The most important events for vacation rentals in 2025
June 2026
What can you expect from 2025? It’s sure to be a big year for the holiday rental industry. We take a look at events to watch out for, trends to keep on top of, and everything you need to know to keep your business at its best during the year ahead.
Events for holiday apartments in 2025
First, there are some important events for holiday apartments in 2025. Get your calendar out — you won’t want to miss these fascinating conferences. If you can attend, these are great opportunities for networking and making connections.
Fitur: International Tourism Fair
Location: Madrid, Spain
Dates: 22 to 26 January
Fitur is always one of the biggest holiday apartment events. Tourism professionals from around the world descend on Madrid to attend conferences and seminars, learn new skills in workshops, and meet new potential business partners. It’s simply one of the biggest tourism events of the year, so if you have the chance to attend, take it.
Short Stay Conference
Location: Athens, Greece
Dates: 14 to 15 February
If you don’t have any plans for Valentine’s Day, why not spend it improving your business? The Short Stay Conference is another of the most important dates for holiday apartments in 2025. Although it is billed as Greece’s largest holiday rental event, the conference is also open to international attendees and speakers. Unlike most tourism events, this is purely aimed at the holiday rental sector, so it’s an ideal opportunity to learn some new tips and tricks.
ITB Berlin
Location: Berlin, Germany
Dates: 4 to 6 March
Calling itself the world’s leading travel trade show, ITB should be on your list of important dates in 2025 for holiday apartments. Over 24,000 people attended in 2024, making this one of the biggest events of the year. Expect forward-thinking discussion panels, interesting seminars, and workshops on hi-tech solutions to common holiday rental problems.
Level Up Your Listing Summit
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Dates: 9 to 11 March
This event is on the other side of the pond, but it still deserves a spot on our list of highlights for holiday apartments in 2025. The Level Up Your Listing Summit, now in its third year, sees hundreds of passionate holiday rental landlords come together to discuss the best ways to advertise holiday homes online. If you’d like to learn how to get the most from your holiday rental portal listings, this conference is for you.
Short Stay Summit
Location: London
Dates: 2 April
This one-day event is packed with fascinating talks to help you improve your holiday rental business. Topics range from elevating safety standards in short-term rentals to encouraging sustainability in your property. There’s also a session about government regulations in the holiday rental sphere, which is set to be a hot topic throughout 2025.
Is 2025 the year of holiday rental regulations?
At any conference you attend, you can expect to hear people discussing holiday rental legislation. Many governments have responded to protests against mass tourism by regulating the sector. This is most notable in Spain — the city of Barcelona plans to ban holiday rentals altogether, while the central government has proposed introducing a VAT of 21% on them. However, other countries have also started to turn against the industry. In Italy, for example, the government has just announced that contactless check-in in holiday rentals will be prohibited.
When it comes to increased regulations for holiday rentals, 2025 may be a bumpy year. As a landlord, the best you can do is keep up to date with new proposals and stay on the right side of the law.
Important events for holiday rental guests in 2025
Looking at the year ahead isn’t just about conferences you can attend. You should also stay on top of big events that can drive tourists to particular areas, which may affect your holiday rental business. Here are a few to look out for:
Holy Year
The Pope decreed that 2025 is a Holy Year, so many travellers are rushing to rent a holiday apartment in Rome. If you have a rental in the Eternal City, you may be able to charge a higher price than usual, particularly around big religious dates.
The Holy Year is likely to have a knock-on effect on destinations that lie on traditional Catholic pilgrimage paths, such as the Via Francigena or the Camino de Santiago. There are dozens of different pilgrimage routes across Europe, passing through towns in countries like Italy, Spain, France, and Portugal. Travellers will be particularly inclined to follow them during this important year. This could be an interesting angle to use in your advertising as you encourage people to rent your holiday home.
UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 and Women’s Rugby World Cup
These may not seem like huge events, but the popularity of women’s sports has boomed in recent years. As these sports get more media coverage, there are more and more fans travelling to cheer their favourite teams on. Europe’s international football tournament will take place in Switzerland in June and July, so landlords with properties there may consider offering special packages.
If you want people to rent your house for holidays in England, be aware that the Women’s Rugby World Cup takes place in September. Matches will be played at venues across the country, so look to see if there are any near you and take this into account in your advertising.
Travel trends to watch out for in 2025
2025 may be the year to give your holiday rental a makeover. Consider embracing new travel trends. The topics below are predicted to be big in 2025, but they should last well beyond the end of the year:
- Ecotourism. More and more travellers are conscious of the environmental impact of their holidays. They favour rentals with sustainable policies, minimal single-use plastic, and amenities like solar panels and electric car charging stations.
- Better technology. Put simply, the more smart devices, the better. An increasing number of guests want properties with keypads for entry, smart thermostats, smart lighting, and more.
- Authentic experiences. Travellers in 2025 often want to embrace the local culture of their destination. Consider stocking your kitchen with local products, and see if you can start some promotions with artisans from the area. Rentals with cross-selling options, like cultural workshops, cooking classes and unusual guided tours, are set to shine in 2025.
What will 2025 bring your holiday rental business? The trend towards increased regulations means it could be a difficult year, but it’s still one with plenty of opportunities for flexible, determined landlords.