Adults who build holidays around “childish experiences” without children are likely to represent a growing consumer segment in 2025, Travelzoo’s annual breakfast briefing was told.
Kantar insight director Charlie Gordon said “kidults” were an increasingly significant type of traveller, with these people described as “adults looking for childish experiences or things you don’t normally associate with adults”.
Giving examples of trips that would fit into this category, he cited going to Disney World or Wrestlemania without children.
He added: “These things that are kind of kiddie but which are huge spending drivers… We think this trend will be very, very hot for 2025.”
He also predicted next year would see further growth of interest in long-haul destinations, including the US, Asia and the Middle East.
“We didn’t quite see that coming through in the data in 2024 but we think it is going to come through for 2025,” he said.
He went on to encourage the travel industry to follow other sectors in their approach to advertising, pointing out it was important to highlight “new products and new things”.
Across all sectors, he said, 32% of adverts refer to something new, whereas the travel industry’s figure is 16%.
“It’s really important to get out there and say what new things you have,” he said. “Think about what you’re doing differently. Think about your product.”
Claire Brighton, director of the Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers (Atas), said next year would likely see increased demand for travel to “less discovered places”.
Highlighting destinations that are performing well in the touring and adventure sector at the moment, with further growth expected, she pointed to India, Peru, Morocco, Japan and Australia.
She added that Greece had also been “tweaking its offering” to appeal more to the touring and adventure market.
Other trends picking up pace include train travel, she said. “Our members have added a lot of rail options based on the fact customers are asking for it,” she noted. “The appetite is definitely there for rail travel.”
Clia UK managing director Andy Harmer predicted 2025 would see the cruise industry continue to channel increased investment into destinations and onshore experiences.
“Destinations are the big thing of 2024 and we see more of that in 2025,” he said.
Destinations that have been performing well include the polar regions, the Galápagos Islands, Japan and Borneo.
“Expedition is growing in people’s awareness,” Harmer said, but he added that the Mediterranean continued to be the most in-demand region for the UK source market.
Caroline Moultrie, president for the EMEA region at MMGY Global, encouraged travel companies to invest time and effort in their social media platforms.
“It’s about putting all your eggs in the social basket,” she said, pointing to trends among younger generations.
She said research suggested that people aged 25 and over consult Google when checking information, but those below 25 “go straight to social media”.
“You need to make sure you have content on there and make sure the content is engaging,” she added.
Picture: Charlie Gordon (right) during the panel session at the Travelzoo annual breakfast briefing in London on November 19, 2024. From left: moderator Carmen Roberts, Caroline Moultrie, Andy Harmer, Claire Brighton and Gordon.