As the cost of living slowly eases, consumers are starting to prioritise travel in a big way, with 2025 forecast to be a very exciting year for the luxury travel industry. But what will clients be looking for? And what will they expect from their chosen travel company? 

To break down the changing expectations of luxury travellers and ensure you continue to deliver standout experiences that keep clients coming back, we gathered three experts: Lottie Namakando, Director of Behavioural Science and Innovation at Reflect Digital, Sam Clark, Founder of Experience Travel Group, and Hannah Blustin, Founder of Pomegranate Travel.

During the webinar, ‘Top Luxury Travel Trends for 2025,’ moderated by Jono Vernon-Powell, founder of Nomadic Thoughts, the panellists discussed everything from AI and search optimisation to the rise of ‘soft travel’. They analysed the emergence of these trends and laid out what travel companies need to change in order to keep pace in this lightening-fast industry. So, let’s dive into 2025’s top travel trends…

 

 

Top Luxury Travel Trends for 2025 Webinar

 

 

 

Personalisation

 

While this one isn’t a surprise, it is crucial for growing your business. But, first thing first: personalisation requires data and data requires trust. If clients trust you, they are far more likely to consent to you using their valuable data, which is the foundation of personalisation in modern travel. But are clients really bothered about seeing a service that’s tailored to them?

In short, yes! 84% of consumers want to be treated as individuals, not just numbers, so personalisation has a massive influence on winning their business. Lottie also mentions the importance of personalisation for loyalty, with 70% of consumers saying that brands understanding their personal needs really impacts how loyal they are. 

People are seeing and experiencing increasingly seamless online personalisation from brands that they interact with – they are now expecting the same, if not better, from their travel companies. 

 

 

AI and search optimisation

 

With many travel companies using pay-per-click advertising and SEO-based marketing through Google, the integration of AI into the search engine could be hugely influential. Reflect Digital’s research shows that 55% of respondents believe that search engines incorporating AI-generated results have the potential to make it easier to discover products and services, so people are leaning into the expectation that AI can provide them with superior solutions. In fact, 56% of respondents prefer AI-generated results over traditional ones. 

28% of people have turned to AI for personalised recommendations on a variety of different products and the number of people using services such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Bard to answer questions they’ve got about products or recommendations has doubled. From an AI perspective within the context of SEO, we’re starting to see changes in traffic volumes through these alternative channels.

Although the rise of AI must be monitored and adapted to by travel companies, it’s really important to remember who you are as a brand and maintain your authenticity. AI and services like ChatGPT can’t convey human experience, so while they can be powerful for marketing, don’t rely on them entirely for service. 

 

Read now: 5 effortless ChatGPT hacks for the travel industry

 

 

Experiential travel

 

Our experts note that the full experience of travelling is increasingly prioritised. Now, you’re probably thinking that travel is an experience in its own right – and that’s true. However, consumers are increasingly looking at the knowledge and experience they get from others as part of the experience itself.

The type of experience modern travellers want is starting to shift, with a massive 74% of people wanting to get their recommendations from locals while they’re in their destination. People don’t want a generalised view from somebody who doesn’t really know, they’re looking for a truly authentic experience from someone who lives in that space. 

98% of travellers now consider authentic experiences a vital part of their holiday experience and 63% say they will consider detour destinations in their next trip – definitely something that is trending up for 2025. 

 

 

Soft travel

 

For the uninitiated, soft travel is a relatively new trend where travellers prioritise wellness and ensuring that travel is as relaxing as possible. We’re already seeing an increase in this trend, and it’s set to only grow in 2025. In fact, 70% of travellers are now selecting hotels with sleep-related amenities, such as wellness rooms. 

This is a really important trend for travel companies to consider, particularly in the luxury sector. Give some extra consideration to the type of traveller your client is, and what you’re offering them, and prioritise soft travel messaging for these consumers when we’re speaking to them.

 

 

Sustainability in travel

 

Another trend our experts touched on is concerns about the environmental impact of travel. This is certainly not a new trend, but it continues to reside at the forefront of modern clients’ minds. Studies show that 71% of customers are concerned about sustainability in relation to travel, and take the issue into consideration when they’re planning a holiday. Interestingly, 56% of holidaymakers said that as temperatures rise in their home country, they’re more likely to visit colder climates on vacation. This indicates that in 2025, we could see higher levels of tourism in colder holiday destinations – which may previously have been less popular vacation spots.

 

On the other hand, statistics show that a whopping 45% of travellers over the age of 45 are unconcerned about the impact of their travel on the environment. This suggests that while environmental travel may become a hot topic in 2025, the impact of sustainability on the final booking decision will vary depending on traveller demographics.

 

 

Read now: [WEBINAR] Integrating Sustainability into Travel Businesses

 

 

Digital transformation

 

A trend which has picked up significant steam, especially in the last few years, is digital transformation. In recent years there’s been an undeniable shift in the way businesses operate, and travel is no different – clients are living on their phones. 90% of travellers own a smartphone now, and, on average, they spend about 4 and a half hours a day looking at it. 

Everything, from communications to transport, shopping to entertainment, and finances to photos, is based on a digital experience now, making it vital that travel businesses meet their client’s expectations in this new tech-based world.

 

 

Meet Vamoos Travel App

 

This is where the Vamoos Travel App comes in. It’s packed with more than 25 features designed to offer your clients the ultimate digital travel experience. Vamoos visual itinerary builder, Storyboard, for example, empowers you to create beautiful image-led itineraries that really immerse the client in their destination, even before they go. 

Less pretty, but equally as important is Vamoos’ Documents, an offline document wallet where you can import all of your clients’ documents like insurance, reservations, and boarding passes, for them to access them at any time, even offline.

Speaking of offline, Vamoos’ interactive Maps and Points of Interest features work without an internet connection too, allowing your clients to look at exactly where they’re going and find your unique local recommendations in just a few taps. Now that’s first-class service.

On the topic of ‘first-class’, Vamoos’ Flights helps prevent one of the major causes of pre-travel panic: changes to flight information. It automatically sends push notifications and alerts to clients for any changes to their boarding gates, delays, and even instructs them where to pick up their baggage at the other end. 

And Vamoos doesn’t end there. You have scheduled or location-based notifications, instant messaging, post-trip digital brochures, and more. But do you really need all this? Well, Vamoos works with over 500 travel companies across 40 countries, and they see a 12% increase in rebookings AND  92% app satisfaction with Vamoos! Plus, up to 10 hours are saved per week on admin by travel consultants.

 

 

Ready to dive deeper?

 

Whether you want to learn more about personalisation, AI and search optimisation, soft travel, sustainability in travel, digital transformation, or how you can streamline operations, enhance customer engagement, and improve the overall travel experience with Vamoos, we’re here to talk. Simply book a meeting with one of our team to get started. 

 

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