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Horizons 2024-2025

2025 Planning Trends

Travellers are using different tools to inspire their decision-making

Destination choice

Cost factors

We asked travellers which cost factors will determine their 2025 destination choices. 60% said the cost of the flight is the biggest factor, followed by the hotel. Food and drink ranked third.

The price of tourist attractions and favourable currency exchange rates are more influential factors for travellers from Singapore, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 

Other factors affecting destination choice globally are:

62%
Food
61%
Weather
54%
Natural landscape
52%
Culture
47%
Attractions

of 35-44-year-olds say flight costs are the biggest factor in choosing a destination

Sources of travel inspiration

Social media is a favourite tool of travellers from Singapore (69%), India (68%), the UAE (75%), Saudi Arabia (71%) and Brazil (68%). 

Word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family are the most important for Brazilian (55%), Australian (53%), Canadian (53%) and Singaporean (50%) travellers.  

'Indian and UAE travellers are fans of picking up inspiration from newspapers and magazines, but are less interested in guidebooks – they're preferred by the French, Spanish and Japanese. Indian, South Korean and UAE travellers like getting their inspo from film and TV shows.  

The top five sources of travel inspiration globally are:

48%
Social media
44%
Word-of-mouth recommendations
35%
Online media
34%
Guidebooks
33%
Film and TV

More than half of under 55s feel confident using AI, compared to just 24% aged 55+

AI adoption

Planning trips can often be stressful and complicated. That’s why nearly half (47%) of those surveyed say they feel confident using AI to help them plan and book travel, with 18% feeling very confident. The most assured are from India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Brazil. The least confident travellers are from the UK, Japan, Australia and France. 

Plenty of apprehension exists around using AI. Nearly a third of travellers (29%) won’t use any AI tools in 2025, with the least likely from the UK, Netherlands, Japan, Australia and the USA. The most likely to use AI – from conducting destination research to booking travel – are from Singapore, India, South Korea, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Brazil.

The top three ways travellers use AI are to:

35%
Research destinations
32%
Compare flight or hotel prices and options
30%
Create a travel itinerary
Profile-Piero

"We’re entering a new era of travel search. Rapid developments in generative AI, travel retailing and social shopping are changing how travellers find inspiration and compare flight, hotel and car hire options. 

"Travellers’ opportunities, challenges and the need for information are evolving and so we’re building the next generation of search tools to help guide travellers from dreaming about their destination to making it a reality."

Piero Sierra,
Chief Product Officer, Skyscanner

Attitudes towards over-tourism and impact

We asked travellers how they would change the way they travel in the future. A quarter (26%) said they would consider less touristy destinations and another 26% would try to make a positive impact on the places they go. Only 14% said they would consider flying less.

South Korean, Saudi Arabian and French travellers are especially interested in visiting quieter, less busy destinations. While Indian, Saudi Arabian and UAE travellers are the most inclined to make a positive contribution to the destinations they visit.

Brazilian and Japanese travellers are the least interested in flying less, while 20% of German, 21% of Saudi Arabian and 19% of French travellers would consider fewer flights in the future. 

There are a few barriers, however, when it comes to travellers choosing lesser-known destinations. Safety concerns (50%), understanding where to go (32%) and having confidence there would be enough to do (30%) are the top three concerns.

Travellers from the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands are the least concerned about visiting under-touristed destinations, finding them less of a challenge.

Profile-Martin

"2025 sees travellers make far more conscious decisions about how their travel behaviours impact their lives and the lives of others. This trend will only continue to grow. Over a quarter of people surveyed for this report told us their travel will change in the future, seeking to visit less touristed areas or to ensure they make a more positive impact on the communities they visit."

Martin Nolan,
Chief Legal Officer and Skyscanner Sustainability Expert

Explore the report

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2025 Planning Trends

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See which factors are impacting destination choice, where travellers are getting their trip inspiration and attitudes towards over-tourism and impact.

 

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EMEA Travel Trends

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Find out the most popular and fastest trending destinations for travellers from EMEA in 2025.

 

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AMER Travel Trends

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Find out the most popular and fastest trending destinations for travellers from the Americas in 2025.

 

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APAC Travel Trends

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Find out the most popular and fastest trending destinations for travellers from Asia-Pacific in 2025.

 

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Explore the report

2025 spending trends-Thumb

2025 Spending Trends

Discover how people’s 2025 travel plans compare with 2024, including how much they’re planning to get away and their budgets for flights, accommodation and car rental.

EMEA travel trends-Thumb

EMEA Travel Trends

Find out the most popular destinations and the fastest trending destinations for 2025 as searched for by travellers from across EMEA.

AMER travel trends-Thumb

AMER Travel Trends

Find out the most popular destinations and the fastest trending destinations for 2025 as searched for by travellers from across the Americas.

APAC travel trends_Thumb

APAC Travel Trends

Find out the most popular destinations and the fastest trending destinations for 2025 as searched for by travellers from across Asia-Pacific.

Rectangle 5

2025 Search Trends

Find out the most popular destinations and the fastest trending destinations for 2025 as searched for by travellers from across the Americas.

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