Italy, Japan and…Houston? Texas city ranks among top 10 trending destinations in 2025

With just days left in 2024, it’s hard to resist thinking about what the new year might bring. While people ponder New Year’s resolutions, companies are preparing for changes in consumer behavior. One of the world’s leading travel platforms predicts a Texas city will become a top destination for travelers across the globe.

Online travel agency Booking.com has released its annual list of travel predictions for the upcoming year. Their research indicates 2025 will reimagine travel and “deliberately challenge traditional travel norms,” which includes trying new things, embracing the airport experience and traveling with different companions.

Other predictions from the agency are:

• defying convention to discover less crowded destinations (67%)
• embarking on luxurious longevity retreats (60%)
• opting for more nocturnal activities to beat rising temperatures (54%)

Along with predicting general travel behavior, Booking.com has generated a list of places likely to become “vacation hotspots in 2025,” according to data insights.

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Houston to become a vacation hotspot in 2025, travel agency predicts

You read that right — H-Town is on track to be the place to be next year! With a tasteful combination of Southern hospitality and lively culture, Booking.com predicts the fourth-largest U.S. city will attract travelers worldwide.

“From the artsy Montrose district, known for its live music and LGBTQ+ scene, to the colorful East End with its rich Latino culture, the city’s diverse neighborhoods offer something for every visitor,” the agency said. “Houston’s world-class food scene, renowned museums, and booming music culture make it a dynamic urban destination.”

Notable attractions include a six-hour tour with NASA’s Space Center, which offers a 75-minute exploration of the city’s greatest sites as well as a visit to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Just outside of Houston, visitors can also travel to Galveston, “where historic charm meets the expansive Gulf Coast beaches.” More road trips unveil more of Texas’ landscapes and “hidden gems like small towns, sprawling ranches, and wide-open prairies.”

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LIST: Top 10 trending destinations in 2025, according to Booking.com

Houston was not only the sole U.S. destination to make Booking.com’s list, but it was also the only spot in North America. Here’s the full list of the 10 locations likely to draw in travelers in 2025:

• Sanya, China
• Trieste, Italy
• João Pessoa, Brazil
• Tromsø, Norway
• Willemstad, Curaçao
• Tignes, France
• San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
• Naha, Okinawa, Japan
• Villajoyosa, Spain
• Houston, United States

Booking.com trending destinations methodology

In creating the list of trending destinations for 2025, locations had to be among the top 1,000 most-booked on Booking.com between June 15, 2023, and June 15, 2024. These were sorted according to year-over-year increases and slightly altered to reflect a broad geographic distribution.

Nearly 28,000 adults from 33 countries or territories who planned to travel in the next one or two years were polled using an online survey in July and August 2024.