Top Travel Destinations for 2025 – Is your Business Ready?
Declan Morton
July 30, 2025
In the travel industry, 2025 has got off to a good start. Destinations both familiar and surprising make it to the list of travel favourites. And for bureaux de change and independent currency exchangers, understanding where customers are heading is valuable opportunity.
When you know where people are travelling, you know what currencies to stock – and how to target your local market. From perennial favourites in Europe to emerging hotspots in Asia and Africa, here’s what the current search and booking data tells us about the rest of the year.
The Top Travel Destinations in 2025 – early indications
In mid February, British Airways Holidays published their Travel Trends Report 2025. It reveals search data from January for travel throughout the year and includes the following indicators.
| Most searched-for package destinations | Destinations with rising popularity over 2024 |
| New York | Agadir, Morocco +308% |
| Dubai | Abu Dhabi, UAE +94% |
| Barbados | Crete, Greece +44% |
| Cancun | Koh Samui, Thailand +38% |
| Tenerife | Gibraltar +17% |
| Orlando | Nashville, USA +17% |
| Maldives | Kos, Greece +16% |
| Mauritius | Qatar +16% |
| St Lucia | |
| Malta |
These lists need qualification. They’re from just one tour operator, and for holidays using scheduled BA flights only. Plus, the passage of time can have a subtle impact – for example, what will be the effect of US politics on tourism to America as the Trump administration matures? Nevertheless, the trends are worth noting. Some old favourites remain, and give a good indication of the places this slice of the market are heading.
Add this to what you already know about established destinations. Look at the big tour operators’ websites, chat to local travel agents, and check out the busy routes served by economy airlines. You’ll get a good picture of the foreign currencies that will be in demand this year. For example, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Portugal remain favourites, as does Türkiye, where a weak currency means good value for tourists.
Northern Europe – Netherlands, Germany and the Baltic states – is popular for city breaks. Further afield, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are well established as winter sun destinations.
The Currency Connection
The link between travel destinations and currency demand is direct. The Euro remains the UK’s most exchanged foreign currency, thanks to its role in four of the top five destinations (Spain, France, Italy, and Greece). That’s likely to remain a constant.
The US dollar is also consistently in demand. Not only is the United States a popular destination, but the dollar is widely accepted in other popular travel zones like the Caribbean, parts of Mexico, and Southeast Asia.
Other currencies gaining traction in 2025 include the UAE Dirham (AED), the Vietnamese đồng (VND), the Australian Dollar (AUD), and the Mexican Peso (MXN). The spread of interest suggests a growing need for bureaux de change to be ready to buy in a wider range of currencies — and to anticipate demand before peak travel periods.
Destinations on the Rise
Alongside the top ten, several emerging destinations are drawing attention. ABTA’s l “Destinations to Watch” report names Albania, Mauritius, Zambia and Vietnam as fast risers. In Skyscanner’s report, “2025 Trending Destinations”, they record search interest spikes for Reggio Calabria, Italy (+541%), Tartu, Estonia (+294%), Siem Reap, Cambodia (+241%), Panglao, Philippines (+77%)
As with all statistics, it’s worth being cautious. Huge percentage increases may mean only a small growth in passenger numbers if original booking volumes were low. So, currency exchangers don’t have to carry stocks of every possible currency. Instead, they need to know where to get rarer currencies quickly at a good price.
Meeting Demand, Staying Visible
For independent bureaux de change, being well-stocked is just part of the puzzle. Just as important is visibility — letting customers know you have the currency they need at a competitive rate.
This is where tools like Money4Travel come into their own. The platform connects consumers with local currency sellers, displaying the best available exchange rates within a 10-minute drive of the customer’s postcode.
Joining the Money4Travel marketplace gives exchangers:
- Exposure to local, ready-to-buy customers
- Access to guaranteed best-rate comparisons and a wide range of currencies
- A buy-back guarantee option
- The “PIPS” loyalty scheme to reward returning clients
- A postcode population counter to gauge your catchment area
For bureaux looking to compete with bigger brands and online-only services, it offers a cost-effective way to increase footfall and transaction volumes.
Travel Destinations – Where to Next?
If the 2025 travel market tells us anything, it’s that British holidaymakers are curious, mobile, and think globally. While Euros and Dollars still dominate, savvy currency exchangers will be ready for a steady broadening in demand. The question for your business isn’t just what do customers want today? It’s what will they need next week — and where can they find it? With the right tools, local businesses can deliver both.
By Declan Morton, writer and editor at Money4Travel – the online service for foreign currency sales in the UK. More about the author
For reference: British Airways Holidays 2025 Travel Trends Report , Skyscanner – 2025 Trending Destinations,
