by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 12:50 PM ET, Wed April 2, 2025
Taking information from its network of travel advisors, agencies and high end clientele, Virtuoso has crunched the numbers and compiled the data to present a look at some of the most popular trends and destinations they are seeing for the coming year.
Top Trends
Some of the trends are a continuation of segments where there has already been growth in the industry, for instance “set-jetting” (travelling to the filming locations of popular shows and movies) continues to be a strong motivator. The “White Lotus Effect” is currently giving a boost to Thai tourism (with an increase of 41 percent in bookings by Americans and an increased ADR at Thai hotels of 10 percent) Last season, when the show shot in Sicily, bookings shot up 424 percent.
Solo travel, particularly for women, continues to grow as well. Women make up 71 percent of solo travellers, according to the Virtuoso data, and are starting to venture into realms that are usually thought of as group activities, such as cruising. Virtuoso stated “Many exploration lines now cater to solo voyagers with special deals, dedicated hosts and fun social activities, making it easier to connect with fellow passengers,“ in response to the trend.
Other growing trends are cold weather photography safaris in the Arctic and Antarctic, particularly those with a sustainable/conservation angle, and pet-friendly travel. The report from Virtuoso states “Pet owners are happily splurging to ensure their furry companions travel in comfort.”
Cool Places are Hot Destinations
The interest in trending destinations has been explosive. Virtuoso notes that 2025 summer bookings to the U.K. and Europe are high, particularly the cool weather regions such as Scandinavia, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, which have seen a 263 percent year-over-year increase for travel already booked for this summer. Ski destinations are also hot: Courchevel saw a 132 percent jump in sales year-over-year, as well as St. Moritz (153 percent) and Val-d’Isere (457 percent).
The other destinations that have seen massive year over year growth, based on bookings for June, July and August are:
- Slovenia (+473 percent).
- Croatia (+356 percent)
- Czech Republic (+309 percent)
- Turkey (+272 percent)
- Austria (+254 percent)
- Hungary (+143 percent)
- Malta (+108 percent).
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