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As travel continues its strong rebound, 2025 promises to be an exceptional year for tourism. According to various surveys, more than half of Americans plan to travel more this year and anticipate increasing their travel spending.
Please note: While the statistics in this article are based on North American data, they are representative of the overall trend.
Our own Zeta Data supports this: Online content consumption for travel has increased 62% compared to last year, with the largest change among ages 26-32.
To better understand traveler intentions, we surveyed nearly 4,000 individuals across the United States about their upcoming travel plans. The survey revealed a clear preference among consumers for beach vacations and ways to travel more, for less.
Brands that recognise and respond to these evolving travel preferences can successfully attract eager travelers and thrive in this booming tourism landscape.
In this article, we’ll outline the key findings from the survey of the top travel trends and provide tips for travel marketers in integrating this information into your campaigns.
But first, here’s a quick view of what we learned:
Now let’s dive deeper into each of the key findings.
P.S. You can also use the table of contents links at left to jump to the section you’re most interested in!
In our survey, beach vacations emerged as the clear leader, with one-third of travellers indicating they prefer coastal destinations over cities, mountains, or countryside retreats.
Beaches consistently topped traveller preferences throughout the year, dominating almost every month except for November and December, when interest shifts slightly toward other destination types. Zeta Data also shows that interest in beach travel is 1.22x greater than interest in mountain travel, with both destinations over-indexing with higher income individuals and ages 55-75.
Seasonal variations in traveler interests highlight additional nuances:
A recent IMG report shows that 42% of travellers prioritise beach vacations, validating our results. But where things differ was in cities; where nearly half of respondents in that survey were looking to urban tourism.
Similarly, TrovaTrip’s data analysis of global travellers also places beach destinations, such as Costa Rica and Bali, among the top choices for 2025, underscoring a broad trend toward relaxing, scenic, and rejuvenating warm-weather coastal experiences.
Travellers in 2025 are increasingly eager to explore diverse destinations, both internationally and domestically. Nearly 60% of respondents were planning trips outside of North America, a significant increase from prior years.
Several trends may be impacting this rise:
Skift Research similarly found that consumers’ intention to travel internationally is rising rapidly compared to last year, with 72% of people looking to travel abroad this year. And Zeta Data also shows a 160% year-over-year increase in online interest in international travel, especially for higher income individuals and those ages 18-35.
Domestically, classic North American destinations continue to draw interest, including National Parks, Florida beaches, and urban locations like New York City.
Group travel, especially with family and friends, is notable in 2025. Over 40% of travellers in our survey were planning romantic or family trips. An additional 21% intended to vacation with friends, underscoring the ongoing popularity of shared travel experiences. This stayed consistent across all destinations.
A survey by Squaremouth found similar results: 47% of travelers were interested in multigenerational or family trips, a 17% increase from 2024, and another 20% planned to travel with friends.
Travel brands can capitalise on these trends by offering flexible, customisable packages that cater specifically to group dynamics and varying preferences.
The inverse here is the increasing interest in solo travel and digital nomad experiences. Our survey showed 17% of travelers planning a solo trip, and another 10% investing in a “digital nomad life.”
Considering that nearly 14% of people in the U.S. work remotely, up from 4.5% in 2014, the continual rise in a nomadic life makes sense. It’s now more possible than ever to see the world.
Travelers in 2025 are keenly focused on maximising value from their vacations. One-third of respondents highlighted the appeal of “bundle and save” deals, closely followed by the importance of flexible travel booking options.
Interestingly, survey findings indicated that travelers place a higher value on flexibility than on traditional loyalty or rewards programs. Zeta’s proprietary data tools confirm this, with online interest in “vacation packages and deals” showing as 2.25X as popular as interest in travel rewards.
This makes sense considering the other findings:
This survey all comes back to one point: Travel brands can effectively respond to these preferences by designing travel bundle deals that provide substantial cost savings while allowing for changes without severe penalties or restrictions, enabling consumers to book with confidence and ease.
Now that you understand the survey findings and the trends for 2025, let’s talk about top travel marketing strategies.
Perhaps it’s a carryover from the pandemic, but travellers, more than ever, want flexibility. They want to be able to seamlessly cancel or postpone a trip should their situation change. And they expect to do this without fees, hassle, or lost money.
This is a simple thing for travel brands to adopt. Look at your change or cancel policies and consider whether they build trust with travellers, or if they create unnecessary hassle.
Then you need to clearly communicate these policies, emphasising traveller-friendly terms like easy cancellation, refunds, or changes. But it’s not just enough to communicate, you need to follow through and actually make the change or cancel process simple. Here are a few common examples:
As we’ll discuss next, savings will help attract and retain travellers too, but being known for your traveler-centric policies will help your brand last for the long term.
Bundles are a simple concept but can be quite powerful. For travellers, bundles make things easier, which can make a trip less complicated or stressful, which is especially important for families and groups. For brands, bundles help increase cart sizes, which ultimately means revenue.
Here are a few examples of bundles:
But there’s a right and wrong way to approach bundles. The main thing is that many consumers will perceive bundles to be less flexible than booking things individually. And often they are; you need to build your bundles where one change will trigger changes with the rest of the items in a bundle.
Consumers also are sensitive to being nickel-and-dimed, and are tired of perceived deals, as airlines have done in recent years. The key is to be forthcoming with what travellers are getting, and what they will need to pay extra for. An example here is the basic economy seats on many airlines, where you pay a little less, but lose any flexibility or perks. For some, this is a reasonable trade-off. Many airlines have tried to counteract the negative perception by also offering bundles with upgrades: For one extra fee you get priority boarding, upgraded seats, and a drink, for example, which comes at a discount as compared to selecting those options individually.
The key with bundles is to focus your messaging on the savings and the convenience, and don’t forget your clear language reflecting flexibility. You must be entirely transparent with your bundles and make it obvious what (if anything) the traveller is saving by bundling.
Hot idea: 75% of travellers would prefer to subscribe to one service that bundles everything. And 58% of people who travel just three times a year would consider a travel subscription service. But few brands are doing this. Consider forming distribution alliances with OTAs or directly with partners to offer a subscription model.
Solo travel is popular among 17% of respondents. And often they have a certain type of trip in mind. They have maximum flexibility and may make unconventional choices in planning their individual getaways. They may be swayed by bundles, marketing of new destinations, off-peak deals, and more.
But group travel, including family and friends, accounts for 46% of respondents. This could mean a family trip to Disney World, or a group vacation to a Caribbean island.
Every traveller has unique needs, preferences, and expectations. Even within groups, there is stark variety. Your requirement as a travel brand is to meet your customers where they are, and market to them with bundle and save deals, trip inspiration, and upgrades that appeal to their individual behaviors.
This also applies to the experience that travelers want to have. Some, especially younger generations, are seeking unique opportunities to explore hidden gems and interact closely with local people and culture, not just see it from afar. Tailor your offerings to individual preferences, leveraging data insights to recommend personalised experiences, exclusive offers, or unique local attractions that resonate with travelers.
Sending generic or broad-appeal messages won’t elicit the outcomes you need. Using modern technology, like Zeta, you can understand the unique characteristics of your travellers and send them offers that will convert.
Travel has inherent risks, especially in some regions. And in early 2025, several highly visible plane crashes have made travellers feel concerned about the safety of air travel.
In February 2025, a poll found that 64% of U.S. adults think air travel is very or somewhat safe, down from 71% in January 2024. And about 20% say air transportation is very or somewhat unsafe, up from 12% in 2024.
Curious whether air travel is actually less safe? Read this next.
For travel brands, it isn’t about making guarantees, but of showcasing your commitment to a safe and comfortable trip. Whether it’s security protocols, staff training, or emergency management, don’t shy away from these conversations.
And consider that safety may impact travellers’ decisions to travel. For example, many people cite safety and lack of familiarity as concerns that inhibit them from booking international trips. Education and safety awareness could be important tactics to address these opportunities. And this is also where promoting bundles can help, like transportation. These are all things that can help the traveller feel more confident in their booking and your brand.
Travel is booming in 2025, especially for international trips. But that doesn’t mean travel marketers can coast. You need to:
Understanding and addressing evolving consumer preferences is critical for travel brands. The Hawaii Visitation and Convention Bureau (HVCB) recently upgraded their pre-trip planning emails to include bundle offers, provide education to enhance familiarity, build trust, and create excitement, and encourage app downloads. Learn more about their efforts.
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