Most people would make a beeline for the beach for their summer holiday, right? Wrong. According to the latest flight data from Mastercard, Japan’s sprawling capital Tokyo has emerged as this summer’s trending destination.
Using data from the Official Airline Guide, Mastercard analysed the change in flight bookings between 2019 and 2024 to identify the most popular spots for a summer getaway.
According to the credit card company, Tokyo has seen the biggest increase in tourist demand, overtaking Bangkok as the most visited city in 2024. It’s thought its popularity is down to the depreciation of the yen, making Japan much cheaper to visit than it has been historically. No wonder, then, that the Japanese city of Osaka came second on the list.
Typically, Tokyo is a popular spring destination, when the cherry blossoms are in bloom and temperatures are mild, but the Japanese capital is pretty darn lovely in the summer months, too.
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On the last Saturday of July, the Sumida River Fireworks Festival will fill city skies with a spectacular display. Too hot? Head to Oshima, the largest of Tokyo’s islands for some swimming and snorkelling – the water here is beautifully clear.
After Osaka, in third place was Paris – clearly travellers are leaning towards city breaks this year.
Read on for the full top 15 emerging summer destinations, according to Mastercard, and have a look at ’s comprehensive guides on where you should travel in June, July and August 2025.
These are the top emerging summer destinations for summer travel
- Tokyo
- Osaka
- Paris
- Shanghai
- Palma De Majorca
- Seoul
- Beijing
- Madrid
- Rio de Janeiro
- Singapore
- Nha Trang
- Reykjavik
- Fukuoka
- Hurghada
- Sharm El-Sheikh
Check out the full report here.
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