TOP 2026
TRAVEL TRENDS
AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARKETERS
From nighttime adventures to mega events and AI, here's what to expect in 2026.
2026 is expected to be another year of growth for tourism. Which behaviours, technologies and destinations will define travel this year? And what opportunities can the travel and hospitality industry capture to leverage them? We’ve examined dozens of trusted sources, dissected ‘megatrends’ , decoded buzzwords and filtered out the noise -These are the trends worth watching this year.
01
OFF-PEAK TRAVEL REACHES NEW HEIGHTS
Faced with overtourism headlines and more restrictive tourism policies, travelers are embracing total flexibility in location and timing to avoid the crowds.
National efforts like Japan’s decentralization campaigns and local initiatives like Venice’s entry fees are already aiming at making 'off-season' and ‘off the beaten path’ travel the new industry standard, rather than a second choice. The next big shift in 2026 could be ‘off-peak hours’. What started as niche activities - like night jungle walks in Costa Rica, night market visits in Asia or exclusive after-hours museum tours in Europe - could possibly evolve into ‘Nocturism’: A wave of nighttime-focused tourism driven both by a desire to avoid the crowds, and rising daytime temperatures. While stargazing retreats and 'astro-cruises' to chase northern lights are already a reality, rare events in 2026 like the Total Lunar Eclipse on March 3 and the Total Solar Eclipse on August 12 could provide further opportunities for destinations and travel companies to market the night as a new attraction -for example, with 28-day solar eclipse cruises around Scandinavia selling at 6,500€+ /person.
34%
of travelers say they actively seek out quieter destinations (1)
+25%
increase in demand for night-focused experiences (2)
$731
billion
estimated global bleisure market size by 2032 (3)
$1.69
trillion
forecasted global
business travel spending in 2026 (4)
02
THE CONVERGENCE OF BUSINESS AND LEISURE CONTINUES
As business travel grows and tourism stakeholders look for opportunities to drive off-peak demand, 'blended' or 'bleisure' travel is set to continue gaining momentum in 2026.
From the rise of digital nomadism to corporate business travelers seeking me-time during duty trips or extending them into weekends, the boundaries of business and leisure travel have already started blurring. In 2026, 'blended' or 'bleisure' travel is set to continue gaining momentum, as business travel demand continues to rise and tourism stakeholders respond with features designed to accommodate this trend: From soundproofed coworking spaces and private pods in Hotels, to airlines offering generous stopover programs turning a flight connection into a mid-trip vacation -without extra ticket costs.
03
THE AGE OF (PRE)DISCOVERY
As global AI consumer adoption grows, its role in trip planning will be questioned: Single source of truth, or just another layer in the discovery journey?
With more travelers turning to tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to architect their journeys, an increased usage has led to a critical phase of 'on-the-ground' verification, which exposed a rise in reported inaccuracies potentially eroding user trust, like outdated data or cross-border search results inconsistencies.
Consequently, 2026 travelers are likely to continue adopting a multi-modal approach to their trip planning journey, increasingly seeing AI as a tool to 'light the spark' while reverting to traditional sources (like word-of-mouth, video content, and social media) to verify sensitive itinerary details.
This scenario -while providing brands and marketers with opportunities for increased visibility -could result in a rise in duplicate traffic, rather than a cannibalization of more established traffic sources
25-39%
of travelers using AI to plan trips say they received wrong information (5,6)
19-31%
of travelers use social media to find inspiration (7,8)
48%
of travelers will add solo travel days to their family itineraries (9)
04
REDEFINING THE 'STANDARD' TRAVEL UNIT
For decades, the leisure travel industry was designed for rigid categories: the "nuclear family," the "couple," and the "group." But as we enter 2026, these boundaries continue dissolving.
While multi-generational and ‘skip-gen’ trips - where grandparents, parents, and children travel together- dominated industry headlines last year, they possibly functioned more as a catalyst for questioning old norms than as a lasting revolution. As we move into 2026, the definition of the travel unit is expanding into a new direction -this time to include our non-human companions. Driven by a growth of the global pet industry, tourism stakeholders are moving beyond mere "pet-friendly" policies toward full-scale integration: From hotels introducing dedicated canine concierges, to new rules allowing large dogs in the passenger cabin of airplanes in Italy, while pet-friendly experiences grew up to 260%.
Following the solo travel boom, will this trend represent the final collapse of the ‘standard’ travel unit?
05
THE YEAR OF MEGA-EVENTS
2026 will be a year of mega sports events: This means massive opportunities for tourism stakeholders -and challenges for travelers.
Tourism stakeholders view 2026 as a monumental economic opportunity. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup expecting a record 6.5 million fans and the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics forecasting between 1 and 2 million visitors, local businesses and hospitality providers anticipate record-breaking revenue. This influx allows host regions to showcase their infrastructure on a global stage, though the sheer scale of the events requires careful management to handle the intense, concentrated demand. During the Paris Games, Airbnb increased supply in the city by more than 50%.
For travelers, however, these spectacles bring logistical hurdles and rising costs. As hotel rates and airfares spike, a 'crowding out' effect could emerge as a likely scenario. Casual tourists might choose to avoid the congestion entirely, potentially shifting their focus toward 'destination dupes' or quieter secondary cities to escape the hyper-inflation.
Hotel Rates surging
328%
on average during the FIFA World Cup (10)
Transatlatic fares growing
2x
on average during the FIFA World Cup (11)
ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Edoardo -as a certified professional, ex- travel/tech leader and passionate innovator, I specialize in marketing and commercial innovation consulting and insights.
In my career across 5 countries I have overseen multi-million marketing initiatives and have been awarded for breaking commercial records, working with top brands like Booking.com and Qatar Airways.
With my advisory business and as a mentor I help leaders and entrepreneurs in the travel industry accelerate commercial impact; I'm also a speaker, author of resources like the Playbook AI in Travel Marketing and regularily attend global tourism events like ITB Berlin and WTM London.
Sources:
(1) The Future of Travel and Tourism, Skyscanner; (2) Travel Industry Trends, McKinsey ; (3) State of Travel 2025, SKIFT ; (4) Travel Outlook, GBTA ; (5) Travel Trends 2026, Amadeus; (6) The Future of Travel and Tourism, Skyscanner ; (7) Travel Forward 2026, Phocuswright ; (8) Global Travel Report, WTM/Tourism Economics ; (9) 2026 Trends, Hilton ; (10) Hotel Prices in World Cup host cities, NY Times ; (11) Google Flights / Hopper.