Emirates reveals top destinations for long-haul travel in 2025

According to the airline’s forward booking data, travel to Southern Hemisphere favourites is set to soar in 2025, with bookings to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa all up 30% year-on-year.

Likewise, Indian Ocean destinations including India and Bangladesh have seen increases of 30%, while Indonesia has seen a rise of 40% year-on-year. The growth in bookings to India and Bangladesh is supported not only by strong economic and trade ties between the UK and the Indian subcontinent, but also by significant traffic from those visiting friends and family, alongside a growing interest in leisure travel to these countries.

Demand for Indonesia also continues to grow, driven primarily by Bali, the standout destination by volume.

The most popular long-haul destinations for travellers from the UK continue to include the UAE, Thailand, Australia, India, the Maldives, and Mauritius.

Premium Economy

Emirates forward booking data also shows sustained demand for elevated travel experiences with increases in bookings across its more premium cabins.

The airline’s new Premium Economy cabin, which offers luxurious seats, more legroom, and a service to rival many airlines’ Business Class offering, has continued to gain momentum, with forward bookings for the cabin class seeing a +50% year-on-year increase. Travellers are increasingly opting for the added comfort, space, and enhanced service that Premium Economy provides, particularly on long-haul routes.

This trend is evident in both travel to and from the UK, with Premium Economy proving especially popular on flights between the UK and Australia, New Zealand, and the UAE.

A350 launch

Last week Emirates officially launched operations with its new A350 aircraft with the introduction of an inaugural daily service to Edinburgh.

Standout features include a newly-designed, more comfortable Economy Class cabin; upgraded Business Class and Premium Economy cabins; the best image quality on any aircraft with 4K and 4K HDR ultra-responsive touch-screens; extra-high ceilings with wider aisles across all classes; and faster Wi-Fi with uninterrupted global connectivity across all A350 destinations.