Which Cities Will Dominate Travel Searches in 2025? Predictions for Key Destinations Including Japan, South Korea, China, the US, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and More

Thursday, January 9, 2025

According to recent projections by the global travel analytics firm Mabrian, Asian destinations are expected to lead as popular travel choices in early 2025, propelled by a surge in search data that highlights emerging trends in world travel for the upcoming year. Mabrian’s report also predicts a strong recovery across Oceania, particularly in Australia, New Zealand, and Polynesia. This resurgence is part of a broader upturn that includes notable growth in several key cities across the Americas and select locations in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as South Africa and prominent island retreats.

Mabrian’s analysis uses its Share of Searches Index to capture the market’s interest in specific destinations based on flight search behaviors, independent of actual bookings. This index measures international demand for travel to the top 20 airports per region, focusing on trips planned for the first half of 2025. The study, which represents 72.5% of the global travel demand, combines data on year-over-year growth in search volume with the overall flight search shares by region, offering a refined forecast.

In the detailed findings, Southern, Southeastern, and Eastern Asia are predicted to see the most significant travel demand increase. Southeast Asia, with destinations like the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam, accounts for 13.5% of the international demand analyzed. Meanwhile, Eastern Asia, featuring Japan, South Korea, and China, makes up 12.6%, and Southern Asia, including India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, captures 6.5%.

“Asian regions show a powerful search trend for the first half of this year, stronger than other regions around the world, which anticipates robust arrivals figures for the coming months,” says Carlos Cendra, Partner and Director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian.

Key destinations showing robust growth in the first six months of 2025 include Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand; Delhi and Mumbai in India; Manila in the Philippines; Bali in Indonesia; and Hanoi in Vietnam. Tokyo and Seoul are also highlighted as top growing destinations in Eastern Asia.

The resurgence of Oceania in 2025 is set to be a hallmark event, with the region poised to capture over 3% of the global travel demand. Australia and New Zealand are particularly noted for their increasing share of search interest, signaling a robust recovery path post-pandemic.

For the Americas, the first half of 2025 shows strong international demand for cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and Orlando in the United States, alongside rising interest in Cancun, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Punta Cana, and San Jose in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Sub-Saharan Africa shows a surge in demand, especially in South African cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg and in island destinations such as Mauritius, the Seychelles, and Sal. Southern Europe, although not the fastest-growing region, features cities like Madrid, Lisbon, and Rome, which are expected to attract significant numbers, particularly with Rome hosting the 2025 Jubilee Year.

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