Robin Gilbert-Jones

The future of travel is unfolding now; you just need the right data and insights to see it. The State of Travel report is your essential guide to understanding the trends shaping our industry and staying ahead of the modern traveler as a company, association, or destination.

As growth slows, hotels are embracing experience, innovation, and agility to navigate a cautious, yet resilient, travel landscape in 2025

Social media is no longer just inspiring travel, it’s where trips are being researched, priced, and booked. As platforms evolve into powerful sales channels, creators are becoming the new travel agents, short-form video is replacing static ads, and the booking journey is evolving into a low-friction social interaction.

Recession alarm bells are going off. A global downturn isn't our base case, but it's still worth reviewing how the travel industry might perform in a worst-case scenario. Even in a turbulent market, travel won't stop — it will shift.

The ongoing live tourism boom provides compelling opportunities for hotels to maximize revenue by boosting average daily rates, extending stays, increasing guest volumes, and building long-term growth and loyalty.

Luxury travel is evolving to encompass multiple experiential aspects of travel. In order to best capitalize on high demand and supply gaps, luxury hotels can differentiate themselves by broadening their offerings and embracing lucrative emerging experiential trends.

If 2023 was the year of revenge travel, and 2024 of normalization, what will 2025 bring? Likely a slow and steady baseline of growth amid divergence, challenges, and change.

The push for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) adoption is an unparalleled challenge for the aviation industry. While some interventions can help to overcome these hurdles, many uncertainties remain. The industry and regulators must be realistic and not rely on SAF as a panacea for decarbonization.

The tours and experiences space is rapidly evolving in an altered post-COVID-19 market, driven by desires for authenticity, immersion, and “experiencing like a local”. Not only is this a major opportunity for tour operators and travel agents, but experiences also drive extension of trips, presenting opportunities for the accommodation and other travel sub-sectors as well.

Wellness tourism is on the rise as travelers increasingly prioritize mental and physical well-being. By focusing on personalized experiences, sustainable practices, and innovative wellness offerings, businesses across the travel value chain, from hotels to investors, can capitalize on this lucrative opportunity.

Regenerative tourism represents an opportunity for the industry to respond to clear market demand and develop new approaches to sustainability and innovative business models. But it suffers from a lack of defined methodologies and demonstrable impact.

Our biggest report of the year with 350+ insights. Understand the consumer, business, and investment trends defining the state of travel in 2024. Our goal was to create a chart for any major travel question you may have.