Travel can be difficult, particularly in a post-pandemic world in the throes of climate change. As the world re-opened and travel resumed, people hit the road in droves. Being stuck at home made a lot of people prioritize experiencing the world, leading to big crowds and over tourism. On top of that, climate change related weather issues, particularly increased heat in some areas, are adding a new dimension of discomfort to traveling to various places in the world.
All of this is playing a big part in the rise of noctourism in 2025. Booking.com commissioned a study on travel trends with 27,000 travelers from 33 countries and regions from around the world. One of the trends was noctourism, the idea of swapping day travel experiences for night travel experiences. This definitely mitigates heat related issues as well as avoiding larger tourist crowds. Well, unless noctourism catches on and it increases in popularity.
Not surprisingly, once in a lifetime cosmic events play a big part in this. Traveling to the best place to view them is definitely on people's lists. But even simple acts such as stargazing or enjoying the Northern Lights are a reason to plan a noctourism adventure. Dark sky preserves that minimize light pollution are growing in numbers around the world, allowing people who are accustomed to the big city lights to experience the night sky properly.
Wildlife spotting at night is also a great activity since many animals and insects are only out and about at night. A guide would certainly be recommended for finding night wildlife, though. It can be tricky, and sometimes a little dangerous, to try and find animals in the dark. The same can be said for any other noctourism activities. For the uninitiated and inexperienced, knowing how to enjoy these kind of adventures fully can take time.