Greater Anglia’s new “UnLondon” campaign casts train travel as the perfect way to unwind from the pressure and pace of London living. 

The ads invite people to leave the rush behind and head to East Anglia for something slower and calmer. With a focus on fresh air, open space and the idea of doing less, it’s all about breaking the routine. 

Alongside the creative, a new weekend return ticket makes the offer even more tempting. It's not just a travel ad, but a permission slip to switch off.

A growing area within wellness tourism focuses on supporting people through grief, depression, or major life changes. These retreats offer more than relaxation, they’re designed to help people process difficult emotions through nature, movement, community, and structured reflection. From silent walking holidays to grief-specific workshops, the emphasis is on emotional reset rather than escape.

It points to increasing demand for meaningful, purpose-led travel. There’s clear potential in offering retreat-style stays or curated itineraries that speak to emotional wellbeing, not just sightseeing.

35% of UK adults say they’ve chosen their August holiday destination - but haven’t booked yet. 

That’s a significant window of opportunity for travel brands to convert intent into action with well-timed messaging and offers.

Booking behaviour continues to skew late. With many travellers still on the fence as summer peaks, tactical campaigns in late July and early August can make a real impact, especially for domestic destinations.

Cathay Pacific executed a brilliantly subversive airport campaign targeting passengers flying with competitor airlines. Using live flight data and social listening, they identified pain points - no legroom, no in-flight entertainment, or poor food - and served perfectly timed digital ads as passengers boarded. Messages included:

• "Taking part in the no legroom challenge?" / “Knee-d a little space?"

• “Missing your screen? So is your airline.”

• “Allergic to Michelin-star meals?”

The ads appeared right as boarding was called, answering frustration in the moment and highlighting what travellers were missing out on. Over 1,148 flights and 287,000 passengers were targeted with minimal spend, turning real-time FOMO into a high-impact brand statement.

Tourism New Zealand has given its iconic “100% Pure New Zealand” platform a fresh, global brand refresh, inviting travellers to discover their own personal adventures—from dramatic landscapes and cultural encounters to gourmet dining and moments of serenity. This update, the first since the 2022 “If You Seek” campaign, deepens emotional connections by highlighting tailored experiences that resonate on an individual level

Tourism Ireland’s recent Coast to Coast: The Scenic Route campaign is a useful reference point. Developed with Channel 4 and The Guardian, it follows two comedians on a road trip along Ireland’s coast, using humour, local culture, and scenic backdrops to position the country as a relaxed, experience-rich destination. 

Distributed across YouTube, podcasts, and social, it’s set to reach around 15 million UK travellers. The takeaway: personality-led storytelling, delivered through the right media partners, can create deeper engagement and turn destination awareness into active consideration.

Airbnb’s 60-second spot “The Grand Adventure” uses an animated storybook motif to contrast the epic voyages of the past with today’s checklist-style travel, positioning Airbnb Experiences as a gateway to wonder. Backed by a social-first rollout - including targeted Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube videos for 14 key destinations - the campaign reinforces Airbnb’s evolution from stays to story-driven adventures.

Facing the quirky reality of eight “Swedens” worldwide, Visit Sweden has applied to the EUIPO to trademark its name, aiming to eliminate traveller confusion and protect the authenticity of the “original” Sweden. Through an online petition, the campaign leverages wit and trademark law to reinforce brand clarity and ensure that travellers head to the cinnamon-roll-and-fika heartland of Scandinavia—not an imposter locale.

In a tongue-in-cheek viral video, Switzerland Tourism (unofficially) playfully claims the country’s idyllic scenes are “too good to be true,” blending satire with striking visuals of mountain peaks, lakes, and villages. While not an official board ad, the piece cleverly critiques idealized marketing and pivots the “fakeness” trope to underline the authentic, behind-the-scenes magic of Swiss culture and landscapes.

Tourism and Events Queensland’s “That Holiday Feeling” reimagines Madonna’s “Holiday” through Kita Alexander’s cover to unite the state’s industry under one joyful promise. Running through June 2026 across TV, BVOD, out-of-home, YouTube, Meta, TikTok, and partnerships with Seven and Qantas, it aims to drive immediate domestic bookings in NSW, VIC, and QLD before rolling out in New Zealand, spotlighting story-rich local experiences

“Toronto 100%” embodies the city’s unapologetic boldness, celebrating every facet of urban life - from skyscrapers and street art to grassroots movements and culinary mashups. This remix-in-motion brand platform positions Toronto as a city that says “yes” to everything, inviting travellers to experience its hundred-percent commitment to diversity, creativity, and big dreams

VisitBritain research shows that more than 9 out of 10 potential visitors to the UK are keen to visit a film or TV location during their trip. 

The campaign ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ launched in January 2025, kicking off with a blockbuster-inspired film that sees Britain the star of the show.  The film takes viewers on a cinematic journey through Britain, giving them a front row seat to the destinations at the heart of the on-screen action. The launch film, directed by Academy Award-winning British director Tom Hooper, is supported by a wider advertising campaign which is underway across the UK’s largest and most valuable inbound visitor markets including Australia, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, France, Germany and the USA. 

Trainline’s new campaign, Bums on Board, highlights the power of the nation’s bums when it comes to making greener choices. Instead of sitting in a car, the train booking platform is calling on the public to get their bums on train seats instead.

The ad is the latest instalment in Trainline’s brand platform I Came By Train, which kicked off in 2022 with an animated spot starring Craig David and set to an original track by the singer.

Whereas that conjured wondrous, surreal images of train travel, the new ad by Dept is a little grittier thanks to director Glenn Kitson serving up his usual blend of chaos and humour. It’s a tone that inadvertently feels more in keeping with the real experience of train travel today than most train ads, which tend to gloss over the fact that public transport journeys in the UK are often less than peachy.

Brittany Ferries launched a brand platform and campaign celebrating “uncommon” travel experiences.

The 30-second hero film features people on holiday using an “uncommon phrases” dictionary to initiate conversations in broken French and Spanish. 

It leads them to having unexpected and authentic holiday experiences. 

The brand platform is launching in the UK, Ireland, France and Spain in a multichannel campaign across TV, cinema, video on-demand, out of home, radio, podcast, social and search

The campaign will target Active Maximisers, encouraging visits to Northern Ireland for one giant adventure after another. There will also be activity for the Indulgent Relaxer segment.

The 10-week campaign, which will run until March 31, is underpinned by Tourism NI’s `Embrace A Giant Spirit’ brand.

• UK adults plan to mainly cut their overnight trip spending on accommodation, eating out and activities. 26% will reduce the number of overnight trips they will take

The report also tells us

• The top motivation for overnight trips in April to June 2025 is ‘Family time or time with my partner’, while it is ‘To get away from it all and have a rest’ for July to September 2025 trips

• The top activity for April to June 2025 trips is ‘Trying local food and drink’, while it is ‘Walking, Hiking or Rambling’ for trips in July to September 2025

“New Zealand visitor numbers from Australia are currently at about 88% of 2019 levels — this campaign will encourage more of our neighbours to book now and come on over,” said Louise Upston, lawmaker and minister for the community and voluntary sector, in a release.

“What this Tourism New Zealand campaign says to our Aussie mates is that we’re open for business, there are some great deals on, and we’d love to see you soon,” she added.

But almost immediately, opposition politicians criticized the slogan for sounding “like we’re in a clearance bin at a sale” or like “the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots.”

As the world continues to evolve, so do the ways we travel. In 2025, new trends will reshape the travel industry, from personalised in-flight entertainment and nostalgic vacations to the rise of unique hotels and Asia’s travel renewal.  Discover Amadeus Insights report, which covers:

New Heydays - Nostalgia drives travel trends, revisiting past vacations and iconic eras. Discover how the 90s and Roaring Twenties inspire today's journeys.

Connections IRL - As digital dating burnout rises, travel will become a new avenue for real-world connections, from holiday romances to lasting friendships.

Flight-free specialist, Byway Travel, highlights ‘quietcations’ as a form of travel that is on the rise. “It’s time to turn down the volume,” says Cat Jones, CEO and founder of Byway. “In 2024, we saw the rise of ‘sleep tourism’, with travelers prioritising restful holidays over packed itineraries. We also saw an increase in trips away from touristy hotspots (68% of nights we booked in 2024 were in non-hotspots). 2025 will be for time off that actually helps you slow down, reset and recharge from the busyness of life.”

She continues: “So, skip the chaos of airports: take the quiet carriage somewhere away from the crowds. Going by train means more leg-room and fewer luggage restrictions—so you can quiet your mind with a book to lose yourself in, or a journal to scrawl your thoughts into. And the destination? Quiet spots where you can lose the earplugs and get lost in the sounds of nature instead, like stargazing in a Dark Sky Reserve in Snowdonia, wild swimming in Highland waters or forest bathing in ancient woodland.”

Many more of us are jetting off on adventures alone. It could be a consequence of the pandemic, when many people became used to their own company through enforced isolation. Or perhaps it is a growing awareness of ‘self’ as a result of more conversations happening around mental health. Whatever the reason, many travel experts agree that solo travel is on the rise.

In the wake of many people crowding the world’s most popular destinations, overtourism has progressed from a buzzword to a rallying cry for change in how and where we choose to explore.

This shift gave rise to 2024’s “destination dupe” trend — where people traveled to different, less-crowded cities with the same appeal and attractions as busy tourist destinations. That concept is now evolving into 2025’s emerging travel movement: detour destinations. The term was coined in a recent travel trends report from Expedia, where data suggests that 63% of travelers plan to include these lesser-known locales in their itineraries next year.

Sky Scanner research tells us : 80% of travellers globally are planning to take more or the same number of trips in 2025 as they did in 2024. Just under half (43%) want to travel more, with only 7% likely to take fewer trips. 

Alongside other factors

Rising cost of living: 32%

UK weather 30%

It's hardly a traditional start to a tourism advertisement: "I wouldn't come here to be honest," says an unimpressed resident of Oslo.

The narrator, a 31-year-old man named Halfdan, then introduces viewers to Norway's capital, and complains about its lack of pretension, its easily accessible art like Edvard Munch's The Scream ("Not exactly the Mona Lisa," he notes) and its accessibility. All the while, he strolls through a tranquil cityscape with no queues, crowds or selfie-snappers in sight.

"You can just walk from one side of town to the other in, like, 30 minutes," Halfdan grouses. "Is it even a city?"

A Norwegian tourism campaign aimed at promoting the country as a destination for outdoor activities has been suspended after warnings that opening up the country’s “right to roam” laws to mass tourism could lead to environmental destruction.

Allemannsretten – which gives Norwegians the legal right to camp, swim, ski and walk freely in nature, regardless of who the landowner is – provides the basis of friluftslivet (outdoor life), seen as foundational to the mountainous country’s culture.

Interest in the Nordic region has risen this summer as tourists have sought cooler destinations amid high temperatures in southern Europe. Photograph: Johner RF/Getty Images

• Cost of living impact on UK holidays and short breaks

• 24% will choose cheaper accommodation

• 23% will spend less on eating out

Intensifying heat waves shift travel patterns: Climate change is affecting how people plan their holidays, with rising temperatures likely reducing demand for travel to hotter destinations in the long term. 

Blurring business and leisure travel: The growing importance of hybrid work arrangements in talent acquisition and emphasis on work-life balance among employees have created the conditions for blended business and leisure travel to thrive.

The rising tide of overtourism: Popular travel destinations are receiving more visitors than they can handle, negatively impacting the environment, infrastructure, local communities and overall visitor experience.

Luxe for less: Consumers are finding ways to cut travel expenses to cope with the heightened cost of living, but they will still indulge in small luxuries for their holidays.

The growing demand for sustainable travel: Demand for sustainable travel is rising, but consumers feel there are obstacles to incorporating more sustainable practices into their trips.

As global attention turns to France for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, VisitBritain is seizing the opportunity to promote Britain as a visitor destination, rolling out its latest campaign across France to drive growth.

The latest phase of its GREAT Britain marketing campaign in France, called ‘Audacious Kingdom’, invites visitors to come and ‘See Things Differently’ on the most audacious holiday ever, showcasing Britain as a welcoming, diverse and dynamic destination waiting to surprise visitors. 

"Train operator Eurostar has rolled out an Olympics-themed campaign created by Adam & Eve/DDB. Running until the end of the Paralympic Games in Paris on 8 September, the work shows athletes and the public beginning their journey to the Games with Eurostar.  

Spanning TV, digital, out-of-home and radio, the campaign features a 20-second film starring the comedian and TV presenter Tom Allen. It shows a train platform transformed into a running track, with Allen commentating and playing a conductor.

Air New Zealand is inviting Kiwis on a journey to see the world through a new lens, launching the next evolution of its brand through a new campaign, 'Your extraordinary adventure awaits'.

"The new brand direction embodies the spirit of adventure, curiosity, and the limitless possibilities that travel brings. It is a celebration of the unique Kiwi mindset that embraces the idea that, no matter where you start, you can go on an incredible adventure."

TOP 5 reasons for UK preference

1. UK holidays are easier to plan (53%) 

2. UK holidays are cheaper (51%)

3. Shorter / quicker travel (48%)

4. To avoid long queues at airports/cancelled flights (36%) 

5. I want to take holidays in places I am familiar with (29%)

Rise of the multi-gen  “The lockdown restrictions meant that many families spent more time together over the past couple of years compared to before the pandemic. Many are eager to continue this trend, with interest in family holidays increasing pointing to the rising trend of multi-generational holidays.”

The campaign aims to put the holiday comparison site top of mind for holidaymakers. Each execution spells out just how abundantly clear it is that the business is a one-stop-shop for comparing and finding the best deals on holidays, car hire, travel insurance and more.

Steve Seddon, CMO at TravelSupermarket added; “Coinciding with one of the biggest holiday booking periods for our customers, the brand-new campaign highlights just how much of a ‘go-to’ brand TravelSupermarket already is in the British consciousness. I love the advert as whilst it demonstrates the breadth of products TravelSupermarket offers, it is delivered by Barry from Eastenders and a ‘talking’ dog!”