Mastercard’s Travel Trends 2025 reveals that journeys are increasingly purpose-driven. From Tokyo and Osaka, leading global destinations to booming wellness tourism in Namibia and South Africa, travellers seek value, meaning, and unique experiences. Sports events, culinary tourism, and longer business trips reshape demand—while fraud risks highlight the need for secure, seamless travel.
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MastercardThe Mastercard Economics Institute’s Travel Trends 2025 report paints a vivid picture of how travellers are reshaping the industry. Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty and shifting global dynamics, the study shows that journeys are increasingly purpose-driven, influenced not only by budgets but also by deeper motivations such as wellness, adventure, cultural discovery, and sporting passions.
A Year of Shifting Destinations
Asia-Pacific dominates the list of top trending summer destinations in 2025. Tokyo and Osaka have surged to the top, boosted by the depreciation of the yen, while perennial favourites like Paris remain strong contenders. Other emerging hotspots include Mallorca, Nha Trang and Rio de Janeiro, all reflecting travellers’ search for value and unique experiences. Saudi Arabia is also rising fast, thanks to reforms easing entry and massive investments in tourism infrastructure.
Currency and the Traveller’s Wallet
Exchange rates continue to exert powerful influence on travel decisions. Mastercard’s analysis shows that Asian travellers are particularly sensitive to currency shifts. For example, a 1% depreciation of the yen against the Chinese renminbi is associated with a 1.5% rise in Chinese visitors to Japan. Similarly, Singaporeans flocked to Japan in record numbers last year, as their stronger dollar offset higher hotel and flight costs. These findings underline how value-conscious travellers adapt quickly to maximise their purchasing power abroad.
Wellness, Wilderness and Culinary Journeys
Wellness tourism is booming, with destinations like Namibia, South Africa and Thailand topping the Wellness Travel Index. Travellers are seeking retreats that focus on longevity, mental balance, and reconnection with nature. At the same time, wilderness escapes remain in demand — from the fjords of Finland to the national parks of Argentina and Canada. Culinary experiences are another global draw: Istanbul emerges as the world’s most cosmopolitan foodie city, where restaurants welcomed diners from 67 countries in 2024.
Sports Tourism: Stadiums as Global Spending Hubs
Major sporting events continue to spark international travel and local spending. Mastercard data shows significant boosts in cross-border spending around events such as the Champions League final in London and the World Series in Los Angeles. Japanese fans, for instance, flocked to Dodger Stadium to witness Shohei Ohtani’s debut, with Japanese spending up 91% year-on-year in the surrounding area. Such examples illustrate how sports can transform cities into global tourism hubs, even if only temporarily.
Rethinking Business Travel
Business travel is also evolving. With hybrid work entrenched, companies are reducing the frequency of trips but extending their length. For U.S. corporates, the average trip to Asia-Pacific has grown from 8.8 days before the pandemic to over 10 days in 2025. Regional travel has become the norm, but markets like the UK are diversifying, increasing their spending in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.
The Persistent Threat of Fraud
Alongside opportunity, travel in 2025 faces persistent risks. Fraud in the industry remains well above global averages, particularly in sectors like tours, taxis and rentals. Fraud rates spike during peak holiday periods — up to 28% in some destinations — with scammers exploiting tourists’ eagerness for deals. Encouragingly, new technologies such as tokenisation and AI-driven fraud detection are helping protect travellers, with Mastercard aiming to phase out manual card entry by 2030.
Looking Ahead
The Travel Trends 2025 report underscores that travel is no longer just about movement — it is about meaning. Whether pursuing wellness in Namibia, celebrating football victories in London, or savouring culinary diversity in Istanbul, travellers are seeking purposeful, memorable experiences. For the loyalty industry, this offers both opportunity and challenge: programmes must align with these evolving motivations, ensuring that value, authenticity, and personalisation remain at the heart of the journey.
You can access Mastercard’s Travel Trends 2025 Report here.
Source: Mastercard/ GLO
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