We’re kicking off the new season of our (re-named and re-launched) Best Part of Travel podcast with an exploration of travel trends in 2025.
In this first episode of season two, your podcast hosts Janelle Visser, Managing Editor of Arival, and industry veteran Stephen Joyce are joined by special guest Dan Christian from the Travel Trends podcast to discuss the top travel trends for 2025 — and what they mean for tour, activity, attraction and experience businesses.
We dive into five key topics, including (spoiler alert):
1. The AI-powered operator: We explore the significant impact of AI on travel planning and booking, and how tour, activity and attraction operators are using AI today.
2. Social video is the new search: We explore the shift towards social media, particularly TikTok, for travel discovery and booking.
3. OTAs Accelerate: We discuss the rising influence of OTAs (Online Travel Agencies), and the importance for operators of getting their pricing right.
4. (Over) Tourism Management Gets Real: Ticket Access & The Destination Shift: We address overtourism and its implications for operators and destinations, and the ongoing challenge of accessing tickets to popular attractions.
5. What (Affluent) Travelers Want: We cover the rise of the affluent traveler, and how their spending power is driving change in experiences, for example towards more private, immersive and community-focused tourism.
Some resources we mention:
Top 5 Travel Trends in 2025 (article by Janelle and Dan): https://arival.travel/article/tourism-trends/
Arival Guide to AI in Experiences: https://arival.travel/research/arival-guide-to-ai-in-experiences/
Optimizing for AI in Search:
https://arival.travel/article/optimizing-tours-for-generative-ai-search/
Social Video Takes on Google:
https://arival.travel/article/hot-topics-social-video/
Arival Guide to OTAs & Digital Distributors:
https://arival.travel/research/arival-guide-to-otas-digital-distributors/
Attraction Ticket Access for Tour Operators:
https://arival.travel/article/attraction-access-for-tour-operators/
The Affluent Traveler:
https://arival.travel/article/affluent-millennials-changing-travel-planning/
The Best Part of Travel podcast is brought to you by Arival. Season Two is sponsored by Protect Group.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.