Scotland's top travel trends for 2025

What visitors are looking for in 2025

From "Celebreaktions" and "Hobbidays" to "Biohacking Tech" and "Outdoor Therapy", we have revealed our top trends for Scotland for the year ahead.

Drawing on a wide range of sources, including the Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 and analysis of global travel trends, our latest report highlights the experiences and interests visitors to Scotland will be seeking in 2025. Within the report find out what the opportunities these new trends present for tourism and events businesses. 

The trends are grouped into two themes:

• passion travel - experiences related to personal interests or a particular event such as celebrating a special occasion
• wellness travel - experiences that enhance physical and mental wellbeing

Hear about our top travel trends for 2025 from Cat Leaver our Director of Strategy and Competitive Intelligence

A summary of the trends

Passion travel

• Celebreaktions: this trend involves combining celebrating a special occasion such as a wedding, birthday or graduation with a holiday.
• Gig tripping: with Scotland set to host major gigs and a strong annual festival line-up in 2025, tourism businesses can  maximise early bookings and offer artist-inspired experiences such as guided tours and themed food and drink menus. 
• Hobbidays: hobbies aren't just for 'at home' but increasingly visitors are seeking to combine their favourite pastimes with their travel.
• Set jetting: Scottish locations from TV shows and films have been inspiring visitors for many years and this looks set to continue in 2025 with visitors looking for guided tours and opportunities to immerse themselves in the places on screen.
• Instant inspo: Social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok continue to be an important source of travel information and inspiration, allowing businesses to showcase local experiences and events to a global audience. 

Wellness travel

• Sleep tourism: with growing awareness of the importance of sleep to our health and wellbeing, visitors are looking for amenities and activities that promote a good night's sleep. 
• Biohacking wellness tech: Consumers are increasingly using technology to monitor and optimise their health and wellbeing. As a result, many visitors are looking to continue this approach when they travel from personalised wake-up calls to cold-water therapy.
• Outdoor therapy: with spending time in nature widely recognised as good for our physical and mental health, visitors are looking for opportunities to reap the benefits of and immerse themselves in Scotland's great outdoors.