Nature and tourism have always co-existed. After all, there are lots of nature-related activities travellers love to do — hiking, trekking, wildlife watching, stargazing, and even wild swimming. The list goes on. But in 2025, there’s a new kid on the block: phenomena chasing.
This travel trend combines nature tourism with a sense of wonder, as travellers seek out natural phenomena like the Northern Lights, volcanic eruptions, and solar eclipses.
Here is more information on nature tourism and phenomena, along with tips on how to use this trend as a travel agent.
Nature tourism incorporates a destination’s landscape, wildlife, and attractions into the travel experience. It includes everything from travelling to see the Northern Lights to stargazing in vast national parks, and from trekking in remote regions to going on a safari to watch the Great Migration.
According to Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, travellers reported more interest in adventure travel, rural and nature tourism, and new-to-them destinations in 2024. Nature travel fits perfectly into this scene — some of the best travel moments do happen away from the crowds. In open landscapes, quiet forests, and star-filled skies.
That said, the importance of nature tourism goes beyond offering a rich experience for travellers. It also draws attention to rural areas and local communities, helping them generate more tourism income. In turn, this creates jobs for locals, promotes conservation efforts, and reduces the strain on overcrowded destinations.
Many of today’s travellers are going to great lengths to witness natural phenomena and aren’t shy of spending to do so. Around 34% of global travellers report a growing interest in nature-based tourism, and 29% expressed interest in nature-based adventure.
This year’s star nature travel trend (pun intended!) is noctourism, also known as dark sky travel, which includes travel experiences focused on exploring destinations after dark.
It’s estimated that around 61% of travellers are interested in witnessing natural phenomena had seeing the Northern Lights at the top end of their priority list. But besides chasing the Northern Lights, noctourism enthusiasts also enjoy nature travel experiences such as stargazing, star bathing, and seeing lunar eclipses.
Key destination recommendations for this type of nature tourism include those which offer opportunities for visitors to get remote, and the Northern Hemisphere provides a whole host of ideas: notably, current demand is seeing increased popularity in places like the Arctic, Iceland, Norway and Northern Europe, with interest in trips to the Arctic going up by a staggering 235% since 2023!
Next up in the most popular nature travel experiences were geological phenomena such as volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs. If your clients are phenomena chasers, looking into destinations that offer these is a good start.
But if you need a helping hand, our Bedsonline Booking Engine offers thousands of amazing in-destination experiences across the globe, waiting to delight and inspire your clients.
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For now, here are more suggestions on how you can connect different types of travellers with nature:
Some of the best travel adventures are set in nature — swimming with manta rays in the Maldives, hiking the Inca Trail in Machu Picchu, cycling along the winding routes of the Dolomites in Italy, and so on. Adventure travellers will be interested in learning more about physical activity or culture-based activities around the world.
Trip idea: Recommend a hike and trek in the stunning Conguillio National Park in Chile.
Support eco-conscious travellers by promoting sustainable travel experiences in nature, such as eco-certified accommodations in biodiverse areas or in-destination experiences, hikes led by local guides, and alternative destinations away from overtourism.
Around 86% of millennials travel for experience and culture, and 60% rank authentic culture as essential, while also reducing their environmental impact during their trip. So booking today's wildlife enthusiast on an experience which benefits the wildlife or environment they’re choosing to visit not only fulfils their desire for meaningful, authentic connection to their destination of choice, and for positively impactful travel experiences, but it also benefits host countries and the natural habitats they’re visiting!
So, for travellers who want to immerse themselves in the more educational and regenerative side of nature tourism, why not suggest some conservational or positive-impact experiences?
Trip idea: Travellers can contribute to elephant rehabilitation and conservation with conscious, welfare-led elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai, participate in beach clean-ups such as those in Cozumel, help re-forest native reserves in Maui, or help marine conservation programmes in the Seychelles. A PADI-approved reef exploration in Bali, or a stay in an eco-lodge in rural Costa Rica, for example, could also be perfect for your eco-conscious clients.
A survey by the luxury tour operator Scott Dunn revealed that over 80% of UK adults want to see a wild animal in their lifetime. If this is the case for your clients, why not suggest some unforgettable wildlife experiences like whale watching, gorilla trekking, or a safari trip?
While curating these memorable activities, it's important to book guides and experiences that prioritise the well-being of wildlife and the natural environment. Choose guides led by local experts and, where possible, locally owned travel providers to keep valuable tourism revenue in the hands of those who need it most. Plus, encounters with wildlife should always be booked in areas known for responsible tourism practices and interactions that minimise disturbance.
Trip idea: Book your clients a game drive led by an expert guide in Zimbabwe, a gorilla trek in Rwanda, a dolphin cruise in the Maldives, polar bear viewing in Svalbard, or whale watching in safe areas like the protected whale sanctuary Laguna San Ignacio, Iceland or the Azores in Portugal!
According to Virtuoso, 74% of luxury travellers would be willing to pay more to travel responsibly, especially if it’s clear how the money will be used. In fact, luxury travellers are re-prioritising their travel experiences and choosing positive-impact tourism activities in their destination of choice over the ‘traditional’ understanding of luxury.
This is a unique position for both traveller and industry, given that in many cases, high-end travellers are in a position where they can support conservation efforts in the destinations they visit. To facilitate this, many existing and newly established luxury travel experience providers are leveraging this by offering unique experiences, creating their own conservation efforts which travellers can support, or donate to local efforts.
For example, since the opening of the Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa, cheetahs have been successfully re-established, demonstrating the real-world impact that the luxury segment can have on conservation.
Trip idea: Think private safaris with expert guides, curated stargazing nights in remote lodges, or a trip that combines a bespoke hike and a sommelier-led vineyard tour.
Combine your clients’ interests, seasonal offers, and great accommodation to offer the best nature travel experiences. Here are four steps:
Nature tourism covers a wide range of very different travel activities, from trekking to the remotest regions to unplugging in the countryside as a part of a digital detox retreat. To recommend relevant activities, you’ll need to understand what kinds of experiences speak to them!
Your clients will appreciate accommodation recommendations that place nature at the heart of the stay, especially if they’re travelling for a specific phenomenon. In fact, 80% of travellers would prefer to stay in a location that offers a ‘prime viewing spot’ for natural phenomena such as the northern lights, and for geological phenomena like volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs. That’s not a decision-making factor to overlook!
What’s more, some hotels are enhancing guest experiences by offering unique hospitality features and services for travellers seeking the Aurora Borealis, for example. This can include additional wake-up calls in case the Northern Lights occur late at night, on-site observatories, and complimentary snow suits. This is the kind of experience guests will remember and pay extra for!
With the Bedsonline portfolio, you’ll find a wide variety of hotels offering similar breathtaking locations, which make for an unforgettable getaway when combined with nature experiences. You’ll also be able to book transfers and car hires as well as in-destination experiences for your clients to get to the hotel, even in some of those hard-to-reach destinations so famed for their scenes of natural beauty.
Many nature travel experiences around the world are seasonal and weather-dependent. For example, mild weather is ideal for hiking, while scuba diving is more pleasant during seasons with warm water temperatures and minimal wind.
The same goes for natural phenomena – Japan during cherry blossom season, Iceland with the Northern Lights, and Tanzania during The Great Wildebeest Migration, to name a few, are all season- and weather-dependent. So, it’s important to not only curate the tourism experience that wows your clients, but also make them aware that these are natural events, and therefore occasionally unpredictable.
If your clients are interested in witnessing natural phenomena, you’ll need to communicate the best times to visit a place and set clear expectations. However, including detour destinations as an additional stop on the itinerary, or a replacement location for more popular destinations, can help mitigate that dream vs reality dynamic that many travellers encounter when seeking natural experiences.
That romanticised, immersive trip in their head can often be impacted by overtourism, especially during high-season or popular times of the year, and so including secondary or sister-locations can help provide a more authentic and meaningfully connected experience for travellers seeking a fulfilling trip with fewer other tourists around.
Check out more seasonal travel experiences and cultural festivities all through the year, which you can leverage with our key travel dates calendar!
By working with a global travel partner, you’ll get to access thousands of experiences in over 170 countries, including tours in the Arctic Circle, trekking around the world, trips to natural sites like Victoria Falls, or staycations in eco-lodges.
Besides immersive and unforgettable travel experiences, which can be added to any hotel booking to create a personalised itinerary at the time of booking, you’ll be able to organise car hires and schedule transfers, no matter how remote the location is.
Expanding your destination portfolio to remote regions is particularly important if you’re planning on offering trending experiences like astrotourism and stargazing, which are best experienced away from the city.
Plus, Bedsonline makes your job easier – our search and recommendation tool, Insights, allows you to browse trending destinations, see what your competitors are booking, and tailor your recommendations to match your clients’ preferences.
Check out our quick guide to Insights or download our free Guide to the Booking Engine to learn more about our portfolio, our travel booking platform features, and how this time-saving booking engine helps you sell more.
Combine travel trends with Bedsonline’s global portfolio to offer your clients timely destinations and travel activities. Nature travel and phenomena chasing were just two of this year’s trends – check out our 2025 Travel Trends Guide to learn more about how you can leverage trends.
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