Summer 2025 is over. The people of the United Kingdom have dusted off their cardigans, put their short shorts into storage, and are bedding in for the slow, inevitable annual slide into seasonal affective disorder. 

But if there is one benefit to the end of the warmest season, it’s that YouGov DestinationIndex can now determine which holiday hotspots were most liked by the public at the end of Summer 2025 according to our Impression metric. This metric asks UK consumers whether they have an overall positive or negative view of a place.  

The best travel destination by the end of Summer 2025, as far as the public was concerned: Italy. With an Impression score of 56.6, it was narrowly ahead of the (typically colder) nation of Canada (54.2) and a little further ahead of third-placed Norway (52.7).  The top five was rounded out by the Iberian nations of Portugal (50.8) and Spain (49.9) – longtime favourite vacation spots for UK holidaymakers.  

Saudi Arabia was the most improved destination over Summer 2025

You probably don’t need us to tell you that Brits like going to Italy and Spain on holiday, so we’ve also listed the travel destinations that were most improved compared to Summer 2024. 

Top of the list was Saudi Arabia, which saw a +3.9 rise over Summer 2025 compared to Summer 2024. Perceptions of the gulf state are still negative overall (-28.9) – perhaps thanks to its controversial regime – but UN reports have suggested that the country’s revenue growth from tourism has been on the rise this year. 

It was a similar story with China: as a destination, it’s broadly disliked (-17.9), but it still saw a +3.5 uptick in Impression scores. Recent reports have suggested that the country’s visa-free policy may have driven these improvements. Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, ranked third, with an uptick of +2.7 compared to Summer 2025 – although its scores were already positive (11.5). Poland (depicted as an interesting cultural and historical destination in the Academy Award-nominated A Real Pain earlier this year) matched this performance, as did Greece (+2.7). 

The lower half of the table saw representation from the UAE in Abu Dhabi (+2.5); APAC in Australia (+1.8); Scandinavia in Denmark (+1.7) and Norway (+1.7), with Brazil flying the flag for South America in 10th position (+1.7). 

Which destinations had the best summer by generation? 

The nations that saw the biggest rise in likability over Summer 2025 vary heavily according to generation. 

Among Gen Z, Norway (+12.2) saw the highest rise compared to Summer 2024 – and, with a score of 59.1, it’s now the highest-ranking destination among this cohort in terms of overall impression scores. Whether it’s because heat-averse holidaymakers want to escape rising summer temperatures, or the remarkable form of Erling Haaland, Norway is seeing a jump in tourism. The influx has gotten to the point where, earlier this year, the country’s lawmakers approved a 3% tourist tax due to rising visitor numbers.

With Denmark (+9.9) and Sweden (+6.4) taking second and third place, Gen Z’s top five is dominated by Scandinavian destinations, with Las Vegas (+6.1) and Greece (+6.0) taking fourth and fifth place. 

Among Millennials, Saudi Arabia saw the biggest jump in score compared to Summer 2024 (+7.7), with Japan (+6.7), Poland (+4.9), Australia (+4.0) and Canada (+3.8) comprising the other most improved destinations in our list. 

For Gen X consumers, China saw the biggest rise (+6.1), followed by Hong Kong (+4.9), Saudi Arabia (+4.1), Abu Dhabi (+3.8), and Brazil (+3.3). Poland was the most improved destination among Baby Boomers (+7.7), followed by Greece (+6.5), Italy (+4.5), Canada (+4.4), and Australia (+4.3). 

Methodology

YouGov DestinationIndex is a daily brand tracking tool that measures perceptions of travel destinations across multiple markets. Figures are based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Data for the UK is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, region, social grade, and ethnicity. Results are presented as net scores from –100 to +100 and reflect responses collected over Summer 2024 and 2025 (21 June – 22 September).

Find more travel insights
Explore DestinationIndex here