Affordability, Flexibility and Personalized Local Experiences are Key Factors Driving Leisure Travel in 2025

Jan. 29, 2025

TravelBoom Hotel Marketing, a leading provider of innovative digital solutions for the hospitality industry, today released new research to provide companies in the hospitality and tourism sector with a deep-dive look at today’s evolving leisure travel landscape.

Its 2025 Leisure Travel Study offers actionable insights for how these industries can better reach and engage with leisure travelers today.

One dominant theme that emerged was that today’s leisure travelers are more inclined to pay for these types of experiences if companies prioritize affordability, flexibility and personalization.

Earlier this month, the U.S Travel Association published a report  that predicted that domestic leisure travel will increase by 3.9%, surpassing $1 trillion in 2025. That same report forecasted this category will hit $1.46 trillion by 2028. 

“Leisure travel is one of life’s most fulfilling experiences and, economy notwithstanding, consumers have told us that they really want to pursue and cherish these types of adventures,” said Pete DeMaio, COO, TravelBoom Hotel Marketing. “As an industry, we need to make sure we’re doing our part to give consumers what they want and that was the impetus for why we originally commissioned this research.”

Below is a summary of the report’s key findings and actionable takeaways:

• Prioritize value and flexibility. Rising travel costs have led to increased demand for budget-friendly options, with discounts, bundled packages and flexible booking policies being among the top requests. 28% of respondents said they were actively seeking more affordable accommodations. 72% cited generous cancellation policies as critical to reducing booking uncertainty. 

• Utilize personalization for higher conversions. 56% of respondents said they preferred more personalized travel options.
• Embrace local culture and wellness. 43% showed interest in wellness retreats and prioritized activities such as spa treatments (83%), meditation (57%), and fitness classes (42%). Respondents also placed a high value on engaging with local businesses and cultural experiences—46.2% actively seek them out during trips.
• Tech is an important travel perk. 74% cited the availability of high-speed internet as one of their top leisure-travel work-friendly perks. 
• Maximize social media and influencer impact. Social media, particularly YouTube (24%) and Facebook (18%), play a major role in informing and driving leisure travel decisions. Online reviews are another impactful channel, with 70.6% of respondents unwilling to book without first consulting reviews. 
• Balance sustainability and costs. 67% of respondents value eco-friendly practices. 28% said they are willing to pay more for them. This finding underscores the potential opportunity to position green initiatives as cost-friendly, adding further value to the guest experience. 
• Use loyalty programs to drive direct bookings. More than 60% of travelers prefer hotels with instant loyalty rewards, and this strategy may help to accelerate direct bookings.

TravelBoom polled 500 respondents nationwide who have had at least one leisure trip in the last 12 months. The survey was conducted in December 2024. 

For more information or to download the full report, click here.