Travel’s tours and activities sector has been growing in recent years, and the space is continuing to evolve in 2025.

Industry leaders opened up about current trends during a studio interview with senior reporter Morgan Hines at Phocuswright Europe earlier this summer. 

Right now, experts said there are some key shifts tied to demographic, booking behavior and emerging technology, all of which could shape the future of the space.

Roisin O'Sullivan, global managing director of Walks and Devour, said there has been a change in the demographic of travelers who are booking experiences.

Craig Everett, co-founder and CEO of Holibob, said the booking window is consistently moving closer to the date of travel.

Ali Basij, founder, chief technology officer and CEO of Instahop, said artificial intelligence (AI) is this year's biggest trend.

The wide-ranging conversation also touched on the concept of original experiences, as touted by big-name brands such as Airbnb and GetYourGuide, autonomous experiences, the booking funnel and more.

Travel&rsquo;s tours and activities sector has been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/tours-activities-tiqets-magpie-experiences" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">growing in recent years</a>, and the space is continuing to evolve in 2025.
Industry leaders opened up about current trends during a studio interview with senior reporter Morgan Hines at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.phocuswrighteurope.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">Phocuswright Europe</a> earlier this summer.&nbsp;
Right now, experts said there are some key shifts tied to demographic, booking behavior and emerging technology, all of which could shape the future of the space.
Roisin O'Sullivan, global managing director of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.takewalks.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">Walks</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://devourtours.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">Devour</a>, said there has been a change in the demographic of travelers who are booking experiences.
Craig Everett, co-founder and CEO of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.holibob.tech/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">Holibob</a>, said the booking window is consistently moving closer to the date of travel.
Ali Basij, founder, chief technology officer and CEO of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instahop.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">Instahop</a>, said artificial intelligence (AI) is this year's biggest trend.
The wide-ranging conversation also touched on the concept of original experiences, as touted by big-name brands such as Airbnb and GetYourGuide,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/tours-activities-ai-phocuswright-autoura-tripschool-getyourguide" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">autonomous experiences</a>, the booking funnel and more.

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

In Phocus is a regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

In Phocus

A wide-ranging conversation with Craig Everett of Holibob, Roisin O'Sullivan of Walks and Devour and Ali Basij of Instahop touched on the  latest trends in demographics, booking windows and AI, plus the concept of original experiences, as touted by big-name brands such as Airbnb and GetYourGuide, autonomous experiences, the booking funnel and more.

Tours and activities trends in 2025: Younger travelers, later bookings, AI 

During its its third quarter earnings call in early November, Airbnb shared some early results of its experiences and services launches.

At the time, the company said almost half of those booked were not related to an accommodation booking. Meanwhile, 10% of those who booked a service—think massages and private chefs—were totally new to the platform. 

Airbnb is “super encouraged” by those results, chief business officer Dave Stephenson said during an interview in the PhocusWire studio at The Phocuswright Conference 2025.

They not only reveal demand for the new business lines but also that the platform can be seen for more than just short-term rentals, he said. 

The company's recent marketing initiatives have also been aligned with the launches and communicating the message that users can get more than just an Airbnb rental from the platform.

“It’s not just about the home. It’s really about the trip. It’s about all the experiences that you can have in the community that that you're traveling to. We want these authentic experiences, these authentic stays to get to a sense of the place. So that's where you're seeing our advertising kind of expanding the definition of what it means to be in an Airbnb,” Stephenson said.

He went on to discuss how the company rebuilt its technology stack to enable the sale of services and experiences and allow for the onboarding of different service providers with their own requirements.

During its&nbsp;its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/airbnb-q3-2025-earnings" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">third quarter earnings</a>&nbsp;call in early November,&nbsp;<a href="https://airbnb.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">Airbnb</a>&nbsp;shared some early results of its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/airbnb-summer-release-2025-experiences-services-short-term-rentals" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">experiences and services launches</a>.
At the time, the company said almost half of those booked were not related to an accommodation booking. Meanwhile, 10% of those who booked a service&mdash;think massages and private chefs&mdash;were totally new to the platform.&nbsp;
Airbnb is &ldquo;super encouraged&rdquo; by those results, chief business officer Dave Stephenson said during an interview in the PhocusWire studio at&nbsp;<a href="https://phocuswrightconference.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">The Phocuswright Conference 2025</a>.
They not only reveal demand for the new business lines but also that the platform can be seen for more than just short-term rentals, he said.&nbsp;
The company's recent marketing initiatives have also been aligned with the launches and communicating the message that users can get more than just an Airbnb rental from the platform.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just about the home. It&rsquo;s really about the trip. It&rsquo;s about all the experiences that you can have in the community that that you're traveling to. We want these authentic experiences, these authentic stays to get to a sense of the place. So that's where you're seeing our advertising kind of expanding the definition of what it means to be in an Airbnb,&rdquo; Stephenson said.
He went on to discuss how the company rebuilt its technology stack to enable the sale of services and experiences and allow for the onboarding of different service providers with their own requirements.

Dave Stephenson, chief business officer of Airbnb, discusses new business lines including hotels, loyalty and fees changes with PhocusWire's Linda Fox.

Airbnb as an everything platform

Connecting the dots of the traveler journey is priority in the ground transportation sector, but tangible examples of connected trip in action are still somewhat “rare.”

Travelers can book a full trip in Sweden, including a train, taxi and a bus, which is working well, but there aren’t many models beyond that, according to SilverRail chief commercial officer Cameron Jones.

During an interview in the PhocusWire studio, Jones said the connected journey is still evolving, as is customer buying behavior.

“There’s this view that a customer might want to book everything in one transaction and one journey and planning experience, but I'm not sure that's the case,” he said.

When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), tech is already helping with aggregating content and pricing, and the next phase will include purchasing.

“It just makes things simple, and I know, for us, that’s all we ever want is to try and make that purchasing experience simple,” said Nicole Kerr, CEO of Mozio.

Connecting the&nbsp;dots of the&nbsp;traveler&nbsp;journey is priority in the ground transportation sector, but tangible examples of connected trip in action are still somewhat &ldquo;rare.&rdquo;
Travelers can book a full trip in Sweden, including a train,&nbsp;taxi&nbsp;and a bus, which is working well, but there&nbsp;aren&rsquo;t&nbsp;many models beyond that, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://silverrailtech.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">SilverRail</a> chief commercial officer Cameron Jones.
During an interview in the PhocusWire studio, Jones said the connected journey is still evolving, as is customer buying behavior.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s&nbsp;this view that a customer might want to book everything in one transaction and one journey and planning experience, but&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;not sure&nbsp;that's&nbsp;the case,&rdquo; he said.
When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI),&nbsp;tech is already helping with aggregating content and pricing, and the next phase will include purchasing.
&ldquo;It just makes things simple, and I know, for us, that&rsquo;s all we ever want is to try and make that purchasing experience simple,&rdquo; said Nicole Kerr,&nbsp;CEO&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mozio.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">Mozio</a>.

Connecting the dots of the traveler journey is priority in the ground transportation sector, but tangible examples of connected trip in action are still somewhat “rare.”

Addressing current challenges and looming change in ground transportation with SilverRail and Mozio

The “connected trip” has become a bit of a tired buzzword, but the ability to bundle different trip elements is not less coveted in the travel space.

During an interview in the PhocusWire studio at The Phocuswright Conference last month, Manuel Hilty, CEO and co-founder of Nezasa, and Andrew Boch, CEO of Mobi.AI, discussed the end-to-end traveler journey and the gaps that remain.

While some think of the connected trip as being “top-down,” Boch highlighted Mobi.AI’s context-aware approach to artificial intelligence (AI).

“We think that, when you’re changing your flight, that should be aware of what your hotel plans were, and it should be aware of what the purpose of your trip was. Like when you’re staying at a hotel, the hotel should know why you’re there,” Boch said.

“That sort of context should be preserved throughout the travel experience, and fundamentally, all the downstream suppliers need some method of both understanding that context, ingesting that context and then, hopefully, acting on that context.”

The pair also commented on generational differences in data sharing, AI’s impact, agentic opportunity and more.

The&nbsp;&ldquo;connected trip&rdquo;&nbsp;has become a bit of a&nbsp;tired&nbsp;buzzword, but the ability to bundle different trip elements is not less coveted in the travel space.
During an&nbsp;interview&nbsp;in&nbsp;the PhocusWire studio&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.phocuswrightconference.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">The&nbsp;Phocuswright&nbsp;Conference</a>&nbsp;last month,&nbsp;Manuel Hilty, CEO and co-founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://nezasa.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">Nezasa</a>, and Andrew Boch, CEO of&nbsp;<a href="https://mobi.ai/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">Mobi.AI</a>, discussed the end-to-end traveler journey and the gaps that remain.
While some think of the connected trip as being &ldquo;top-down,&rdquo;&nbsp;Boch&nbsp;highlighted&nbsp;Mobi.AI&rsquo;s&nbsp;context-aware approach to artificial intelligence (AI).
&ldquo;We think that, when&nbsp;you&rsquo;re&nbsp;changing your flight, that should be aware of what your hotel plans were, and it should be aware of what the purpose of your trip was. Like when&nbsp;you&rsquo;re&nbsp;staying at a hotel, the hotel should know why&nbsp;you&rsquo;re&nbsp;there,&rdquo;&nbsp;Boch&nbsp;said.
&ldquo;That sort of context should be preserved throughout the travel experience, and fundamentally, all the downstream suppliers need some method of both understanding that context, ingesting that context and then, hopefully, acting on that context.&rdquo;
The pair also commented on generational&nbsp;differences&nbsp;in data sharing,&nbsp;AI&rsquo;s impact, agentic&nbsp;opportunity&nbsp;and more.

The CEOs of Nezasa and Mobi.ai discuss the end-to-end traveler journey and the gaps that remain.

Tours and activities trends in 2025: Younger travelers, later bookings, AI

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