Holiday makers have been 'slow out of the blocks' to book their annual vacations this year - but some interesting new travel trends are emerging.
Cruise trips are growing in popularity and people are still booking in huge numbers for US holidays despite 'the Trump effect', according to Irish Travel Agents Association vice president Paul Hackett.
Luxury train travel is also proving a popular niche market, while Morocco has become a preferred alternative to the traditional Irish favourite sunspot, the Canaries, for many booking with Aer Lingus and Ryanair.
Mr Hackett said that, while it has been a slow start to the year for the industry, he said business has started to pick up as air fares stabilise.
He told the Irish Mail on Sunday: 'The month of January is always the single busiest month for the travel industry, it's hugely important. But we didn't see the traditional burst out of the blocks this year. The first week of January sales were definitely slow.
'I think most people weren't back to work until the 6th and that may have affected sales. Then we had bad weather in the second week. Bookings have improved though, last week was very good and I fully expect it to remain like that.'
The CEO of online travel agent Click & Go Holidays said there is 'more price stability' in the market than last year.
'Air fares took a jump in 2024 but we're not seeing those same increases this year because the passenger cap at Dublin Airport is resolved for the summer at least and that gives the airlines advance certainty which is very good,' he said.
'There's some excellent value out there. We have a holiday in the Algarve for €499 per person - that is absolutely brilliant value for travel in July or August - just under €2,000 for a family of four including flights and seven nights' accommodation.'
The seat capacity for the US has risen by 30% for the past two years, and Aer Lingus will operate two new routes to North America, in Nashville and Indianapolis, this summer.
Mr Hackett noted the airline is also operating 'existing routes and expanding capacity to Cleveland, Denver, Orlando, Seattle, and Minneapolis-St Paul'.
He said of the growing US travel market: 'You would have imagined with all the palaver over Trump and the elections that there might have been some concern. Not a bit of it.'
However, ever popular cruise packages are single biggest growth sector in the domestic travel industry. And the image of retired couples in polyester pants whiling away their twilight years is a dated one, according to Mr Hackett.
In fact, cruise customers had a median age of 45 last year and were more likely to be traveling with young families.
'Cruise holidays have a repeat rate of almost 90%, so nine out of ten people who took a cruise last year will go back this year, and then there's all the newcomers,' Mr Hackett said. 'The whole demographic has changed, and the age is lowering drastically.'
Sunway Travel CEO Mary Denton said Spain and Lanzarote continue to dominate bookings but noted 'there are lots of new trends' emerging - including luxury train travel. She told the MoS: 'Train travel is a rare invitation to slow down and travel with intention around the world. As the demand for "slow travel" grows, train journeys are bringing travellers to less-trodden places, often in grand style.'
Ms Denton said far-flung places celebrating key events in 2025 are also a draw for adventurous travellers. Among them is Ho Chi Minh City, which will mark 50 years since the Fall of Saigon and end of the Vietnam War, with several grand events, exhibitions, and celebrations commemorating half a century of national reunification.
In the US, a massive new theme park in Orlando, Florida, opens on May 22. Inspired by the heavens, stars and constellations, the theme park boasts of offering a new level of experience by immersing guests into five fully themed worlds, including the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and How to Train Your Dragon.
Meanwhile, Ryanair this week confirmed it will run 123 routes out of Dublin Airport this summer.
Paul Hackett said of the increasingly popular North African destination: 'Morocco is becoming much more accessible with both Aer Lingus and Ryanair flying into Marrakech. Marrakesh is an inland city but it's stunning,' he said.
'Where are you going to find somewhere as different as Morocco? It's only a four-hour flight away but it's a different world. The French have kept it to themselves as a little secret for a long time but that's no longer the case. The Irish are discovering this place now,' he said.
