Falkirk folk can enjoy all the latest Scottish travel trends from 'gig tripping' to 'hobbidays'

A new report from the national tourism organisation highlights the experiences visitors to Scotland will be seeking in 2025 and the opportunities these present for tourism and events businesses.

Celebreaktions have continued to increase in popularity following the COVID-19 pandemic and combining celebrating a special occasion such as a wedding, birthday or university graduation with a holiday.

These trips offer a chance for multigenerational groups to come together and extend quality time with quality travel.

Gig Tripping involves seeing your favourite musician live and planning travel around concerts or festivals and, with Scotland set to host gigs by Oasis, Lana Del Ray and Kylie Minogue in 2025, there plenty of artist-inspired experiences available.

Hobbidays allow people to base their travel around their favourite pastimes and include visits to workshops and retreats where creative expression can flourish.

Film fans can participate in set jetting, visiting Scottish locations and landscapes featured in movies and television programmes like Braveheart and Outlander.

Cat Leaver, VisitScotland director of strategy and competitive intelligence, said: “If Scotland wants to continue to be a destination of choice for both international and UK holidaymakers, then it’s important that we keep up to date and understand what our visitors want.

“In recent years, we’ve witnessed a shift towards more experience-led and transformational travel. Our Trends 2025 analysis shows these experiences are constantly evolving with visitors seeking things that nurture personal interests, offer scope for celebration or actively support their health and wellbeing.

“As a destination Scotland is well placed to capitalise on these growing trends and we hope the report’s insights paired with practical suggestions will be a useful resource for tourism and events businesses in the year ahead.

“We will also be using these insights to inform and influence our own activity, creating inspirational content that positions Scotland as a must-visit, year-round destination.”

Richard Lochhead, Scottish Government Business Minister, added: “This is a valuable insight which will support Scotland’s many creative, entrepreneurial tourism businesses.

“Scotland's expanding and resilient tourism sector makes an important contribution to the economy. We naturally want to see this continue in 2025 and are allocating an additional £2 million to VisitScotland to help it promote Scotland as a multi-attraction destination.”