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UK Touring and Adventure Holidays Market Report 2025

UK Touring and Adventure Holidays Market Report 2025

Market Intelligence Reports Holidays and Vacations UK

UK Adventure Tourism Market Analysis

Group touring and adventure holidays continue to bounce back from their deep COVID-19 slump. However, global economic uncertainty and cost of living pressures remain threats, particularly in the budget coach tour market. Those with money to spend continue to prioritise holidays, and are willing to spend on premium tours and experiences.

UK Touring and Adventure Holidays – Consumer Insights

Mintel’s consumer research finds that around one in ten UK adults have taken a group touring or adventure holiday in the last five years. This style of travel is not to everyone’s taste, and will likely remain a relatively specialist sector – but there is good scope for expanding the customer base, with around a fifth of adults interested in taking a group touring holiday in the future.

Key trends likely to benefit the group touring and adventure market include an expanding over-50s population, a growing appetite for exploration and visiting places less affected by ‘overtourism’, and a desire for authentic local experiences which can often best be facilitated by expert guides and tour managers.

About the Report

Report Attributes	Details
Published Date	April 2025
Data Range	2019-2023
Country Focus	United Kingdom (UK)
Consumer Data	2,000 internet users aged 16+, February 2025
Number of Pages	65
Key Operators in the UK Touring and Adventure Holiday Market	Riviera Tours, Great Rail Journeys, Newmarket Holidays, Cosmos Tours, Exodus Travels, Explore Worldwide

Key Topics Analysed in the Report

Participation, demographics and growth potential in group touring holidays, including escorted coach, rail, river and sea cruise tours and adventure travel.
How preferences regarding destination and special interest themes are shaping the touring and adventure market.
Customer satisfaction with touring and adventure holidays, and how areas such as price and perceptions around the ‘demanding’ nature of group touring can be addressed.
Opportunities and product trends in areas such as solo travel, premium touring, special interest and exploring off-the-beaten-track.

Mintel’s UK Touring and Adventure Holidays Market Report highlights several key opportunities for brands and tour providers to stand out in a competitive and evolving market. By analysing consumer participation, satisfaction, and future intent, the report suggests that providers can refine their strategies to better target specific demographics, such as younger adventurers, wellness-focused travellers, and older customers seeking guided convenience.

The report emphasises the value of differentiation through innovation, including the integration of technology to enhance the travel experience (e.g. mobile apps, virtual guides), and using social media to build trust and community. Sustainability and responsible tourism are becoming essential, with consumers showing strong interest in eco-friendly and ethical travel options. Overall, brands that stay agile and responsive to these shifting preferences—especially by enhancing value, wellness, and personalisation—will be well-positioned to thrive in the UK touring and adventure holiday market.

Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis

Every Mintel report is researched and written by a dedicated analyst with deep expertise and experience in their chosen industry. So you can act with confidence, not assumptions. This report was written by John Worthington. John has worked for Mintel since 2005, researching and writing reports on UK travel and leisure markets. Previously he worked for Deloitte as the research manager of their tourism, hospitality and leisure practice. He has a first-class BA in History and a postgraduate Library/Information Management qualification.

An increasing (and increasingly adventurous) over-50s population offers the biggest potential for expanding the customer base.

John Worthington

Senior Analyst

Collapse All

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for the touring and adventure holidays market
- Offer touring/chill-out combinations to broaden the appeal
- Promote ‘phone-free’ as part of a wellness touring package
- Look to mature affluents for the biggest growth opportunities
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Outlook for group touring and adventure holidays
- Late booking and price promotions are growing factors
- Graph 1: holiday booking and intentions to book, 2019-25
- Riviera, GRJ, Exodus and Newmarket are the largest specialist brands
- Graph 2: leading specialist group touring and adventure operators, by revenue*, 2023
- What consumers want and why
- Future interest shows capacity for growth
- Graph 3: interest in taking group touring holidays versus participation in the last five years, 2024
- The ‘supported’ style of group touring is appealing to those travelling beyond Europe
- Graph 4: preferred destination for group touring and adventure holidays, 2024
- Specialist hobby-based themes appeal to younger travellers
- Graph 5: preferred special interests on a group touring and adventure holiday, 2024
- ‘Fewer but better’ holidays as consumers prioritise their leisure spend
- Solo tours appeal beyond the single-person market
- Graph 6: interest in solo travel on a group touring holiday, 2024
- Group touring/adventure are growth areas for travel shops
- Graph 7: preferences for using travel agents and tour guides on group touring holidays, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- New solo-exclusive tours
- Premium adventure is attracting older generations
- Escorted tour brands are venturing further afield as boundaries blur with adventure sector
- Special interest cruising
MARKET DYNAMICS
- Key operators in the UK group touring holiday market
- Riviera is the UK’s largest escorted tour brand, followed by Great Rail Journeys, Newmarket and Cosmos
- Exodus and Explore are the two long-time leaders in the UK adventure market, but Intrepid is a growing presence
- Group touring operators now recovering from big pandemic hit
- Graph 8: total revenue for selected leading group touring holiday operators, 2019-23
- Market drivers
- Consumers see no improvement in cost of living
- Graph 9: attitudes towards the cost of living crisis, 2024-25
- Mintel’s financial wellbeing index has improved from the low-point reached in mid-2024
- Graph 10: financial wellbeing index, 2016-25
- A third of group touring customers are unaffected by the cost of living crisis
- Graph 11: financial situation, all UK adults versus those who have been on group touring holidays over the last five years, 2024
- Overseas holidays are back to pre-COVID-19 levels but the staycation trend is over
- Graph 12: value of domestic and overseas holidays, 2019-24
- Graph 13: volume of domestic and overseas holidays, 2019-24
- Booking levels have declined in early 2025 but holidays remain a high priority for consumers
- Graph 14: holiday booking and intentions to book, 2019-25
WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Participation in touring and adventure holidays
- 12% of adults have taken a group touring holiday in the last five years
- Graph 15: selected types of holiday taken in the UK or abroad in the last five years, 2024
- 25-34s and over-65s are the key ages for group travel
- Graph 16: participation in group touring holidays over the last five years, by selected demographics, 2024
- Coach tours remain the most popular, but the groups market is increasingly diversifying into adventure, cruise and rail
- Graph 17: types of group touring holiday taken in the UK or abroad in the last five years, 2024
- Potential for touring/R&R combination products
- Future interest in touring and adventure holidays
- Good potential for enlarging the customer base
- River cruise and rail touring have the biggest scope for expansion
- Graph 18: interest in taking group touring holidays versus participation in the last five years, 2024
- Rising demand for train-only touring as well as fly-rail
- Over-55s offer the biggest growth opportunity
- Graph 19: interest in taking group touring holidays versus participation in the last five years, by age group, 2024
- Silver adventurers
- Graph 20: age profile of those interested in taking group touring holidays, by holiday type, 2024
- Preferred regions for touring and adventure holidays
- Group touring holidaymakers prefer to explore further afield…
- …and Asia has the biggest long-haul appeal
- Graph 21: preferred destination for long-haul group touring and adventure holidays, 2024
- Coach tours have the largest domestic following
- Graph 22: preferred destination for group touring and adventure holidays, by holiday type, 2024
- Nearly half of over-65s prefer domestic tours but older travellers are growing more adventurous
- Graph 23: preferred destination for group touring and adventure holidays, by age group, 2024
- Group touring holidays – themes and special interests
- Specialist hobby-themed tours can appeal to younger travellers
- Special interests can be a gateway to the ‘real destination’
- Graph 24: preferred special interests on a group touring and adventure holiday, 2024
- Carving out time for crafts
- Hand-on hobby activities appeal most to younger travellers
- Graph 25: preferred special interests on a group touring and adventure holiday, by age group, 2024
- Satisfaction with touring and adventure holidays
- Satisfaction levels are generally positive but there is scope for improvement
- Graph 26: overall satisfaction level with most recent group touring holiday, 2024
- Destination has the highest level of satisfaction
- Price, tour guides and wellness are customer satisfaction ‘weak spots’
- Brands are developing sustainability but failing to engage customers
- Touring and adventure holidays – behaviours and attitudes
- Brands need to develop a ‘softer’ more relaxed touring style
- A high degree of support preferred throughout the holiday
- Graph 27: preferences for using travel agents and tour guides on group touring holidays, 2024
- ‘Travel less but better’ can be a strong message in challenging times
- Can’t help falling in love with…a 15% discount
- Going non-digitally native
- Going solo (in the company of others)
- Single-minded (but not necessarily single) travellers
- Graph 28: interest in solo travel on a group touring holiday, by selected demographics, 2024
- Social platforms are key, particularly for group adventure travel
INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Launch activity and innovation
- G Adventures has launched a new range of tours exclusively for solo travellers
- G solo tours led by women
- Multi-generation family adventure
- Adventure enters the mainstream travel arena
- A golden age of exploration…
- …As escorted tour brands blur the boundaries with adventure travel
- What’s not hot
- Classic luxury from Great Rail Tours…
- …and premium adventure from G Adventures
- New special interest trips themed on (horti)culture and crafts
- Expedition cruising appeals to wildlife lovers and science enthusiasts
- Sustainability initiatives
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Market leader Riviera spends the most on advertising
- Newmarket launched its biggest ever TV campaign in December 2024
- Intrepid rise in ad spend reflects its growing presence in the UK market
- Intrepid’s campaign focuses on authenticity, diversity, exclusivity and human connection
APPENDIX
- Supplementary data
- 41% of group touring holidaymakers also took a beach resort trip in the last five years
- Over-50s population expansion should help drive demand for group touring holidays
- Graph 29: population, by age, 2004-64
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage

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