Join the club: travel trends for 2025

When the first Club Med opened on the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea in 1955, it heralded the inception of the ‘all-inclusive resort’. Many have since followed in its footsteps, but the brand continues to stand apart. No matter which one of its 60-plus global properties you are visiting, you still feel like you’ve stepped into France, despite now being fully owned by China’s Fosun International.

What also differentiates Club Med are the connections holiday-goers make, not just with other guests, but with the staff too.

"We’re very different from a standard resort where you’re not really encouraged to mingle with anyone else outside of your immediate party," Club Med’s Michelle Davies says.

"We really do thrive in a space where we’ve got people that are coming together from all walks of life. They are encouraged to engage with one another and build connections that will last a lifetime."

As General Manager, Pacific, Davies oversees the market in Australia and New Zealand, which, despite its size in terms of population, is one of the largest by sales for the company.

"Australia is ranked at eight in terms of worldwide sales for this year," Davies says. "It’s incredibly impressive when you consider that Europe is where we have our largest brand awareness and footprint."

The ski slopes of Japan along with Bali, given their proximity to Australia, are currently two of the hottest destinations, although that’s not the only trend Davies and her team are reporting. She shares with The CEO Magazine how people are traveling in 2025.

Generational getaways

When they started looking at its advanced bookings for 2025, Davies and her team saw that 75 percent of them were for multi-generational families.

"That statistic – that there was this organic demand for large families, or multiple families, traveling together – just blew us away," she says. "It’s a trend we just couldn’t unnotice."

Off the back of that, the Pacific division has innovated a unique package, called Generational Getaways. At no extra charge, family groups are catered for with inclusions such as rooms close together, reservations at restaurants, group check-in and group transfers.

"We’re looking to take away some of those hassles you can have when you’re trying hard to herd sheep across a resort," she says, adding that has already been exceptionally well received. "Families are really looking for quality time together; they’re really looking for an opportunity to connect on a deeper level and share in activities crafted just for them, in special moments just for them."

Spring skiing

Davies says there has been increasing interest in France, particularly for ski resorts.

"Sales have absolutely skyrocketed for the coming [northern hemisphere] season, winter 24/25," she says.

While the core season for Australian families heading to the northern hemisphere for snow is January, owing to the school holidays and amount of powder, Club Med has several resorts in Japan and the European Alps at such a high altitude that the season is elongated.

"In many cases we’ve got resorts that open well into April – and sometimes May – with the benefit of a glacier," she says.

As such, for the local market, the concept of spring skiing has been rolled out.

"Yes, it’s somewhat of an odd concept," she admits.

But after speaking to clients, many first-time families with younger children who want to go skiing, Davies and her team recognized there was an audience for ski holidays away from the depths of winter.

"If you’ve never skied before, it’s a bit of a daunting holiday and quite an investment for families," she says. "If you ski during spring, the days are slightly warmer, and there are other excursions they can do in the afternoon if they don’t want to ski all day."

The two spring ski resorts Davies recommends are in Japan: Club Med Kiroro Grand and Club Med Kiroro Peak.

"Both are on the west coast, closer to Siberia, and benefit from a more elongated ski side than the resorts on the east coast," she explains.

New standards

On the cusp of its 75th anniversary, the Club Med of the past is a very different product to the Club Med of today.

"Our upscale strategy has been a 20-year project, a huge investment at a global level," Davies says.

Since 2000, the company has closed 85 resorts, while renovating 20 existing properties to bring them up to a new standard, as well as opening 50 new resorts.

"One hundred percent of our resorts are now premium or Exclusive Collection," she adds.

What has emerged is a lifestyle brand where you can do as much or as little as you want.

"There are no mandatory opt-ins, no forced fun. It’s really about having this sense of freedom, this sense of connection with you and your family and friends," Davies says.

The investment has had the desired effect.

"We’ve seen a huge surge in people requesting this more luxurious, elevated all-inclusive concept – and much of what is driving it is all the inclusions, especially from an activity perspective."

Particularly popular are the multiple kids’ clubs that cater to different ages and that create a level of independence for children.

"The sense of independence and quality activities is what is bringing families to Club Med," she says. "Not only because it provides this hassle-free concept, but it also provides this elevated experience for every member of the family."