What to expect in tours in 2025 -- and newsy destinations

In last week’s episode we delved into the trends and predictions for several aspects of the travel business: aviation, cruise, hotel and the outlook for travel advisors. This week, host Rebecca Tobin asks Tom Stieghorst, our interim cruise and river cruise editor, to share some of his findings for 2025. We draw on a new survey from the U.S. Tour Operators Association to look at what tour operators are most concerned about. And, of course, we look at top destinations for travelers this year.  In the last section of the episode, we have the final piece of the initial discussion: Where the rest of our travel team is headed this year. Each trip reveals a minitrend in destination or travel style, like the opening of a new theme park in Orlando, expedition travel to Antarctica, the popularity of Las Vegas and, for your Folo diehards out there, competitive sitting.  These episodes were recorded separately. The interview with Tom Stieghorst took place Jan. 3, and the discussion with the other editors was Dec. 13. Both were edited for length and clarity. Episode sponsor:  This episode is sponsored by Collette Vacations https://www.gocollette.com/travel-advisors Related links: Preview 2025 https://www.travelweekly.com/Preview-2025 Politics replaces the economy as a chief concern of tour operators https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Politics-chief-concern-USTOA-poll Globus gears up for a big year in Italy https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Globus-gearing-up-for-busy-year-in-Italy?ct=tours  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.