Every December we pick our favorite developments in the global tourism industry, and this year is no exception. Enjoy our summary of the top travel news stories of 2025.
We always try to focus our year-end lists on upbeat news for destinations, travelers, and tourism in general. However, we understand the need, for the sake of transparency, to not omit some relevant incidents this year, no matter how controversial they may seem.
Even so, we will primarily focus on inspiring developments that motivate us to better understand and protect our world.
Top Travel News Stories of 2025
10 Tourism to and from the U.S. in Decline
The United States’ recently-appointed goverment affected its tourist numbers, both domestic and international, at the beginning of 2025. Occupancy in iconic destinations like Las Vegas, Nevada, decreased compared to 2024, despite innovative attractions like Sphere, while local suppliers and tourism offices launched offers to encourage visits.
Upon taking office, the current administration implemented economic and immigration measures such as increased deportations, a Visa Integrity Fee, and the imposition of tariffs on imports from certain countries, among others.
This, in turn, discouraged legal entry for visitors from Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, and other regions. At the same time, domestic tourists postponed their own trips to other states until their financial situation improves.
There is a glimmer of hope for the U.S. travel industry in the form of several international events, such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
9 Disney Eyes Dynamic Pricing for Its U.S. Parks
One particular announcement captivated Disney shareholders while worrying its fans: the company is considering dynamic pricing at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.
The revelation came from Hugh Johnston, Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company, during the annual Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) Summit hosted by financial services provider Wells Fargo. Johnston confirmed that Disneyland Paris has been using this pricing strategy for about a year.
Most Disney parks currently use surge pricing, where the cost of admission to each park is fixed based on historical seasonal demand. A dynamic pricing model means that admission prices would increase or decrease based on immediate demand and other market factors.
While paying less for Disney park tickets sounds appealing, the experience with dynamic pricing in services like Uber suggests that this strategy would result in even higher prices. Let’s hope that’s not the case.
8 Dominican Patents Algae-Cleaning Robot
Every year, tourism-dependent beach economies in the Caribbean grapple with the massive accumulation of sargassum, or macroalgae, on their shores. Tourist properties in the region invest millions to remove this invasive species from their beaches, mostly using manual methods.
Which is why we applaud the introduction of SargaZoom, an automated vessel designed to collect sargassum without human intervention. The concept was developed and patented by Dominican Rómulo Pérez with the support of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department of the Santo Domingo Technological Institute (INTEC).
Any innovation that improves the tourist experience in any destination deserves recognition, especially an in-house solution developed in the Dominican Republic, one of the countries most affected by sargassum.
7 Disney to Open a New Theme Park in Abu Dhabi
The United Arab Emirates positioned itself as a tourist destination brimming with unique experiences. Dubai leads this initiative, but Abu Dhabi is not far behind with its Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Yas Island, its artificial island full of theme parks.
There you’ll find destinations based on Ferrari sports cars and Warner Bros. characters. All that’s missing is a Disney park. After opening its first theme park 70 years ago, the company accepted the challenge and confirmed that a new park will be built in Abu Dhabi.
Little is known about Disney Abu Dhabi beyond the announcement made in conjunction with Miral Experiences, the operators of Yas Island. We are nonetheless excited to imagine how Disney will adapt its characters and attractions to Middle Eastern culture.
6 All-Inclusive Pioneer Club Med Turned 75
Gérard Blitz, a Belgian World War II veteran, invented a concept in Mallorca that redefined the tourism industry: vacation packages where meals, drinks, and activities were included in the price.
His Club Méditerranée captured the imagination of travelers (even more so after incorporating the buffet concept into its properties) and spread its all-inclusive initiative to every continent. (Except Oceania, probably due to its deadly fauna!)
Club Med persists 75 years later, both in its more than 60 properties around the world and in its competitors who adapted the concept to their accommodation offerings.
5 Europe Launches Campaign to Reward Responsible Tourists
The European continent has been a victim of its own popularity for years. Recent regional initiatives such as tourist taxes and day-pass tickets seek to control excessive tourism and preserve its iconic destinations.
This year, the European Travel Commission (ETC) incorporated a new strategy. Its Unlock an Unexpected Upgrade campaign doesn’t aim to punish travelers, but rather educate them on practicing responsible tourism.
Its official website promotes the preservation of Europe’s tourist attractions with suggestions such as traveling in the off-season, visiting less-traveled destinations, using eco-friendly means of transport, and taking advantage of under-promoted local experiences.
4 Everything Cruise-Related in 2025
The cruise industry stayed afloat thanks to many new developments introduced this year.
We welcomed two new ships: Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas and Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Destiny. Additionally, Carnival launched Celebration Key, its first private destination, located in the Bahamas.
Our favorite new cruise in 2025 was the Virgin True Crime Voyage, where the adult-oriented cruise line transformed one of its Halloween itineraries into an experience for true crime fans.
3 Universal Epic Universe Opens
After years of anticipation, Orlando’s newest theme park opened in May 2025. Universal Epic Universe promised an unprecedented experience in the industry, and it generally delivered thanks to its stunning areas and innovative attractions.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Universal Epic Universe had its share of initial hiccups, as is common during a theme park’s first year of operation. These included long lines, frequent ride breakdowns, and even an unfortunate tragedy. (Something not uncommon this summer in other parks throughout Florida and California.)
In any case, Epic Universe managed to capture the imagination of its visitors and won several categories at the 2025 Golden Ticket Awards, including Best Attraction for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.
2 Introducing Destinos Ahora Partners
If you don’t sing your own praises, no one else will. In the past decade, Destinos Ahora evolved from a tourism publication to a tourism brand that creates audiovisual content and provides vacation packages.
As part of our tenth anniversary, we introduced Destinos Ahora Partners, a pilot program where we partner with tourism providers we believe in to offer their services at special prices.
We thank Cancun Jungle Tours, our first Destinos Ahora Partner, for inspiring us to expand our catalog of offers. If you manage a destination or tourism service, contact us and be a part of this new chapter in our story.
1 Pan-Am Resurrects for Special Flights
We end our list of top travel news stories of 2025 with a nostalgic treat for aviation enthusiasts. Beyond Capricorn, a provider of themed travel experiences, revived the Pan-Am airline brand this year on a Boeing 757 for two special flights celebrating the transatlantic travel of yesteryear.
Passengers weren’t exposed to outdated curiosities like a smoking section, but they were attended to by a crew in classic uniforms. For $60,000 USD, they enjoyed a 12-night itinerary from JFK in New York with private tours, luxury hotel stays, as well as stops in Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London, and Shannon, Ireland.
Pan-Am’s “return” was very well received, so there’s a possibility of new flights organized by Beyond Capricorn in 2026 and 2027.
As Always, Thanks for All Your Support
This concludes our countdown of the top travel and tourism news stories of 2025. It was a year full of challenges for the industry, but also of great innovation. For our part, we were able to celebrate our achievements and overcome our difficulties thanks to the support of all our customers and fans.
If we learned anything in 2025, it’s that, regardless of the effort and sacrifices, we remain convinced that our true calling is to create entertaining travel content, share our experiences, and help others create their own trips of a lifetime.
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We wish you happy holidays and an awe-inspiring, travel-filled new year!
