Why nocturnal tourism is set to be one of 2025’s biggest travel trends

The Treasury at Petra, Jordan (iStockphoto)
The Treasury at Petra, Jordan (iStockphoto)

Summary

From starry skies and urban sights to mysterious wilderness, noctourism is about discovering the magic of exploration by night, be it at the Greater Rann of Kutch or Scandinavian countries to catch meteor showers

For a fleeting moment, the sky turns deep grey. The last wisps of peachy twilight disappear. Anticipation hangs in the air, a bit like when the curtain is about to rise before a show. Tentatively at first, and then as if yanked by an unseen string, a pearly moon rises from beyond the horizon. As it ascends, higher and higher, it drenches the flat unending landscape in a ghostly glow. Moonrise on a full moon night at the salt flats of the Greater Rann of Kutch near Bhuj in Gujarat is a breathtakingly surreal sight.

It’s also a bit scary. At over 7,500 sq. km, the salt flats are among the biggest in the world, and walking on the crusted salt layer takes a bit of getting used to. Where the salt isn’t thick, the feet sink as on soft sand; where it is thick, the ground shatters, a bit like stepping on a sheet of glass or thin ice. More unsettling, however, is the vast emptiness blanketed in darkness that stretches to eternity ahead. There are no markers and it feels like the end of the world. And yet, the beauty and serenity of the place overrides spookiness.

During the day, the immense whiteness is overwhelming in itself but the same sight at night, in comparison, feels layered, where everything is heightened, especially its allure. Against the inky blackness of the sky, the moon hangs suspended like a glowing silver disc, ethereal and magical. The air is cold and dense with a mild saltiness to it. It is also very quiet; the only sounds come from the occasional cold gusts that slap the ends of my stole and move around loose chunks of salt on the ground. In the dark stillness, there is a strange musical quality to the scene that is riveting, which is one of the many reasons that make moonlight journeys not just fascinating but immensely satisfying.

Midnight magic

The Forum in Rome
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The Forum in Rome

Turns out, lots of travellers are beginning to get on this same page, making noctourism (nocturnal tourism) among the foremost travel trends of 2025. Under the cover of darkness, not only does the world look and feel different, it also sounds very different, adding a sense of mystery, eeriness, awe and tranquillity: a sighting of a leopardess with her two frolicking cubs or swarms of fireflies on a night safari in the buffer zone of Madhya Pradesh’s Panna Tiger Reserve, peace-inducing stellar display of the Milky Way in the cold remoteness of Ladakh’s Hanle, a haunting symphony by unseen nocturnal insects and a lone owl in the dense jungles of Malaysia’s Taman Negara during a night forest walk, a couple of nonchalant kiwis pecking away in the thick forest of New Zealand’s Stewart Island on a midnight walk, dramatic spooky stories unfolding on a dark walk in Croatia’s Zagreb... Closer home, Bengaluru’s streets and sights look vastly different at midnight on an after-dark e-biking trip. Each experience stands out for the added dimension of darkness.

Online travel agency Booking.com flags this trend in its annual Travel Predictions research and says, “2025 is the year of stargazing our way into new astro-adventures" and adds that “with space tourism edging ever closer to reality, travellers will be focused on building connections with the universe as they turn to more attainable astro-pursuits". According to the platform, 78% of Indian travellers are interested in stargazing and constellation tracking at dark sky destinations, 76% are willing to travel for once-in-a-lifetime celestial events, 69% prefer vacationing in cooler locations due to climate change concerns about extreme weather events, and 79% plan activities during cooler hours. But a more heartening factor is the deep appreciation for the nocturnal world and the yearning for a meaningful connection with nature with 72% actively looking for accommodation with minimal light pollution. In a recent report, travel search aggregator Skyscanner says 53% of Indian travellers interested in the dark skies would be interested in sleeping under the Milky Way, while 44% would like to catch the northern lights.

Santosh Kumar, Booking.com’s country manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia, attributes the growing trend to the need for “forging deeper connections—personal, cultural and environmental". “Travel in 2025 marks just the beginning of a more thoughtful, intentional approach to exploring the world," Kumar says, adding, “travellers are no longer satisfied with traditional, cookie-cutter experiences. Instead, they’re seeking trips that defy conventions and align with their personal values—whether that’s sustainability, wellness or cultural immersion."

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On ground, the travel industry says the trend is clearly visible. “Night tourism is projected to grow significantly in 2025, driven by urban nightlife, immersive cultural festivals, and nocturnal nature experiences," says Rajiv Mehra, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), the country’s apex body of tour operators. “Cities are embracing illuminated attractions, night markets, and extended operating hours to boost tourism revenue. The trend is fuelled by travellers seeking unique, serene experiences and the rise of 24/7 lifestyles globally," he says.

However, while noctourism predictably throws up images of star-gazing followed by chasing northern lights, there are a myriad ways to explore at night and an ever-expanding slew of activities are on offer. “Apart from star-gazing, popular night tourism activities include night safaris, city tours of illuminated landmarks, cultural performances, night kayaking, bioluminescent bay tours, camping, pub crawls, and food festivals. Other experiences include nocturnal wildlife spotting, glow-in-the-dark nature trails, and light-and-sound shows at historical monuments, offering diverse options for adventure and cultural exploration," says Mehra.

Celestial shows

Watching The Milky Way in Surin, Thailand
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Watching The Milky Way in Surin, Thailand

Without a doubt, the night sky and celestial events are the foremost reasons for the rise of noctourism. And 2025 is not about to disappoint. Star-studded skies, glimpses of the Milky Way and other constellations are a given almost throughout the year. And to cater to this segment, there has been a rise in a new breed of hotels—dome stays with transparent or retractable roofs that give unhindered views of the night sky from the cosy comfort of one’s bed.

“I think in cities due to light pollution and also lack of access, there is no chance of seeing a clear sky let alone the stars or Milky Way. The awe to see a clear night sky is something mind-blowing even for someone like me who spends a lot of time in the jungles. Also, apps (such as Night Sky for Apple users, Sky Safari and Star Walk) have made such hobbies easier to indulge in," says Shoba Rudra, founder and partner of RARE India, a community of boutique non-hotels, many of which offer several kinds of night-time experiences.

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But it’s not just about starlit skies. A host of celestial events—eclipses, supermoons, planetary conjunctions and meteor showers—are anticipated in 2025. Four eclipses—a total lunar eclipse in mid-March, a partial solar eclipse at the end of March, a total lunar eclipse in the beginning of September and a partial solar eclipse in the second half of September—are expected to send enthusiasts scouting for places to get the best glimpses of these events.

Besides, at least 10 meteor showers will light up the night skies. The most anticipated of these are the Lyrids in April, Perseids in August, Leonids in November and Geminids in December. More unusual is the rare “planet parade" when all seven planets are scheduled to appear on the earth’s skies and line up just above the horizon at the end of this month. A wolf moon (when Mars will disappear behind the moon and give it a reddish glow) that occurred earlier this week, a Venus show in January and February and a Venus-Jupiter conjunction in August are some of the other cosmic highlights of the year.

The other heavenly phenomenon that is likely to rock the skies in 2025 are the northern lights. There were some dazzling displays in 2024 due to the peak in the sun’s 11-year activity which is likely to continue into 2025, so the aurora borealis will continue to put on a glorious show. Global searches for Tromso in Norway, where the lights are anecdotally at their best, have reportedly gone up by more than 250%, according to Skyscanner. Other places to catch the show include Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Scotland, Greenland, Canada and Alaska.

Walk on the wild side

For those more excited about things on terra firma, wildlife safaris and night treks might do the trick. While entry into national parks and protected areas is restricted in India after sunset, animals recognise no boundaries and move back and forth between restricted areas and buffer zones. Across the country, night safaris are done in the buffer zones adjoining parks—Pench, Bandhavgarh, Tadoba, Panna, Kanha, Satpura and others—and are a fantastic chance to encounter creatures that come out at night to play. Encountering a pair of glorious mottled wood owls, coming across a rare fishing cat hunting, or seeing a flock of fruit bats silhouetted against the night sky… the possibilities are endless. Night safaris can also yield some surreal sights, such as trees filled with fireflies under a sky full of stars, one mirroring the other. Or a stunning full moon rising above the tree line and turning a water body into a glimmering silvery expanse, its reflection gently rippling.

The industry has been quick to recognise the appetite for such activities. “Night safaris, wilderness drives and walks to look for moths and insects like scorpions with an infra red lights are some of the activities some of our lodges offer. I’ve also heard of night walks by the coast to look for bio luminescence. I feel these are such great ideas, especially when travelling with children, to instil a sense of awe for nature," Rudra says.

For more intrepid travellers, there is night trekking. On a full moon night or under a blanket of stars and surrounded by darkness, the rustling of leaves and sounds of nature lend a magical dimension to long treks. Most involve climbing hills or hillocks and last through the night. The reward: a stunning sunrise. Or if the trek is in the northern end of the country, views of gorgeous Himalayan peaks.

Cityscapes after sundown

Even within the cities we live in, there’s plenty happening after sundown. And it’s not all about sipping sundowners. A couple of years ago, Bengaluru-based Gully Tours launched a night walk in the heart of the city’s old business district, but with a twist. It was a walk for women led by women to an area that women seldom go at night. It met with such enthusiasm that the company not only did mixed walks on the same circuit but added similar ones in other parts such as Cantonment, with its distinctive colonial feel and the different communities that built the city. However, the most fun as well as illuminating is the Yulu Midnight Trail which involves zipping around Bengaluru’s colonial heart on an e-bike, stopping at some of the city’s beautiful spots, tasting food and experiencing a whole new side of the city.

Gully Tours founder Vinay Parameshwarappa says the twin triggers were entirely different. “The city looks and feels very different at night and we wanted people to explore that side of it. But there was also a practical reason: not everyone is excited about waking up in the morning to do a walk, so we thought a night walk would be a good alternative," he says. The response was so encouraging that Gully Tours realised it had landed on a good thing and has kept adding to the repertoire.

“There’s a special feel to seeing the city at night, whichever part that might be. So many things come alive. Whether the old Pete (market) area, Cantonment area and its neighbourhoods, Commercial Street or Church Street—some are bustling others are peaceful...a lit up Vidhana Soudha (a stop on the e-bike tour) without any crowds is a beautiful sight," says Parameshwarappa. I couldn’t agree more as I zipped around on the trail a few months ago.

Elsewhere in the country, night walks in Delhi and Mumbai explore the city’s architecture and neighbourhoods. Several cities also have self-guided or local-led midnight cycling trips that enable seeing larger areas than walks allow.

More popular are food walks, especially around street food, in several Indian cities and across the world which offer glimpses of local culture. Most food walks in major cities are in the evening-night or after dark, unless they are breakfast or tiffin walks. For example, in Bengaluru, street food hubs in VV Puram, Nagarathpet and Avenue Road come alive only after sunset, and that’s when the walks are scheduled. Beer walks and pub-hopping are another sub-category of this.

Also read: Walk up an appetite this winter

In Bengaluru and in other beer capitals of the world—London, Berlin and Munich, Dublin, Vancouver, Brussels, Prague, Sydney—boozy trails are a fun way to get to know the city and give participants a high in more ways than one. And for those who love a good scare, ghost walks do the trick. Abroad, there are voodoo and vampire walks in New Orleans, walks in the catacombs of Paris, ghosts and ghouls tours in Edinburgh, ghost tours in Prague and haunted London pubs tours. In India, there is the Kolkata Ghost Tour, Walk with the Dead in Mumbai, walks in Kuldhara and Bhangarh, both in Rajasthan, and Mehrauli Ghost Walk, among others.

Radiant monuments

Nowhere is the mystery and magic that the cover of darkness lends more pronounced than at iconic monuments. It’s not just about sound and light shows, though they are lovely in their own way. Agra’s Taj Mahal on a full moon night is ethereally beautiful, beyond anything the imagination can conjure, the gleaming façade standing in stark contrast to the inky blackness of the sky, personifying the romance behind it.

In Jordan’s Petra, under a moonless night, a narrow path is lit by flickering candles, throwing deep shadows on the towering walls on either side. Caves, crevices and hidden corners seem to hide a million stories from as long ago as 400 BC. When the path finally opens up at The Treasury, a spectacular set of rock-cut tombs rising almost 130ft, the sight is breathtaking. It is lit by nothing but hundreds of candles placed in paper bags. There are scores of visitors but there is only silence, as each one absorbs its sheer beauty and magnificence. I saw the monument in daylight and it didn’t quite affect me the same way it does at night. The Pyramids of Giza, the Colosseum in Rome, the Mayan ruins at Yucatan, the temples of Khajuraho are but some of the sights that are truly awe-inspiring by day but even better at night.

The travel industry is gearing up to meet this burgeoning demand. “Travel agents report overwhelmingly positive feedback, with clients appreciating the tranquillity, exclusivity and novelty of night experiences," Mehra says. “Many highlight the enchanting beauty of lit-up attractions, the thrill of nocturnal safaris, and the immersive cultural vibe of night markets." He adds that safety concerns and accessibility challenges need improvement for greater satisfaction.

Clearly, as the world sleeps, noctourism awakens, offering a smorgasbord of experiences that speak to certain kinds of souls. Whether it is being awed by celestial occurrences, marvelling at the different facets of nature and wildlife or revelling in varied urban experiences, noctourism is not just an alternative to daytime travel. Rather, it’s an opportunity to experience the magic and mystery that come with darkness. And it is all too easy to embrace it.

Anita Rao Kashi is an independent journalist based in Bengaluru.

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