Emirates has revealed the trending hotspots topping its Northern Hemisphere 2025 summer holiday list based on real searches and global booking data, and there are some unexpected destinations in the mix this year.
With global flight searches for July and August 2025 up seven per cent compared to last year, Emirates is seeing a spike in summer travel and a shift toward cultural experiences and under-the-radar locations.
France topped the 2025 summer holiday list with flight searches up 35 per cent, followed by Ireland, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Germany and the UAE.
In 2025, a few breakout destinations have emerged as the top summer hotspots for Emirates – and they’re concentrated in Asia, the Indian Ocean and Europe.
Vietnam has emerged as the standout destination with a 61 per cent leap in interest and an increased booking demand.
Close behind, the island nation of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean has attracted 41 per cent more flight searches to be the second most in-demand destination on the EK network this summer, while Sri Lanka has also seen a 32 per cent increase in interest.
Japan also grew 28 per cent in flight searches compared to last year and France rounds out the top five in-demand summer holiday destinations for 2025 with a solid 25 per cent boost.
Australian travellers are also focusing on their Europe 2025 summer plans with a rise in searches to France and the UK and longer trips with up to one-third travelling for more than a month.
The latest EK booking data showed London, Dublin, Rome, Athens, Paris, Edinburgh and Lisbon are the most popular destinations for Aussies keen to escape winter for a European summer.
EK also saw a rise in Aussie solo travellers to Dubai with nearly half of all flyers opting for bleisure travel with stays averaging just over one week. Younger travellers and couples stayed even longer, spending from two weeks to one month in Dubai.
For more info, head to emirates.com
