What next for travel agents?

While we begin our journey in 2025, it’s time to reflect on the trends and insights that shaped the travel agent industry last year and look toward the future. Robin Lawther, Vice President, Expedia TAAP, says their Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) saw dynamic shifts in agent needs and traveller behaviours. He shares insights with TRAVTALK.

As the most used booking platform by travel agents in major markets, such as the USA, Australia, and Germany, Expedia TAAP’s activity serves as a good barometer for the industry as a whole. If one thing is clear, it’s that travel is indeed back. We have mined our data and surveyed agents to reveal the top insights of the year. Let’s delve into the insights and consider how travel agents can capitalise on the evolving landscape in 2025.

Trips on the rise

Let’s start by looking at the size of parties booking trips and where they travel. In 2024, solo travel continued its rise in popularity, making up 30 per cent of all Expedia TAAP bookings, while couples’ travel dominated with 53 per cent. This shift in travel patterns highlights the need for travel agents to curate experiences and excursions for these smaller groups in 2025.

In terms of where travellers are going, New York, specifically Manhattan, is a top destination. Meanwhile, American cities such as Miami, Orlando, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas are still drawing in large numbers of bookings. Europe is the premier destination for international travel, accounting for 11 of the top 25 most booked destinations. Paris and Rome remain popular choices for travellers. However, the standout star of 2024 was Asia, where we saw an influx of travellers booking trips to Tokyo, Singapore, Kyoto, Osaka, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. We expect this trajectory to continue in 2025, especially in Tokyo.

For 2025, agents can benefit from developing targeted strategies to reach solo and couple travellers.

Unpacking trends in travel experiences and activities

To help travel agents stay ahead of the curve, Expedia Group has compiled a comprehensive report, Unpack ’25 – The Trends in Travel. Some of the key trends:

• Gen Z is in their All-Inclusive Era. This type of travel is making a comeback among younger audiences, with a third of Gen Z stating that their perception of all-inclusive resorts has changed for the better. Better still, more than four in 10 of this group say an all-inclusive resort is their preferred hotel type, while searches on Hotels.com using the ‘all-inclusive’ filter jumped 60 per cent year-over-year.
• JOMO Travel is on the rise. The opposite of FOMO, the joy of missing out involves people getting away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life by going on vacations such as relaxing beach and mountain trips. Indeed, 62 per cent say it reduces stress and anxiety, while nearly half say it helps them to better connect with their loved ones.
• Off-the-beaten-path destinations gaining popularity. Expedia Group’s list of Detour Destinations all experienced an increase in searches over the past year, with 63 per cent of consumers saying they are likely to visit a more obscure destination on next trip.