Airtours: Crete to be the epicenter of luxury holidays in the Mediterranean in 2025

• Berlin dispatch: Christina Lainopoulou

Crete is becoming the epicenter of luxury holidays in the Mediterranean next summer, thanks to the high concentration of luxury hotels, which are attracting great interest from German travelers of TUI's luxury holiday tour operator, Airtours.

As airtours reported during this year's ITB 2025 international tourism exhibition, the five-star Daios Cove resort hotel in Agios Nikolaos is particularly popular with travelers, both for couples and families.

Air tours record a peak increase in demand for the summer of 2025 for Kos, Athens and the Athenian Riviera, and the Peloponnese.

The new definition of luxury

At the same time, personal preferences and unique experiences are at the heart of travel in 2025. More and more conscientious travelers are looking for personalized travel experiences that are perfectly tailored to their needs.

“Luxury is constantly evolving, our guests expect the highest level of exclusivity, combined with authentic and personalized experiences,” said Airtours CEO Steffen Boehnke at ITB.

Luxury is no longer defined by glamour but increasingly by authenticity and a sense of authenticity. A return to real and authentic experiences will characterize luxury travel in 2025, the Airtours CEO emphasized.

What wellness research shows

According to the tour operator’s trend researcher, Oliver Kreipe, who identifies new luxury trends and experiential ideas long before they become established, wellness is based on personal growth, stress reductio,n and social connections, which are essentially the drivers of trends. If we understand what people are really looking for when they think about vacations, we can contribute to wellness through our offerings, he said.

Longevity is the trend of our time and is playing an increasing role in the wellness concept of luxury hotels. Maintaining health and performance is an integral part of happiness, and technological advances are helping to measure the results of treatments. The Longevity Hub at One&Only One Za’abeel offers the latest longevity treatments.

In addition, yoga and meditation are now established in the luxury sector, but there is also a new offering for conscious travelers on vacation. Evening spa rituals at Four Seasons Resorts in the Maldives or Koh Samui allow guests to relax under the starry sky with the sound of the sea and music.

Finally, shared experiences and interesting encounters make travel magical. Today, experiences should be as unique as possible. For example, the search for extraterrestrial signals on Swan Hellenic missions with researchers from the SETI Institute, or visits to the new temples of fashion in Bangkok through guided tours: Louis Vuitton The Place with its museum and the Dior Gold House with its Instagram-friendly, magnificent facade.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report