Travel booking aggregator Kayak has outlined its predictions for 2025 saying that Japan is the most trending destination for the new year, with several of its key cities topping global travel searches. Kayak adds that three of its top 10 trending destinations for 2025 are in Japan.

In a press statement, Kayak says that Sapporo tops the list with a 31 pc rise in travel searches, while Osaka is up 12 and searches for capital Tokyo have risen by 11 pc.

Driving the interest in Sapporo, says Kayak, is its rich calendar of events, adding that few Japanese cities can match Sapporo’s energetic festival schedule. Whether it be the Snow Festival in February or the Yosakoi Soran Festival in June, visitors are sure to find something fun to do here.

For Osaka, it says that as Japan’s gastronomic capital, Osaka’s informal city motto is ‘eat until you drop’ and adds that travellers ought to head for spots like Chibo, Imai Honten and Shoubentango-tei for their slice of foodie heaven. And in Tokyo, it says, there is something for everyone, be it mash buttons on vintage video game consoles at Super Potato, shopping in Shibuya, or relaxing in one of the many exquisite Japanese gardens.

Kayak attributes the growing interest in part to lower air fares and steady hotel rates. It says that interest in going to Japan is up 11 pc compared to 2024 and the airfare is down 5 pc. It says that Tokyo is also expected to be the Number 1 trending destination for Spring Break 2025.

Overall, Kayak adds that travel to Asia is the cheapest that has been seen in three years, adding that Asia has been its number one trending region for several years in a row now and overall it expects to see airfares down 7 pc compared to 2024.

Globally, Kayak says that travellers are looking for many more international flights as two-thirds of all flight searches for 2025 travel are for international flights. It adds that to sweeten the deal for potential travellers further, airfare for international trips is down 4 pc compared to 2024 while airfare for domestic trips is up 3 pc.

Even the hotel rates globally, says Kayak, seem to be staying steady as compared to the current year. However, going against the trend, rental cars are seeing an 8 and 4 pc hike in international and domestic rates, respectively, says Kayak.

In other trending international destinations for 2025, Kayak lists several off-the-beaten-path destinations, saying that travellers are trading cities like Ho Chi Minh for Da Nang in Vietnam and Lima for Cusco in Peru. Like Asia, travel to the Caribbean is the cheapest in three years with airfare down a significant 17 pc compared to 2024.

In terms of planning, Kayak says that booking too much in advance is likely to be more expensive, adding that booking more than 6-months before a trip leads to higher prices and that as one gets closer to the date of departure, week to week price changes tend to be pretty nominal.