6 Travel Traits Shaping 2025: Key Insights from ESTO

Like most individuals within the journey and tourism advertising business, I put on two hats: strategist and traveler. So once I attend a convention like ESTO, I’m continually tuning into each channels: what’s shifting within the information and what feels true on the bottom.

I used to be fortunate to be there alongside Noble’s VP of Performance Marketing, Krysti Roush, who introduced a contemporary perspective and sharp takeaways of her personal. Between keynotes, iced espresso runs and quite a lot of hallway brainstorms, we each left feeling just like the business is on the sting of some sensible and mandatory shifts.

Below are the six major takeaways that stood out to us after three days of listening and studying. Some are stunning, some overdue and all are helpful for locations navigating the following section of tourism.

ESTO at a Glance

Organized by the U.S. Travel Association, ESTO (Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations) is the premier studying and networking occasion for vacation spot entrepreneurs within the U.S. Unlike commerce exhibits or vendor expos, ESTO is the place metropolis, state and regional tourism execs collect to share what’s working, what’s altering and the way the business can evolve in actual time. 

This 12 months’s occasion was hosted in Phoenix, a fittingly scorching backdrop for conversations about local weather shifts, altering traveler habits and the way forward for American tourism. Attendees took half in a full slate of instructional classes protecting all the things from sustainability to storytelling.

The ESTO Awards acknowledged the best and forward-thinking vacation spot advertising campaigns throughout the nation. This 12 months, our Travel Nevada companions have been among the many recipients. It was an thrilling win for a last-minute submission that proved how good storytelling, even on a good timeline, could make an impression.

Plan for the Pivot

Climate anxiousness isn’t summary anymore. At ESTO, audio system highlighted that 4 in 10 vacationers have already modified their plans attributable to climate, and simply as many say it is going to have an effect on how they journey subsequent 12 months.

Importantly, these shifts don’t at all times imply cancellations. Travelers usually tend to reschedule, reroute or shorten a visit somewhat than abandon it fully. That flexibility creates a possibility for locations that may adapt messaging and provide alternate options when the climate throws a curveball.

One instance caught: Minneapolis not promotes ice fishing as closely because it as soon as did. Warming winters have made the lakes much less dependable, prompting the DMO to give attention to actions that don’t depend upon excellent circumstances. The message was clear to embrace what’s taking place in locations now, not what was.

Everyone’s Hitting the Road (Again)

If there was one theme that minimize throughout a number of classes at ESTO, it was that 2025 and 2026 are shaping as much as be peak years for the American street journey.

Whether for price, management or consolation, vacationers are selecting to drive as an alternative of fly. EVs are a part of the story, however so is the need to skip airports, keep nearer to house and discover at their very own tempo.

For locations, it’s time to double down on regional drive markets. That would possibly imply contemporary messaging, new route maps, or just highlighting stops and small cities that have been by no means a part of the story earlier than.

The street journey isn’t only a nostalgia play. It’s an financial hedge, a flexibility repair, and more and more, the best way folks really need to journey.

EV Road Trips are Already Here

If your vacation spot isn’t planning for electrical autos, you’re already behind. According to analysis shared at ESTO, 4 in 10 American vacationers have used an EV on a street journey. Far from being an early-adopter fringe group, that’s a fast-moving mainstream.

The takeaway? Charging infrastructure is not a nice-to-have. Whether you’re a lodge, a trailhead, a museum or a taco store, providing a spot to plug in is rapidly changing into a aggressive benefit. In rural or long-distance areas like Nevada, it could even be a deciding issue for whether or not vacationers can come in any respect.

Sell the Value, Not the Price

Travelers aren’t simply searching for the bottom value, they’re searching for worth. At ESTO, audio system emphasised a key shift in shopper habits. Travelers need to really feel like they’re getting one thing worthwhile, not simply one thing cheaper.

That means promotions are more practical than value slashing. Think bundled experiences: a lodge keep that features kayak leases, a restaurant providing a prix fixe tasting menu or a package deal that mixes lodging with a rental automobile. The deal feels tailor-made, not transactional.

It’s a small nuance, however a strong one. Value justifies the spend.

The Rise of the Destination Dupe

Not each traveler desires to be first, however virtually everybody desires to really feel sensible. That’s the enchantment of the vacation spot dupe.

At ESTO, one tourism professional from Minneapolis shared how they’ve leaned into comparisons with Chicago. The message? You can get an identical cultural expertise for much less, and skip the crowds whilst you’re at it.

It’s a daring transfer, but it surely works. In a journey panorama the place persons are craving newness and affordability, “the next Nashville” is likely to be extra compelling than Nashville itself. If your vacation spot gives a vibe, exercise or expertise that rivals a better-known metropolis, that is your permission slip to say so.

Tourism That Locals Can Live With

Tourism can’t thrive in a spot if the individuals who stay there really feel shut out. One of probably the most talked-about classes at ESTO tackled that head-on. It highlighted how locations are rethinking what it means to be “community-first.”

Aspen shared a strong instance. When the town surveyed residents, it assumed they’d need to unfold visitation into the quieter shoulder seasons. Instead, locals stated the alternative. They wished these seasons protected as time to get pleasure from their very own city.

Rather than push again, Aspen’s DMO listened. They publicly dedicated to not advertising these off-seasons. They even coordinated with the native airport and small companies to make use of that point for renovations and recharging.

The lesson? Resident sentiment is a key a part of your long-term technique. And when locations align with the wants of the individuals who stay there, everybody wins.

Adapting to the Traveler of Today

The greatest takeaway from ESTO 2025? The traveler is altering, however not in some summary, future-tense method. The shift is already taking place. From how persons are reserving journeys to what they count on after they arrive, at present’s traveler is extra climate-aware, value-driven and community-conscious than ever earlier than. They’re unplugging from work, opting to drive and searching for alternate options to the plain.

For locations, it is a time to pivot and match these needs. That would possibly imply including EV chargers, selling versatile journey concepts or listening extra carefully to locals about what tourism ought to seem like. But above all, it means staying curious and adaptable. 

The playbook is being rewritten, and the locations prepared to evolve with the traveler are those that can keep on the map.