Hilton's latest survey reveals that modern travellers are actually, finally, looking to relax on vacation and slow down, instead of making them an endless sprint to see as many hotspots as possible.
The past few decades of travel have been defined by traditional tourism. But as the desire to find unique experiences and the need to recover from collective burnout ramps up, finding novel ways to recharge is about to be all the rage.
Hilton says that 2024 was the Year of the Great Recharge, where sleep retreats made headlines, mindful drinking rose in popularity and wellness-themed guest rooms took off. Today, as the post-pandemic leisure travel boom normalizes, travellers surveyed in their latest report are looking to pair - in 2025 - their desire to relax and recharge with high-impact adventures and experiences to maximize their time and financial investment.
Hilton’s Annual Trends Report, which surveyed 13,000 adults from 13 different countries who plan to travel within the next year, reports that itineraries are getting a revamp. Fast Company has kindly produced a neat little synopsis of the report's findings:
20% want to lounge in bed all day (in an exotic or luxurious location, no less), while 25% are focused on wellness experiences or simply disconnecting from social media.
70% want to get active, with 20% reporting that their adventuring will focus on exploring the great outdoors.
64% are picking up a good book to travel with (afternoons at coffee shops, anyone?), 25% are bringing a pet (dogs are wellness), and 30% are travelling with friends from work (taking the “work” out of “remote work”).
58% of global travelers who travel with their kids revisit destinations from their own childhood, embracing nostalgia.
Hilton concludes that a big focus of the slow travel trend is “immersing oneself into a destination for an extended time as a local to fully experience the culture” - so more European summer holiday break than a weeklong cruise with four different ports. In other words, it’s about stepping outside one’s routine. And if it can be done in what Hilton calls “secondary” locations like Sardinia and Bodrum, all the better.
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