By Laura Boberg, Associate Account Director, True Media
Almost exactly five years since the global COVID-19 pandemic changed the world as we knew it, including a near complete shutdown of travel, tourism has returned to 2019 levels. After spending years trying to recover, a new chapter has arrived for destinations and organizations of all sizes — one of growth.
So how does this affect your travel tourism media strategy?
More competition.
The good news? In 2025, people are prioritizing travel. In fact, 92% of Americans are planning to travel this year, with 79% purposefully budgeting for it — and those travel budgets have almost doubled, to $10,200 in 2025 from $5,300 in 2024. Top travel motivators include making up for missed travel from previous years, more PTO, and the desire for a personalized, immersive experience — but the bottom line is that travelers are ready for their next adventure.
The challenge? Both domestic and international destinations are bidding for the same visitors. While people may be traveling more, taking longer trips, and spending more money, the destinations and adventures from which to choose are endless, meaning your messaging and media strategies need to be sharper than ever to drive a relevant connection and spur action.
Additionally, although people intend to travel more this year, due to potential economic uncertainty, they may find themselves scaling back discretionary budgets and spending less than planned, so there will be more competition for fewer consumer dollars. This requires a keener approach to messaging, audience targeting, and balancing flight vs drive markets, as travelers could shift to prioritizing travel closer to home.
Refined research.
While travel spend may be back, the landscape has evolved over the last few years. With an increasingly fragmented media landscape, how and where you’re showing up is more important than ever.
Dive into research to understand consumer perceptions and zero in on what makes your destination unique, how and where your audience consumes media, their travel motivations and passions, and their decision making habits, which are all imperative to attracting your desired audience. Finally, refine strategies and messaging through a test and learn approach.
Personalized messaging.
Given the increased competition and an ever-increasingly fragmented media landscape, connecting your destination’s unique qualities to your audience’s values, interests, and travel motivations is key to driving home why travelers should choose your destination over another and helping them realize their travel passions.
A few traveler passion trends we’re seeing in 2025 include sports tourism, concert tourism, and noc-tourism.
From the Olympics to the FIFA World Cup and regional events in between, sports are a continual driver of tourism. With the U.S. slated to have a “mega decade” of sports events, U.S. Travel forecasts 8.8% growth for inbound international visits in 2025, and 8.9% growth in 2026.
Taylor Swift’s recent Eras Tour drove billions of dollars in economic impact, as Swifties traveled around the U.S. and the world to take part in the global phenomenon. While we may not see something on a similar scale for quite some time, fans are indicating a willingness to travel to catch their favorite performers — and with Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, and Coldplay as just a few of the 2025 tours, music fans will have that opportunity.
With nocturnal solar activity higher than we have seen in recent years, travelers are also aiming to take in nighttime adventures of stargazing, viewing the Northern Lights and exploring destinations after dark, marking a unique opportunity for destinations where these natural wonders occur.
Whether you’re known for the great outdoors, an award-winning restaurant scene, or relaxing beaches, make the most of your destination differentiators to create a connection with your audience and to ensure your destination is at the top of their travel list.
