Visit Scotland | Alba

Overview

  • Consumer trends reflect shifting interests, behaviours, and attitudes of consumers over time.
  • We use horizon scanning and secondary research methods to study the consumer environment and to monitor changes that we feel may have an impact on the tourism and events industry in Scotland.
  • On this page, we highlight key trends which tourism and events businesses may wish to consider within their brand and product development. We encourage businesses to reflect on who their customer is and what motivates their actions and preferences, before considering the trend most relevant for their business.

In this article:

Trends for 2025: the experience economy

Published January 2025

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Key trends for 2025

Gig tripping

Planning trips around events such as concerts and festivals.

Hobbidays

Visitors choosing destinations based on places that promote and facilitate their favourite hobbies.

Set-jetting

Visitors choosing to visit the “set” of their favourite Scotland-based film or TV show.

Instant inspo

Combining the use of social media platforms for pursuing passions and planning / booking trips.

Celebreaktions

The opportunity for an existing celebration or milestone to be transformed into a holiday.

Snoorie

Combining snooze and coorie, "snoorie" describes tourism promoting rest for visitors.

Biohacking wellness

Incorporation of "biohacking" technology in tourism to appeal to certain wellness-seeking visitors.

Outdoor therapy

Using Scotland’s unique outdoors to promote wellness, such as outdoor saunas and forest bathing.

1.1 Passion travel

Visitors are being motivated to seek out experiences that are shaped by their existing interests.

The key passion travel trends for 2025 consist of:

  • celebreaktions
  • gig tripping
  • hobbidays
  • instant inspo
  • set-jetting 

Actionable insights for passion travel trends

1.2 Wellness tourism

Wellness tourism describes travel that is associated with the physical and inner wellbeing of the visitor. Being a well-established trend, wellness shows no sign of going anywhere as a motivation for travel, particularly in Scotland.

The key wellness tourism trends for 2025 consist of:

  • biohacking wellness
  • outdoor therapy
  • snoorie 

Actionable insights for wellness tourism trends

2. Our past trends

It has been over ten years since our first trends publication back in 2013. In that time, we have set out to inform and inspire Scottish tourism businesses on consumer interests and drivers that influence our industry.

Four key ongoing consumer trends

In early 2024, we looked back at our past trends papers and revisited the following four key trends that continue to offer opportunities for the sector:

  • travel with purpose
  • wellness
  • conscious traveller
  • distinctive Scotland

Key take outs of the ongoing consumer trends

Align with transformational tourism; a connection to community, meaningful travel and learning.

Consider wellness as a central and holistic approach to brand and product development; not just as an add on.

Promote the ways holidays and short breaks can boost mood, improve physical, and mental health.

Showcase your sustainable business practices and track progress and how actions can make a difference.

A decade of consumer trends

Published March 2024

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Related links

About our visitors

Find out who visits Scotland, what they're interested in, and what they're looking for.

About our industry

Research on various types of businesses within the tourism industry. Insights into employment within the sector.

Responsible tourism research

Find research into responsible tourism in Scotland. This includes reports on visitor, community, and industry insights.