The emergence of 25-34-year-olds as travel trendsetters has been highlighted in Abta’s latest Travel Trends report, which also identified four more key areas of interest. These were the rise of ‘Super September’; the continued growth of train holidays; increased demand for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific; and cruisers favouring both shorter and longer cruise itineraries.

The annual report, which was released at Abta’s annual Travel Trends conference in London yesterday, studies the holiday habits of consumers and as well as using feedback from Abta members.

Introducing the report, Graeme Buck, director of communications, said: “These travel trendsetters are leading the way in travel across a number of areas.”

Around five in six (84%) of this group are planning to travel overseas in the next 12 months, which is well above the average of 70%. According to Abta, they also take more holidays than anyone else, an average of 5.5 holidays overall, including 2.2 abroad. Almost half (49%) say they intend to spend more on their holidays in the next year; and they also place more importance on what holidays can do for their mental health, with 90% saying they are important for wellbeing, versus the average of 80%.

The travel association also reported that September was becoming more popular for overseas breaks. Acknowledging the caveat that the research was carried out in late July / early August, Abta said the intention to travel during September had still increased seven percentage points in the last three years, a trend that outstripped the peak summer months.  “And every age group is seeing this rise,” said Buck. “Not just grandparents who might be helping with childcare during school holidays.”

There’s also been a steady increase in the number of holidaymakers discovering the joys of travelling by rail and road, with 18-24-year-olds more than doubling their train and interrailing trips over the last three years, from 5% in 2023 to 12% this year. Younger travellers were also showing more interest in coach trips, with 9% of 18-24-year-olds taking a coach holiday in the last 12 months (a rise of 4% year-on-year), which is on a par with the proportion of those aged 65+ taking coach holidays.  

Of those who took a holiday in the last 12 months, the region that showed the greatest growth in demand was Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, up from 7% to 10%. Intention to travel to this region in 2026 is already on a par with the intention given the previous year. Abta said it was likely that people were finding value for money in travelling further away but paying less in a destination, where they benefitted from more favourable exchange rates.

Cruise was also discussed with a growing interest in cruises of shorter lengths (up to five days) and much longer itineraries, 21 days or more, which were proving particularly popular with older age groups.

A resilient market

A separate data crunching session at the conference was delivered by YouGov research director, Richard Moller. Their data, sourced over the course of three years, and benchmarking the UK against France, Germany, and the US, showed cautious optimism, while acknowledging that the high cost of living remained the main reason for fewer holidays being taken. 

Like Abta’s own research, Moller also highlighted that UK holidaymakers under 35 were showing higher travel frequency and spending patterns, while younger travellers were also driving innovation and demand, including using AI for research and inspiration.

“The UK is showing more resilience and appetite for holidays and travel at this moment in time, versus other markets, with 70% of survey respondents having travelled in the last six months or planning to in the next six months (Dec 2024 to Nov 2025). In October 2023, that figure was 66%.”

Speaking ahead of yesterday’s budget, he said: “It does feel like people don’t want to give up their holidays so they are adapting their behaviours, to make savings elsewhere, or spending less on their holidays by downgrading the accommodation.”

However, he also noted a window of opportunity for premium luxury travel, with the high cost of living driving 26% of consumers to save up and go on one bigger holiday at a higher level of luxury rather than having multiple breaks across the year at a lower level of luxury.