Key Trends Shaping Travel Theft in 2025

Below are the major forces reshaping the global travel-theft landscape and why they matter for anyone who travels with a bag, a phone, or a passport.

1. Travel Volumes Are Up — And So Is Exposure

Global tourism has roared back. Travelers are taking longer trips, combining multiple cities and countries in a single itinerary, and spending more time in high-traffic transit hubs: airports, train stations, bus terminals, and rideshares.

Recent tourism reports show that international tourist arrivals in 2024 effectively matched— and in many destinations slightly exceeded—2019 levels, with additional growth already recorded in the first half of 2025. That means more people, more movement, and more opportunities for thieves in every major travel hub.

At the same time, the average traveler is carrying more valuable items than ever: smartphones, laptops, tablets, noise-cancelling headphones, cameras, designer bags, and connected devices. Each trip now represents a far richer target for opportunistic thieves.

2. Theft Methods Are Evolving

Classic pickpocketing still exists—crowded metros, busy squares, queues, and tourist hot spots— but the methods are evolving. Today’s thieves use:

• Distraction techniques (spills, “helpful” strangers, staged arguments)
• Snatch-and-grab tactics targeting open totes, chair-back bags, or loose crossbodies
• Transit theft in airports, train stations, and rideshares when travelers are tired and off-guard
• Tech-focused theft where the primary goal is phones, laptops, and tablets rather than cash

“In 2025, researchers have flagged cities like Bangkok, Paris, Prague and Shanghai as some of the world’s top hotspots for scams and pickpocketing targeting tourists.” Source: 2025 travel safety and pickpocket hotspot reports

The common thread: attackers look for moments where people are juggling tickets, kids, drinks, or luggage—and their bag is momentarily unprotected.

3. Tourist “Hot Zones” Are Back in Focus

Major tourist hubs—iconic European cities, global capitals, beach destinations, and festival locations— are again reporting elevated levels of petty theft and pickpocketing. High foot traffic plus distracted visitors equals a predictable opportunity for thieves.

In some destinations, local police forces have even launched special summer operations and brought in reinforcements specifically to combat pickpocketing and bag theft around popular tourist districts.

The pattern is consistent worldwide: densely populated tourist centers + crowded public transport + open public spaces = a higher baseline risk of bag theft.

4. The Rise of Anti-Theft Luggage and Bags

As awareness grows, more travelers are seeking out products that explicitly promise better security: anti-theft backpacks, crossbodies with hidden zippers, RFID-blocking wallets, and smart bags with locks and GPS.

“One recent market study valued the global anti-theft travel bag category at around $1.2 billion in 2024, with forecasts suggesting it could more than double in size by 2033.” Source: Global Anti-Theft Travel Bag Market Research, 2024–2033

More broadly, travel bag and luggage markets are projected to keep growing over the next decade, driven by rising travel demand and a shift toward higher-quality, feature-rich gear. What used to be a niche “safety” segment is becoming a mainstream expectation. Travelers increasingly see security features not as a bonus, but as a basic requirement for premium travel gear.

5. Bags Are No Longer “Just Bags”

In 2025, when a bag is stolen, a lot more disappears with it:

• Smartphones and laptops (and the data they contain)
• Passports, visas, and identity documents
• Medication, keys, and personal essentials
• Travel plans, boarding passes, and hotel details

Aviation and consumer studies still report hundreds of thousands of bags being lost or mishandled every year by airlines alone, without counting street theft and pickpocketing. Each lost or stolen bag now represents a cluster of digital, financial, and emotional loss—not just a missing carry-all.

The emotional cost of theft—panic, disruption, lost time, and the feeling of being violated—now rivals the financial loss. A stolen bag can ruin a trip, derail a work opportunity, or create days of admin to recover.

What This Means for the Bags & Travel Market

These trends are reshaping not only how people travel, but what they expect from the items they carry. For the global bags and accessories market, several clear implications emerge.

1. Security Is Becoming a Core Purchase Driver

Travelers are no longer purely shopping for aesthetics. While design and style remain non-negotiable, more consumers are asking:

• “Will this bag keep my things safe in a crowded city?”
• “Can someone quietly open this zip without me noticing?”
• “What happens if I accidentally leave my bag behind?”

That shift—from “How does it look?” to “How does it protect me?”—is the foundation of the modern anti-theft bag category.

2. Style + Security, Not Style vs Security

Historically, “anti-theft” products often sacrificed aesthetics. Bulky straps, obvious hardware, and purely functional designs kept the category small.

Today’s traveler, however, expects both: a bag that looks like a statement piece and behaves like a discreet security system. That’s the exact intersection where Rachel Bloom operates—elevated, fashion-forward silhouettes with built-in protection.

3. Smart Technology Is a Differentiator

Passive features (like hidden zippers) are no longer enough to stand out. Travelers increasingly expect active protection: fingerprint locks, distance alerts, smartphone notifications, motion-triggered alarms, and GPS location tracking.

Bags are evolving into connected devices—extensions of the traveler’s digital life as much as their wardrobe. Smart security features transform a bag from “nice to have” into a protective companion.

4. New Channels for Travel-Security Products

As theft risk becomes a mainstream concern, the places where travelers discover and buy bags are changing too. Anti-theft bags can (and should) appear in:

• Airport and travel retail stores
• Hotel boutiques and resort shops
• Festival and event partner packages
• Digital travel guides and curated gift lists

In this environment, secure bags stop being a niche specialty item and start feeling like an essential part of the modern travel kit.

5. Licensing & Tech Integration Opportunities

As security becomes an expected feature, established luggage and fashion brands will look for trusted, ready-to-integrate solutions rather than building everything from scratch.

This opens the door for dedicated smart-security platforms—like the technology behind Rachel Bloom—to be licensed into other brands’ bags, suitcases, and accessories, turning anti-theft features into a new standard rather than a rare exception.

Challenges & Counter-Trends

To paint an honest picture of travel theft in 2025, it’s also important to acknowledge the nuances and counter-forces.

• Under-reporting of theft: Many incidents never make it into official statistics, so the true scale can be hard to quantify. Brands must rely on a mix of data, traveler stories, and real-world experience.
• Security fatigue: Some travelers are tired of fear-based messaging. The challenge is to communicate risk in a way that feels empowering, not alarming.
• More competition: As anti-theft features gain traction, more brands will add basic security elements. To stand out, leaders will need deeper technology, better design, and a clear brand point of view.
• Global variability: Theft risk changes by country, city, season, and even time of day. A truly effective anti-theft bag must be versatile enough to protect travelers in many different contexts.