The world’s largest tourism festival kicked off in Berlin this week. But what are the latest trends for 2025?
International tourism is expected to surpass 2024 levels, which saw a full recovery from pre-pandemic levels. The travel sector is experiencing a rise in sustainable bookings amid pushbacks in overtourism that is seeing several European countries, such as Spain and Italy, considering raising tourism taxes.
But climate change is also having a major impact on travel, especially in the arctic region.
Tens of thousands of tourism industry participants gathered this week at the world’s largest tourism trade fair, the ITB, in the German capital Berlin.
Euronews spoke with participants to find out what the industry expects the 2025 trends to be.
Overtourism
Andrea Pasqualotto, product manager at The Italian Outdoor which provides actives tours off the beaten track, told Euronews that “sustainability is now a huge problem because of the number of the tourists.”
He says that the Dolomites especially are experiencing problems as tourists wish to see the main hiking spots and get photos in front of the famous mountains, concentrating on just a few hiking trails. As a result, there is a lot of traffic, a lack of accommodation and parking and difficulties to find places in restaurants, meaning that neither locals nor tourists have a good experience.
“They go away more stressed then they come,” he says.
Pasqualotto recommends tourist operators stop recommending sites that are already overbooked and for tourists to look at other trails that are less popular. Some of the spots are even booked a whole year in advance, but continue to be promoted.
“The Dolomites are a huge, huge region. So you can go where you won’t find anyone else,” he says.
However, some of the locals don’t agree and would prefer tourists to be concentrated in specific spots to make clean-up efforts easier, and to better protect nature.
Climate change in the arctic
Founder of sustainable cruises company Minimal Impact Cruises Heather Thorkelson has been travelling to the arctic region since 2007 and says she has personally seen the impact of climate change, including where glaciers are continuing to melt. Nature is also affected, with polar bears coming closer to land where there’s no food to hunt, and penguin colonies in the Antarctic region are moving to different locations.
Thorkelson told Euronews she made responsible travel the focus of the company she founded to allow people “to go there see these animals in their natural habitat, feel galvanised to want to protect them more, and also just have as minimal impact as possible.”
She said that there is a growing trend of people taking sustainability seriously, but not all companies that promise sustainable travel are able to offer it.
“If you look at the operators, a lot of it looks good on the front. But if you dig down a little bit deeper, it’s not that sustainable. So there’s a lot of people talking sustainability, but walking the walk is a different thing,” Thorkelson explains.
She adds that many travellers are concerned with the environmental impact of the ship and are conscious about flying.
Could local exploration be a solution to overtourism?
According to a study last year by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, 95% of tourists explore just 5% of global areas.
Iris Wermescher, Business development director at Komoot, a hiking and biking route mapping platform, says the company has noticed a growing trend of people wanting to “go outside, move, stay fit, and take care of their mental health,” including on their travels.
Wermescher tells Euronews that the platform could be just one tool that could be used to distribute visitors more evenly around destinations “avoiding the hotspots people see on Instagram.”
She says that with climate change, the platform can be quite helpful in preparing for a hike for example, as it provides real-time weather data, meaning hikers can pack waterproofs if they are expecting rain, but also if adverse weather suddenly hits, users “receive notifications advising them to change their route, seek shelter, or return to a safer area.”
With many cities including Barcelona and Athens pushing back on overtourism, which has lasting impact such as locals being pushed out of long-term flat rentals and nature being destroyed, local exploration could also be a solution.
“I think people have realised over the past few years that they can do something for themselves, and that hiking isn’t just an old-fashioned pastime. Some people do it for sport, while others say, ‘Hey, I’ve discovered this as a way to relax.’ After a long workday, they can step outside their front door and go hiking or cycling to unwind,” Wermescher adds.
