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Amalfi Coast ‘dupe’ tops list of alternative destinations for 2025

27th May 2025Sustainability
  • Malta, Sardinia and Seville top list of alternative destinations to travel to in 2025
  • The island’s sea caves and striking architecture make it a perfect ‘dupe’ for the Amalfi Coast
  • 73% of Brits influenced by AI to discover new holiday destinations
  • Lack of information, costs and concerns about amenities top perceived barriers to Brits visiting an alternative destination
  • easyJet holidays launches new ‘Different Destinations’ range to help Brits discover alternative destinations for their next trip
  • Brits can visit https://www.easyjet.com/en/holidays/different-holiday-destinations to discover their somewhere different today

IMAGERY:   https://www.flickr.com/gp/taylorherringpr/7PC141B7Ky

 

A tiny Mediterranean gem known for its medieval cities, 300 days of sunshine and its own Blue Grotto has topped a list of alternative destinations for 2025.

Situated halfway between Italy and Northern Africa, Malta has been ranked top of the destinations with the most appeal to adventurous Brits who say they are out to mix things up on holiday this year.

New research from easyJet holidays has found that two in five (39%) Brits are looking to try somewhere new this summer, with searches for Malta increasing over 120% in 2025, and searches for Sardinia up almost 200%.

And while destinations such as Barcelona and Rome remain popular with travellers, data shows an almost 50% increase[1] in searches for 'hidden gems' over the last 10 years, with two-thirds (65%) considering visiting a 'twin destination' of their well-known favourite. 

Marrakesh in Morocco, Budapest in Hungary and Oslo in Norway are all among the best alternative destinations for 2025, while Djerba in Tunisia and Bourgas in Bulgaria appear in the best holiday ‘dupes’.

UK’s top destinations for something different in 2025

  1. Malta, Malta (38%)
  2. Sardinia, Italy (34%)
  • Seville, Spain (34%)
  1. Budapest, Hungary (30%)
  2. Oslo, Norway (29%)
  3. Munich, Germany (28%)
  4. Gibraltar, Gibraltar (26%)
  • Bordeaux, France (26%)
  1. Zurich, Switzerland (25%)
  2. Marrakesh, Morocco (23%)

But when it comes to booking, Brits cite lack of information (41%), cost/budget constraints (34%) and fear of the unknown (26%) as some of the main barriers preventing them from trying something different. 

Additionally, 20% of Brits don’t feel confident in knowing where to start when planning a trip to an alternative destination, and a quarter (24%) don’t know what alternative destinations have to offer.

To help Brits feel more confident is choosing something different, easyJet holidays has launched a ‘Different Destinations’ range – 28 destinations across Europe and Africa to help mix up your next travel plans.

When looking to spice up their holiday itineraries, 73% of Brits admit to being influenced by AI to book a holiday somewhere they haven’t considered before, and two fifths (41%) believe AI is a good way to find 'dupe destinations'. A quarter (26%) say they are inspired by package holiday options, and 27% prefer reviews from family and friends.  

 Matt Callaghan, Chief Operating Officer at easyJet Holidays said:

“As a nation, we love to travel abroad, and our research shows that many Brits are keen to try something new this summer. In fact, 63% said they’d be more likely to book a holiday to a lesser-known destination if more information were available—highlighting a real appetite for something a little different.

As part of our ESG strategy, we’re focused on creating meaningful travel experiences that leave a positive, lasting impact. By spotlighting lesser-known destinations, we aim to support local economies, celebrate diverse cultures, and encourage responsible tourism that respects the people and places at the heart of every trip.

That’s why we’re proud to launch our ‘Different Destinations’ range—a platform designed to inform and inspire, offering travel tips, local insights, and thoughtful recommendations that benefit both our customers and the communities they visit. We believe tourism should enrich everyone it touches, and this initiative reflects our commitment to more inclusive and considerate travel across Europe and Northern Africa.”

The new ‘Different Destinations’ range is now available to browse via the easyJet holidays website. With 28 destinations across Europe and Northern Africa, Brits can be inspired to try somewhere different in 2025. For more information about the ‘Different Destinations’ range and how to book, please visit https://www.easyjet.com/en/holidays/different-holiday-destinations

Visit www.easyjet.com/en/holidays to book your 2025/2026 package holiday at the best value.

 

[1] Google Trends May 2015 – May 2025 https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2015-05-09%202025-05-09&geo=GB&q=hidden%20gems&hl=en-GB

 

-ENDS-  

For more information, please contact the easyJet Holidays press office on easyjetholidays@taylorherring.com / 020 8206 5151  

About easyJet Holidays:  

easyJet holidays, which launched in 2019, is a leading package holiday provider which operates from the UK, Switzerland, Germany and France. The company took over 2.5 million customers on holiday in 2024. 

Named UK & Ireland Travel Company of the Year 2024, it offers great value beach and city holidays to over 7000 hotels, in more than 100 destinations across Europe and North Africa, directly through its website and through over 7000 travel agent partners. The ATOL-protected holidays can be secured with a deposit of just £60 per person, including flights and accommodation, as well as 23kg luggage and transfers on beach breaks. 

easyJet holidays is a member of ABTA, and all packages are covered by its Ultimate Flexibility, offering freedom to change a booking, a refund guarantee, and best price guarantee. 

Winners of the Sustainable Future Award, easyJet holidays’ sustainability strategy, ‘Holiday Better’, focuses on three key pillars – create better holiday choices by making sustainable travel affordable and accessible to everyone; keep our holidays special by maximising the benefits and minimising the negative impacts of travel and tourism, and transform travel for everyone by embedding sustainability into business decisions and behaviours and driving meaningful change in the industry. The tour operator has partnered with UN Tourism to help develop the first environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework for tourism businesses, co-designing a measurement tool that is meaningful and feasible for better monitoring how tourism businesses impact, and depend on, people, planet and prosperity. 

easyJet holidays was named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work in 2023, 2024 and 2025.