White Lotus set in Thailand, the second season of Squid Game expected to boost travel to South Korea, and renewed curiosity about Japanese history inspired by the Shōgun television series. Iberia recently launched direct flights between Madrid and Tokyo, making it easier than ever for travelers to explore Japan.
Over the next 15 years, IATA predicts that Asia will see the largest increase in passengers and will contribute more than half of the net increase in passengers worldwide by 2043. Data from Amadeus reflects this dynamic: travel from Chengdu, China, jumped 66% to 35.2 million passengers between 2016 and 2023, while Guangzhou grew by 20%. Delhi also saw a 31% increase, with over 30 million outbound passengers in 2023.
Real Links
Faced with digital saturation, travelers close their apps and open their passports, using travel to make new friends and even find love. According to Amadeus booking data, solo travel soared 15.6% in 2023 from the previous year, with a further rise of 9.2% so far in 2024.
The 2025 Trends Report predicts a wave of group and solo adventures designed to create authentic connections. From G Adventures’ “Solo-ish” trips to combat loneliness, to TimeLeft, a traveler app that lets you meet five strangers for dinner every Wednesday in over 60 countries. Festival tourism is also on the rise, with World Pride 2025 bringing members of the LGBTQ+ community to Washington DC.
To learn more, visit www.amadeus.com/traveltrends.
Text provided by Amadeus France.
