If you pay any attention to the mainstream media headlines, there’s a lot of gloom and doom about travel and summer vacations, but if you get past the headlines and dig a little deeper, you’ll find that not too much has changed from last summer. Well, except for who is in the White House… And for that reason, the MSM will take any topic and make it seem negative. It’s like a light switch flipped on Jan. 20, 2025. But I digress.
Personally, I’m tired of everything being so negative all the time. What I really wanted to write about is what people’s travel plans are for this summer and the rest of 2025, and while I was researching that, I ran across Trip.com’s 2025 Global 100. Basically, it’s an annual list they put together of the top destinations people plan to travel to that year based on data that includes “verified user ratings, reviews, and booking statistics, as well as factors such as popularity, a destination’s reputation, and quality of service.”
So, what types of destinations are travelers choosing for their 2025 vacations? The overwhelming majority seems to be planning a trip around visiting a theme park. As a matter of fact, six of the top ten destinations are theme parks from around the world, and there are several other theme parks further on down the list. Cultural destinations, like the Vatican Museums and the Louvre Museum, round out the top 10. Here is the top 10 in its entirety:
1. Louvre Museum
2. Walt Disney World Resort
3. The Palace Museum
4. Disneyland Park, California
5. La Sagrada Familia
6. Shanghai Disney Resort
7. Universal Orlando Resort
8. Vatican Museums
9. Universal Studios Japan
10. Universal Beijing Resort
I’m not much of a theme park person myself, and I was going to say that’s because I don’t have children. However, the more I thought about my circle of friends, the more I realized that I have more adult friends who either don’t have children or who leave their children at home and visit theme parks on their own in the United States quite frequently.
One of those people is our very own Chris Queen, a self-described “amateur Disney historian” who has spent his fair share of time at Walt Disney World. I asked him why he thinks theme parks are surging in popularity, and he believes the convenience factor plays a role.
“Theme parks can be a good all-in-one destination because so many of them have their own hotels and resorts,” he said, adding, “Guests can rest in between park days and enjoy the pool and other amenities.”
That makes sense. While theme parks like Disney World aren’t exactly all-inclusive, all-inclusive resorts are definitely on the rise, and they’re particularly popular with younger people. According to Travel Pulse, “Data from Wyndham Hotels & Resorts shows that 75% of travelers believe the best way to travel is to book an all-inclusive trip and 77% think an all-inclusive vacation is the least stressful way to travel.” That’s from 2022, and it seems like things haven’t changed much in the last few years.
In November of last year, Business Insider reported in an article entitled “Gen Z is Ushering In the All-Inclusive Era” that “Fora, a travel agency, said it’s seen a 324% increase year-over-year in bookings across top-booked all-inclusive brands in 2024. According to a recent report from the Expedia Group, searches on Hotels.com that used the ‘all-inclusive’ filter jumped 60% from a year prior. A survey included in the report found 42% of Gen Z respondents said an all-inclusive was their preferred hotel type, more than any other generation.”
I belong to several travel groups on Facebook, and I see it there, too. People want the ease of the package deal, and theme parks often provide that, whether you’re a family of four, a group of 20-something friends, or a middle-aged couple going solo.
Personally, I think there is a time and a place for that. If I just want a fun in the sun relaxing vacation, a resort or an all-inclusive is fine. But when I go somewhere new, I like to get out and enjoy the culture and see what the town, city, or country has to offer. Plus, if I’m going to be there a while, having so many people around me 24/7 is not my cup of tea.
What about you? Do you have any travel plans for the summer or the rest of 2025? Where are you heading? Let me know in the comments.
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