Family trips, relaxation: Top travel trends for 2025, according to survey

MANILA, Philippines — What are travelers prioritizing for next year? Relaxation, family-oriented trips, and discovering new destinations are among the top seven primary motivations for traveling, shared by booking platform Agoda in its 2025 Travel Trends survey this December.

Agoda surveyed 1,081 respondents from 11 markets including Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The survey was conducted in October 2024. 

Here are the other key trends that will shape the travel landscape in Asia for the coming year, according to the survey results.

Family time and R&R

Travelers are prioritizing quality time with family. Over a third of Filipino travelers plan to book travels with their family in 2025. The survey results showed that 34% of the respondents will be traveling as a family, followed by couples (23%), and solo (19%) travelers. Indonesians cited family travels the most, with 58% expecting to go on a multi-generational trip with loved ones.

Relaxation also topped the list, with 75% of the respondents (mostly from Singapore) citing this as their “most important motivation.” This was also the number one choice of Filipinos, with adventure and activities coming in second (48%) and visiting family and friends in third (45%). 

AI and budgeting

Tech-assisting is also a top trend in shaping travel plans for 2025. The majority of Filipino travelers (87%) are planning to use travel apps, while 14% shared interest in joining virtual reality tours. Indian travelers are the most tech-savvy, with nine out of 10 respondents claiming the use of travel apps in booking trips. 

Filipinos are also considering cost as a key factor in traveling. Seventy-four percent of Filipino respondents are planning to spend less than $250 (P14,661) on accommodations per night. However, it was noted that international travelers don’t consider cost as a barrier to travel.

Among the respondents, Hong Kong travelers are hoping to travel abroad the most.

New thrills

Travelers are truly in for new discoveries! Eighty-four percent of travelers are expecting to explore new destinations in 2025.

Travel inspirations are from a variety of sources, with personal interests and hobbies topping the charts (70%), great value deals coming in second (37%), and recommendations from family and friends as third (34%). One in five travelers cited social media as their source of travel information. Malaysians and Indonesians topped travelers most inspired by Instagram and the likes. 

Asia’s many theme parks — Disney in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong; Lotte World in Seoul; Universal in Osaka and Singapore; Ferrari World in Abu Dabhi, to name a few — are a major draw for year-round tourism.

Over one in eight travelers (13%) expect to travel specifically to visit a theme park in 2025. Indonesians seem most excited by the prospects of rollercoasters and amusement, with one in five expecting to travel to theme parks. – Rappler.com