As the year draws to a close, Amadeus has released its Travel Trends for 2025. This time, the travel tech giant has partnered with leading travel forecasting agency, Globetrender, to select five key trends “promising to reshape the travel landscape in the coming year.”
Speaking on this year’s predictions, Daniel Batchelor, Vice President, Global Corporate Marketing & Communications, Amadeus said:
“After a year where change has become the backdrop to daily life, travellers are seeking a deeper connection to people and places more than ever. We’ll see a blend of old favorites and new immersive experiences, with one‑of‑a‑kind stays putting destinations on the map. Asia is set for a tourism revival, while we are also seeing a rise in spontaneous solo travel, as people seek more off‑screen, authentic experiences.”
1. New Heydays: Following a year of change, Amadeus is predicting a “new wave of nostalgia.” This will see people select destinations based on iconic eras like the 90s and Roaring Twenties, and reliving their favourite past trips. We are already seeing culture reflect this trend with Gen Z embracing “vintage” digital cameras and re-releases flooding the cinema.
2. Personalised Flying: “Highly personalised, connected, and immersive experiences” are the characteristics shaping in-flight entertainment (IFE) in 2025. Despite many passengers using their own devices for entertainment, airlines are elevating the content they are offering travellers leveraging AI, 5G, and virtual reality, to do so.
3. Trailblazer Hotels: Travellers are booking their stays at places with a unique identity, that can offer them an experience. With hotels “increasingly becoming destinations in their own right” travellers are willing to go out of their way to stay at some awe-inspiring accommodations.
4. Asia Uplift: Travel in and out of Asia is anticipated to reach pre-2019 levels with China’s comeback. China, which was the “world’s most valuable source market for tourism globally in 2019) will be extending visa-free inbound travel until the end of 2025. Amadeus predicts Thailand will be the “most talked-about tourism destination of the year, with popular TV shows like White Lotus contributing to this title.
5. Connections IRL: From finding romance to making friends, Amadeus anticipates a shift away from online and towards in-person. Fuelled by digital burnout, the report predicts “a wave of group and solo adventures designed to spark genuine connections.”
This time last year, Amadeus released their 2024 predictions. Which of these came true?
1. Music tourism- Amadeus research has shown that music will continue to drive tourism in various regions next year – from Coldplay 2024 concert dates increasing searching volumes in Romania (91 per cent) and Greece (62 per cent), to Taylor Swift’s tour influencing booking patterns in the APAC region.
2. Agents of influence – The rise of tech enabling influencers using Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, for example, to share a booking link directly on their profile page and process payments is seeing influencers evolve from a powerful source of inspiration to facilitators of direct bookings.
3. Electric skyways – Next year is anticipated to be a big year for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. With German aircraft manufacturer Volocopter planning to provide a fleet of electric VoloCity eVTOL for the Paris Olympics in 2024 and Toff Mobility, the first electric air company in Asia, working towards debuting electric aircraft in 2024 in South Korea. Further green, electricity-based developments are also predicted, including a planned electric airline debut from Ecocity in the UK and hydrogen-electric engines for seaplanes in the Canary Islands.
4. Intelligent concierge – Developments in generative AI have dominated conversation across industries this year and in 2024 we can expect to see its value to the travel industry go from strength to strength. The technology is already influencing the way people search for travel, but Amadeus predicts, “the next generation of generative AI powered customer service will be delivered with greater patience and empathy.”
5. Business luxe-lite –Responding to a rise in passengers wanting premium travel without the full fan-fare, airlines have started unbundling business, making it more accessible. With many airlines already adapting fare options to cater to this desire, the trend is projected to continue into 2024.
If you’re feeling nostalgic:
- From picking a destination to where you sit on the plane, here’s how Amadeus sees travel changing in 2024
- Four trends to look out for in 2023
