Trend forecasters, tour operators and other travel industry oracles have been conducting surveys, crunching numbers and peering into crystal balls for months. Here are five predictions of where we鈥檙e heading in the year to come.
鈥淣ot hot鈥 destinations
Last year marked the full rebound of global tourism to pre-pandemic levels. It seems like no coincidence that we also saw a backlash: tourists were blamed for bad behaviour, housing shortages and other grievances in some of the most popular cities. Gion, Kyoto鈥檚 geisha district, from its Instagrammable alleyways over their paparazzi-like antics, while thousands of Barcelonians took to the streets in , brandishing signs like 鈥淭ourist go home! Expats too!鈥
For tourism to be sustainable, we can鈥檛 all descend on the same places at once, but it鈥檚 estimated that 80 per cent of travellers visit just 10 per cent of the world鈥檚 tourist destinations. This has inspired the small-group tour operator Intrepid to release an annual 鈥,鈥 to encourage 鈥渢ourist dispersal.鈥 The list features 10 unsung destinations that want more visitors (and have the infrastructure to welcome them).
Created with the forecasting agency Globetrender, Intrepid鈥檚 鈥淣ot Hot List鈥 for 2025 includes , Greenland, where you can go iceberg and whale watching 鈥 the whole territory is now more accessible, thanks to the in the capital. The not-hot destination closest to 海角社区官网is the of upstate New York, described as a 鈥渇orgotten great wilderness,鈥 despite being bigger than the Grand Canyon.
Intrepid also highlights the remote of Pakistan, home to multiple mountain ranges for adventurous climbers. Pakistan is on tour operator G Adventures鈥 Where to Travel list for 2025, too 鈥 the company will launch its , bringing travellers to communities that haven鈥檛 previously benefited from tourism.
Romance of the rails
Riding on its reputation as a lower-carbon alternative to flying, train travel has been picking up momentum. This is especially true in Europe, where multiple have launched in recent years. In 2025, we鈥檒l see more new trains 鈥 not just green but also glam. Luxury sleepers will bring back a sense of retro romance to the rails, complete with stylish interiors, menus by top chefs and even day excursions.
Slated to arrive in April, will link some of Italy鈥檚 most sought-after destinations 鈥 Rome, Venice, Portofino 鈥 in eight itineraries. The train will also transport guests to the golden age of Italian design circa the 鈥60s, with its smoked antique mirrors, golden accents and lacquered ceiling.
Belmond鈥檚 Britannic Explorer, a country retreat on wheels, will launch this summer.
BelmondBeginning in July, , a Belmond train, promises to be an elegant country retreat on wheels, running from London to Cornwall, the Lake District and Wales. Belmond鈥檚 other new train, the art deco , debuted last June and will launch a Paris-to-Tuscany route this year.
But for rail enthusiasts, the ultimate trip might be Railbookers鈥 鈥溾 itinerary: a 59-day journey across a dozen countries on four continents aboard seven opulent trains (including the aforementioned La Dolce Vita).
As seen on screens
Call it set-jetting, pop-culture tourism or a location vacation, but the trend of travelling to the real-life backdrops of TV shows and movies is still going strong. According to Expedia Group鈥檚 2025 trend report, 66 per cent of travellers say their trip choices have been influenced by what they saw on the small or silver screen.聽
That鈥檚 one big reason Thailand, named Travel and Leisure鈥檚 鈥淒estination of the Year 2025,鈥 has main-character energy: Season 3 of 鈥淭he White Lotus鈥 was filmed at the . Not to miss a moment in the limelight, the hotel company has plans to roll out show-inspired events, from dining to wellness, at its properties worldwide.
Season 3 of 鈥淭he White Lotus鈥 was filmed at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui.
Four Seasons Resort Koh SamuiOther fictional worlds poised to inspire travel plans include 鈥淧addington in Peru,鈥 wherein the lovable bear sets off on a high-stakes quest in the Amazon. And 鈥淥utlander鈥 is putting Scotland in the spotlight again 鈥 the historical drama is the country鈥檚 鈥 as fans await the final season.
Longevity is the new wellness
In the 1970s, when Canyon Ranch was founded, health vacations took place at what were colloquially called 鈥渇at farms.鈥 Today, that cringe-y term isn鈥檛 the only thing that鈥檚 pass茅: modern retreats are less about shedding pounds and more about the zeitgeisty (and lucrative) wellness trend of the moment: longevity.
According to ’s travel predictions research for 2025, 54 per cent of Canadian travellers surveyed were interested in a longevity retreat. Similarly, Globetrender coined the phrase “silver bullet wellness” to encompass the trend of hyper-specific cures and personal optimization.
In November, Canyon Ranch鈥檚 Tucson resort launched a four-day program called , during which guests take more than a dozen health diagnostic tests and meet one-on-one with an entourage of doctors and other experts, in between activities like canyon walks, pickleball classes or intuitive archery.
The Andaz Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica hosts聽Blue Zones retreats, where travellers can learn the secrets of centenarians.
Andres Garcia Lachner / Andaz Peninsula PapagayoSix Senses Ibiza is home to , a longevity club that promises to help 鈥渞everse your biological age鈥 with workouts, bespoke nutrient infusions and biohacking. Those eager to learn the secrets of centenarians can nerd out on research at an , offered at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica and Kamalaya Koh Samui in Thailand. Soon, you鈥檒l even be able to check into a longevity hotel: . The first location is set to open in Los Angeles this year.
Adventures for women only
At last year鈥檚 conference for Virtuoso, a global network of 20,000 travel advisors, 鈥渨ander women鈥 was called out as one of the key trends for 2025. In fact, women make up 71 per cent of the network鈥檚 solo traveller clients.
鈥淪olo鈥 doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean going absolutely alone, however: by popular demand, multiple companies have recently launched or expanded their roster of small-group tours for women travellers.
Butterfield & Robinson is debuting , for example, including a biking trip through Cambodia and Vietnam. Backroads began offering 聽in 2024, but it鈥檚 already adding more this year; there are now 43 walking and hiking trip options, covering places like the Camino de Santiago (from Portugal to Spain), the Swiss Alps and Nepal.
Intrepid is just one of the small-group tour companies noting growing demand for women鈥檚 expeditions.
IntrepidTrips led by women, and exclusively for women, were also highlighted as a 2025 trend by Intrepid, which saw year-over-year sales of its jump by 37 per cent in 2024. These tours are developed to offer cultural insights into the lives of the local women in destinations like Turkey,聽Morocco and Jordan.
Demand for is also up at Intrepid鈥檚 sister company Wildland Trekking, which doubled its number of such trips for 2025. The additions include a classic Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu, and a basecamp-style backcountry trip to Alaska鈥檚 wild coast.
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