If you’re wondering what the hottest topics in experiences were in 2025, there’s no better place to look than at Arival’s stats: here are the top stories, research insights and conversation (podcast) topics on our site (and Spotify/YouTube) throughout 2025, chosen not by us but by you (collectively: these are based on top page visits/views, and episode views/streams, from January through December 2025).
Here’s the content you spent the most time with this year:
Top 5 Stories You Read
We covered a lot of territory this year with our content, from marketing to AI to movements in the distribution and tech landscapes. At the end of the year, three of the five articles that you viewed the most were related to online distribution: Airbnb’s relaunch, GetYourGuide raising commission for some, and a list of multi-day online travel agencies (OTAs).
If we were to give this year’s content a cheesy top genre title, we’d call it “Selling Stuff Online” or “Clicks & Commissions” or maybe “API and Chill.”
1. Five Travel Trends to Watch in 2025
We entered 2025 expecting nothing short of transformation in the travel experiences sector, and this piece, co-authored by Travel Trends podcast host Dan Christian, laid out the five big waves expected to reshape travel experiences in 2025:
- The “AI-Powered Operator”: From content creation to dynamic pricing and guest communication, AI is turning into a foundational toolkit for tour operators.
- Short-form social video is the new search engine: TikTok, Reels and UGC (user-generated content) are driving discovery, bookings, and redefining how younger travelers find travel experiences.
- OTAs are growing rapidly: More platforms means more competition — and more opportunities for operators to reach travelers.
- Overtourism gets real: From limited ticket access to regulation-heavy hotspots, destination and group size constraints are forcing operators to rethink how they sell.
The rise of private, immersive & community-focused trips: especially for affluent and experience-focused travelers, the shift towards spending on “experiences over things” is gaining momentum.
2. Inside the Airbnb Experiences Relaunch
The long-anticipated relaunch of Airbnb Experiences came earlier this year, to much fanfare. This article covered the launch, Airbnb’s renewed focus on “Experiences,” as well as “Services,” “Originals” and a fresh app, plus takeaways for operators hoping to work with the platform. The article includes a full video interview, on-site at the Airbnb relaunch event, with Airbnb Chief Business Officer Dave Stephenson.
3. 50 OTAs for Multi-Day Tours & Custom Trips
The multi-day landscape is huge, and complex, and one of the things we were most excited about this year at Arival was welcoming multi-day into the Arival fold with the multi-day track at Arival 360 | Washington, DC.
This guide, published in advance of that event, is the ultimate cheat sheet for operators navigating the labyrinth of OTAs that serve custom and scheduled multi-day tours. Sorted into three types — package-tour OTAs (pre-set group tours), custom-trip OTAs (tailored itineraries), and specialty OTAs (niche, interest-driven journeys), this list is intended as a starting point to help operators match their offerings to the right potential distribution partners.
4. GetYourGuide Commission Increasing for Some Operators
Of all the stories impacting operators this year, this is probably the one we received the most input on. Many of you reached out to us to express concern at the announced commission hikes, and while some operators seriously considered pulling back product availability or jumping ship, others took the path of negotiation — and in some cases, got the increase reversed. In any case, this was a real moment that forced many to rethink OTA-dependency, and highlighted the importance of a diversified distribution strategy.
5. FareHarbor Founder to Lead Rezdy-Checkfront-Regiondo
The latest news in the Rezdy-Checkfront-Regiondo booking system rollup landed in the top five: FareHarbor’s co-founder Lawrence Hester is now helming the newly merged booking-tech group as CEO — a sign the industry’s backend may be gearing up for a new wave. It remains to be seen to what extent this new leadership could impact operators, but it’s no longer the only large consolidation story on the block — Peek’s recent announcement of acquiring two ticketing companies could signal more consolidation on the horizon.
Honorable mention: 5 Tour Operator Use Cases for AI Automation
Though not quite in the top five, we have to give this guest article by Oliver Green an honorable mention for two reasons: first, it was published in the latter half of the year and is already close to eclipsing the above articles that have had more time to rack up views. Second, AI automation for tour operators is a hugely important topic that received a lot of attention at the latest Arival event (and AI Forum) in Washington, DC, and this is a great primer by an operator for operators looking for practical ways to use AI in their business.
13-16 Oct 2026
Insider Pro Access Members Save 20%
THE event of the year for creators and sellers of destination experiences to connect, learn & grow.
Get your Super Early Bird Ticket Today!
Top 5 Reports & Guides You Got Into
We went deep into research this year, with two significant report series: The Global Operator Landscape (3rd. Edition), which surveyed over 7000 operators worldwide, and The 2025 Experiences Traveler, which surveyed 2,400 travelers across the U.S. and Europe. Both research projects allowed us to glean a lot of insights for the experiences sector, which we funneled into a series of reports, primarily for our Insider Pro Access members (though a few we were able to offer for free to everyone, thanks to partnerships).
Since three of the five top-viewed reports came from our Global Operator Landscape study, if we had to identify the “top genre” for this section, we’d call it “Global Operator Grooves” or maybe “Booking Insight Beats.” Here are the reports you dug into the most:
1. The Profitable Operator
The experiences sector is a passion-led industry, driven by many entrepreneurs with a love for tourism and sharing the experiences they offer. Every business, however, needs profits as well as passion. Yet too many tour and activity operators are not as profitable as they could be.
This year’s top report gets to the crux of that challenge: how can you do what you’re passionate about, while also growing your bottom line? Based on the findings of Arival’s Global Operator Landscape (3rd Ed.) research and developed in partnership with GetYourGuide, this free report explores the common traits and best practices of the most profitable operators to help operators maximize their profits — and fuel their passion.
2. Arival Guide to Self-Guided Tours & Audio Experiences
Self-guided tours and audio experiences continue to capture travelers’ attention — and in 2025, it’s no surprise this guide took a spot in the top five: operators wanted the inside scoop. For this free report, we analyzed 70+ platforms, talked to leading operators, and mined Arival’s latest research to show what’s working in self-guided tours and audio experiences today.
This practical guide doesn’t just map the landscape — it is packed with actionable insights. From designing standout content and using AI, to picking the right platform and delighting travelers, this guide is a one-stop playbook for anyone looking to expand into self-guided tours or upgrade their audio experiences.
3. The 2025 U.S. Experiences Traveler Outlook
Understanding the traveler is everything — and in 2025, U.S. travelers are changing fast. This report, based on a survey of 800 U.S.-based travelers, gave operators a snapshot of who these experience-seekers are, what they want, and how they plan and spend on tours and activities.
This was an important report to help operators see patterns beyond the numbers: which experiences are booming, how trip planning is evolving, and where opportunities lie for smart product design and marketing. For any operator serving U.S. travelers, this report was the ultimate guide to staying ahead in a shifting market — and yes, don’t worry, we’re planning a similar project for 2026!
4. Operators & OTAs
OTAs have become a driving force in distribution for the travel experiences sector, and are the fastest growing channel. The rapid rise of this channel has brought many benefits to the tour, activity and attraction operators who work with OTAs, but it has also not come without challenges and controversy.
This report from Arival’s Global Operator Landscape (3rd. Edition) series delves into the key trends in sales and distribution, highlighting the challenges and opportunities stemming from the rise of – and reliance on – OTAs. Through these insights, operators can better comprehend the current landscape and pinpoint strategies to enhance their operational efficiency and market reach.
5. Getting Direct: The State of Digital Marketing
The flip side of OTAs, is, of course, direct bookings. In Arival operator surveys, operators consistently say getting more direct bookings is their top business priority — so we’re not surprised this report topic is in the top five. However, our research has also revealed a gap in how operators market, and how travelers search: most operators do not engage in essential marketing channels to reach customers where they’re at (TikTok and YouTube, for example).
This report from Arival’s Global Operator Landscape (3rd. Edition) looks at the role of direct channels for tours and attractions, the channels operators use for marketing, which channels they see as most effective, key gaps in operator marketing, and opportunities many are overlooking.
Honorable mention: The State of Booking Tech
We’re giving this report an honorable mention, because, although it just came out at the end of September, it’s already quickly catching up to the above reports published earlier in the year. And for good reason: booking tech isn’t optional anymore, it’s essential for operators who want to succeed in 2025 and beyond.
This report, the final report in Arival’s Global Operator Landscape (3rd. Edition) research series, maps how operators worldwide are — or aren’t — adopting modern booking systems, connecting distribution channels, and leveraging tech to drive revenue and streamline operations. It helps operators identify where they stand relative to peers, and prioritize where booking tech can make the most difference.
27-29 April 2026
Insider Pro Access Members Save 20%
THE event of the year for the European in-destination experiences industry
Save up to €730 with a Holiday Savings Ticket!
Top 5 Podcast Episodes You Watched / Listened To
After a soft-launch of the podcast last year as The Voice of Experiences, we launched season two with a new name — The Best Part of Travel — and a renewed purpose to bring the best conversations to you from Arival events and interviews, in an easily digestible video podcast format, available on Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you get your podcasts.
Podcasts already probably have genres, but if we were to give this list a just-for-fun genre title, it would probably be “Experience Energy” or “Irreverent Insights” or maybe “Best Part of My Day.” Here are the five episodes (so far) from this year that attracted the most listens/views:
1. What’s Next in Booking Tech with FareHarbor CEO Andrea Carini
This was one of the most industry-defining conversations to hit the Arival stage this year, and it ended up being our top podcast episode. In this episode, we break down all things restech, then take listeners inside the live on-stage interview between FareHarbor CEO Andrea Carini and Arival CEO Douglas Quinby at Arival 360 | Valencia.
This episode didn’t shy away from the big questions:
- How are pricing models shifting — monthly fees vs. transactions?
- What happens when OTAs keep growing, commissions keep rising, and restechs rely on transaction volume?
- Why did FareHarbor introduce a new 2% API/OTA fee?
- What could AI realistically bring to booking tech?
- And importantly… where is all of this heading next?
Normally you have to be in the room for these types of on-stage event conversations, but this episode (we think) took the top spot for giving listeners/viewers the feeling that they were right there with us.
2. Strategies, Secrets & Sea Urchin: One Food Tour Company’s Recipe to Rapid Growth
This was our comfort-food-meets-business-masterclass episode — one part entrepreneurial origin story, one part growth strategy, and one part sea urchin. For this episode we welcomed Secret Food Tours co-founders Oliver Mernick-Levene and Nico Jacquart to unpack how they scaled from a single London tour to 100+ cities worldwide… without losing the local flavor.
Here’s a taste of what we talked about:
- The founders’ leap from a London pub to a global culinary empire.
- How they plan to open 30+ new cities every year.
- Why they built their own tech and are cautious — but curious — about AI.
- Their secret formula for 50,000+ five-star reviews.
- How the two very different co-founders balance vision, risk, and decision-making.
It’s equal parts inspiring and delightfully nerdy — the kind of episode that makes you hungry and ready to overhaul your growth strategy.
3. Top 5 Travel Trends in 2025
For our season-launch episode we turned to the expert: Dan Christian, host of The Travel Trends Podcast. In this episode, which echoes the travel trends article discussed earlier, we break down the forces shaping travel in 2025 and what they mean for every tour, activity and attraction business:
- The AI-Powered Operator — from planning to operations to guest comms.
- Social Video Is the New Search — TikTok is the new top-of-funnel.
- OTAs Accelerate — and why operators must get pricing right.
- Overtourism Gets Real — ticket access wars, caps, controls, and shifting demand.
- What Affluent Travelers Want — private, immersive, community-focused experiences.
Fast-paced, packed with industry intel, and perfect for operators who want to stay two steps ahead, this episode was a great way to set the tone for the season.
4. Experiences, Economy & Evolution: The Rise of the Transformation Economy with Joe Pine
This episode struck a chord because it cut right to the heart of matters and asked the big, existential question: What are experiences really for? We sat down with Joe Pine — co-author of The Experience Economy — to explore how the industry is evolving beyond products and services toward something deeper: transformation.
The conversation explored:
- The economic progression from commodities → goods → services → experiences → transformation.
- How operators can design for meaning, not just memories.
- Strategies to stand out in a world of copy-paste tours.
- The threat of commoditization and why transformational travel is the next big competitive advantage.
- A sneak peek ahead to Arival 360 | Washington, D.C.
This one encouraged operators to rethink their product, their guest journey, and maybe even their purpose — and was a great precursor to Joe Pine joining us in person at Arival 360 | Washington, DC!
5. AI, Androids & Destination Experiences: With Janette Roush, Chief AI Officer at Brand USA
We loved this episode because it blended practical AI insights with… dare we say fun? For this episode we welcomed Brand USA’s Chief AI Officer, Janette Roush, to dig into how AI is reshaping trip planning, marketing, operations — and the very meaning of the destination experience.
Top takeaways that kept us engaged:
- AI’s growing influence on website traffic and traveler decision-making.
- Real-world operator use cases: content creation, translation, workflow automation.
- The rise of AI in destination marketing and discovery.
- The gender gap in AI and tech — and why representation matters.
- A look toward the future of AI-powered travel experiences.
Equal parts insightful, accessible, and fun — it’s no surprise this episode made the top five, as a standout in the season. As a bonus, it was a great preview of the first AI Forum for Destination Experiences, which Janette Roush played a key role in as a speaker for multiple sessions.
Honorable Mention: Moments, Moola & Multi-Day Tours: Booking Tech & Distribution for Multi-Day Operators
Multi-day tours are booming, and the tech that makes them run smoothly is finally catching up. In this episode — which we are giving an honorable mention to because it was only published recently and is catching up fast — we explore how platforms like TourRadar and WeTravel are reshaping discovery, bookings, and partnerships for multi-day experiences.
This episode because it unpacked the complexity and opportunity of multi-day travel in practical, actionable ways:
- TourRadar’s “Moments”: connecting user-generated and influencer content to bookable multi-day itineraries.
- Decoding multi-day complexity: from multi-supplier coordination to cross-border and multi-currency operations.
- Bridging day-tour operators with multi-day operators for smoother global distribution (such as with WeTravel’s Partner Hub).
- Passion- and interest-based travel: highlighting the rising popularity of niche experiences from knitting to cycling to safaris.
- The future of multi-day tech & distribution: exploring how platforms are evolving.
If you want to understand how distribution and booking tech for multi-day tours are evolving, and how day tour operators can work with multi-day, this episode is a must-listen.
The Adventure Continues in 2026
What will be at the top of the Arival playlist in 2026? Only time (and our website analytics) will tell, but we are already working hard to implement a content plan packed with resource and research-rich articles and reports, and expert podcast guests for industry-defining conversations.
Our team is also well underway assembling a program for Arival 360 | Valencia 2026 full of thought leadership on trends and research insights, the latest industry opportunities and challenges, and breakout sessions and workshops full of practical how-tos and takeaways for tour, activity and attraction operators.
We hope you’ll join us for an in-person event in 2026, in Valencia or Spokane. Keep an eye on our online content as well by signing up for our newsletter if you haven’t already, subscribing to our podcast on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts, and get access to all our research with an Insider Pro Access membership. Onward and upward in 2026!
Become an Insider Pro Access member today and get access to the full library of Arival research, plus many other benefits such as free consulting sessions, special discounts and 20% off in-person events, starting from $179 per year.
Sign up to receive insights tailored for the in-destination industry as well as updates on Arival.
