In 2025, we watched traveler behavior shift in real time. More people sought immersive, nature-rich experiences, and the way they searched, compared and booked those experiences evolved just as quickly.
Against this backdrop, PADI Adventures introduced a series of meaningful updates — each designed to meet divers where they are searching and to help PADI Dive Centers stay visible, competitive and connected in a fast-changing landscape.
Here’s a closer look at what changed this year, the impact these developments has had and how PADI Adventures can continue to support your business moving forward.
How Today’s Travelers Are Finding Diving
Today’s travelers plan on the go — literally while waiting for a flat white or scrolling during a delayed flight. According to McKinsey’s State of Travel 2025, they expect zero-friction booking from their phone.
No twelve-step booking flows.
No login walls.
Just tap → book → dive.
Consumers no longer dig through long websites. They rely on AI recommendations, top search results, Google Maps, “things to do” platforms and algorithm-driven inspiration on TikTok and Instagram.
By placing PADI Member offerings directly inside these channels, PADI Adventures makes sure diving shows up exactly where today’s travelers decide what to do next — increasing visibility, conversion and bookings for PADI Dive Centers.
Travel Trends 2025
Adventure travel continues to grow, and eco-conscious experiences are moving firmly into the mainstream. Short “try-something-new” getaways have become one of the defining ways people choose to travel in 2025. And, scuba diving sits naturally at the intersection of all these trends.
The data reinforces it, too: 52% of PADI Discover Scuba® Diving participants say they joined simply because it looked fun during their holiday.
What may be a spontaneous experience today is also a powerful gateway to future certifications and long-term engagement with the ocean.
How PADI Adventures Responded to These Trends
PADI Adventures is an ever-evolving tool, benefiting both PADI Dive Centers as well as PADI Divers and non-divers.
1. Putting Scuba Front and Center To Grow Certifications
Unlike general online travel agencies (OTAs) — where scuba is easily buried among unrelated activities — PADI Adventures is built to spotlight your offerings and to reach audiences in two high-value directions at once:
- Divers already connected to the PADI brand, searching through trusted, organic PADI channels.
- The massive audience of “Experience Seekers“ browsing general “things to do” platforms, many of whom haven’t yet considered diving as an option.
This expanded reach, across certified divers, occasional divers and first-time experience seekers, continues to drive PADI Adventures product updates and has played a major role in the platform’s strong 2025 growth.
2. Key Product Developments Delivered in 2025
Several enhancements launched this year specifically to increase visibility, streamline the customer journey and help your business reach new audiences.
- Google Things To Do Integration: Your activities now appear directly inside Google’s “Book Now” interface in Search and Maps — exactly where today’s travelers make real-time decisions. Read more here.
- Google Review Display: Customers instantly see trusted review signals, a major factor influencing activity selection and conversion.
- PADI Courses Locator Launch: A cleaner, faster path for users searching specifically for training options — less friction, more enrollments and greater visibility for PADI Dive Centers. Read more here.
3. What the Data Reveals
2025 analytics confirm that PADI Adventures is far more than an e-commerce platform; it’s a powerful diver-acquisition channel and a reactivation engine for occasional divers.
Here’s what stands out:
- A robust increase in bookings across the platform.
- A marked rise in adoption of the PADI Adventures Booking Widget, paired with increased revenue from bookings made directly on PADI Dive Centers’ websites.
- A substantial increase in online inventory in 2025.
- Entry-level training programs were a significant portion of all bookings.
Key learnings from 2025:
- Adding more Core Products (PADI Open Water Diver courses, PADI Advanced Open Water Diver courses, PADI Discover Scuba® Diving experiences, PADI Scuba Diver programs, PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Diver courses, PADI ReActivate programs, fun dives and snorkeling activities) directly correlates with increased sales.
- A generous cancellation policy and instant confirmation improve conversion.
Looking Ahead
The developments planned for the coming year continue to follow one guiding principle: building tools and pathways that place PADI Members at the center of evolving global booking habits. Innovation remains steady, distribution partnerships will broaden and member insights will continue to guide technology priorities.
The objective goes beyond merely driving additional bookings — important as that is. It is about making diving more visible, more accessible and more mainstream, in order to welcome more people into the underwater community.
More travelers are discovering diving through the channels they use every day, and PADI Dive Centers are increasingly present at the exact moment decisions are made. This momentum continues to shape how new divers enter the underwater world and how the industry grows in the years ahead.
