Pinterest reveals where young travellers are heading
Pinterest analysed user search behaviour around travel for fvw|TravelTalk over the 2025/2026 New Year period. The results reveal a growing cruise trend among young travellers and highlight other holiday trends, as well as how TUI is tapping into them.
Pinterest has become a go-to platform for users seeking inspiration for their next trip – recent data and search trends on the site make this clear. Interestingly, even in Germany, many searches are conducted in English. Around the turn of the year, travel topics gain particular momentum.
Searches surge over the New Year
Take the search term “Travel”: between December 10, 2025, and January 8, 2026, this query increased by 300% compared to the previous month – the largest rise among all travel-related terms.
Cruises are trending among young users
Beyond general travel searches, a clear pattern emerges: “Cruise aesthetic” rose by 200% during the same period. The majority of these searches came from young women aged 18–24 (52%), followed by 25–42-year-olds (37%), and 35–44-year-old women (7%). Searches including the word “Cruise” also increased by 200%, according to Pinterest.
Mehr dazu
Trip planning starts with inspiration
Pinterest is used not only for general searches but also for concrete trip planning. This is reflected in a 1,000% spike in searches for “Travel vision board”– Pinterest boards with travel ideas. Similarly, “Travel Inspo” (travel inspiration) is popular, with 76% of searches by women and 15% by men, peaking on January 9.
Most searched destinations
Which countries are young users most interested in? Italy tops the list, with a 200% increase over the New Year period, followed by Thailand and Greece (+100% each). Among cities, Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Rome all rose by 100%, while Mallorca leads among islands (+100%).
Mehr dazu
Top travel searches for the fifth quarter
The top three holiday searches from December 10 to January 8 compared to the previous month were: “Turkey holiday” (+200%), “Italy holiday”, and “Greece holiday” (+100% each). Ski holidays (+300%), beach holidays (+100%), and the Seychelles (+70%) also saw strong growth.
TUI targets early bookers via Pinterest
Germany’s leading tour operator TUI recognized the increased search activity and its potential, using the platform for targeted ads over the New Year 2024/2025. Leveraging the Premiere Spotlight and the Pinterest travel catalog, the company boosted its reach. “We’re thrilled with the results and will continue using Premiere Spotlight – not just for major campaigns but also to enhance our always-on efforts,” said Miriam Abels, Digital Performance Marketing at TUI Germany.
Targeted advertising allowed TUI to reach 41% more users on Pinterest during the New Year period compared to the 2024 annual average, measured via the Video Completion Rate – the share of viewers who watched an ad in full.
Mehr dazu
Mehr dazu
Mehr dazu
link
