What are tourism trends?
Tourism trends reflect evolving patterns and preferences in travel, influenced by factors such as technological advancements, socio-economic shifts, and changing consumer behaviours. These trends can range from the rise of eco-friendly and sustainable travel to the growing popularity of experiential and personalised vacations.
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Why keep up with new trends in tourism?
Keeping up with new trends in tourism is crucial for hotel owners to stay competitive and meet the evolving expectations of guests. It enables:
Market positioning and brand differentiation
Adapting to trends allows hotels to position themselves strategically in a crowded market, highlighting unique selling points that resonate with current consumer interests. For instance, embracing eco-friendly practices can attract environmentally conscious travellers, setting a hotel apart as a sustainable choice. Additionally, innovative offerings based on trends, such as offering local culinary experiences or wellness retreats, can significantly enhance brand differentiation, making the hotel more memorable and likely to be recommended.
Increased revenue opportunities
Trends towards personalised travel experiences open avenues for upselling tailored services, from customised room settings to bespoke tour packages, directly impacting revenue. Meanwhile, understanding demand trends allows for dynamic pricing strategies, maximising occupancy and revenue during peak periods and stimulating demand when needed.
Guest experience and satisfaction
Trends like mobile check-in/check-out, in-room technology, and AI-driven customer service can significantly elevate the guest experience, making it more convenient, personalised, and engaging. Furthermore, catering to trends in experiential travel by offering immersive local experiences or themed stays can lead to higher guest satisfaction and stronger emotional connections with the brand.
Operational excellence and sustainability
Implementing the latest technological trends can streamline operations, from automated booking systems to energy-efficient facilities management, reducing costs and environmental impact. On that note, adopting sustainable and responsible tourism practices not only meets the growing demand for eco-friendly travel but also contributes to long-term operational savings and compliance with regulatory standards.
Future-proofing the business
Keeping abreast of trends enables hotels to adapt more swiftly to market changes, making them more resilient to disruptions such as economic downturns or shifts in consumer behaviour. Understanding emerging trends helps in strategic planning, ensuring that investments in marketing, renovations, or expansions are aligned with future market demands. Capitalise on tourism trends with SiteMinder Stay in control and reach guests around the globe via SiteMinder’s smart platform, built to deliver unbeatable revenue results for hotels.
What are emerging trends in tourism?
Global tourism trends
2026 is witnessing a fascinating evolution in global tourist preferences and behaviours.
The allure of silence and calm is on the rise, with ‘quietcations’ becoming increasingly sought-after for their restorative potential. ‘Anti-Instagram’ travel, meanwhile, is reshaping itineraries, with off-grid, remote and digital detox destinations offering respite from the overcrowded hotspots of years gone by.
Hyper-individualised retreats are experiencing a revival. Trips are being tailored to specific stages of life, from menopause to post-divorce healing. AI-driven personalisation is becoming a question of convenience vs control. Travellers are willing to trust AI to a point, but only where they see obvious efficiencies and advantages in its use. Many travellers are combating decision fatigue by choosing mystery itineraries or expertly curated packages.
Literature and cinema continues to cast its spell on travellers. Many are now charting their next adventure based on ‘BookTok’ hits and cinematic ‘set-jetting’ destinations, underscoring the profound impact of storytelling on travel choices.
Popular destinations are becoming more intentional. Countries like Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greece and Spain are climbing the ranks of traveller hotspots thanks to their blend of tranquility, cultural depth and unique offerings.
The nostalgic charm of the open road is notably transforming travel patterns, with hashtagged road trips sparking surges in bookings for scenic driving routes across the globe.
Finally, slightly unconventional destinations like Skåne, Toledo, Oregon or even Iraq are emerging as the sanctuaries for those seeking solace, adventure and natural beauty.
Domestic tourism trends
Domestic travel – journeys that begin and end within the same country – is undergoing a transformation.
One trend is grocery-inspired (aka ‘shelf discovery’) getaways, where travellers go on supermarket safaris in which they hunt for local snacks and specialties, to sample, take home and fill their own pantry.
Hobby-based escapes like run-cations and literary retreats are also experiencing a notable uptick in popularity, as people look to enjoy their favourite past-times as they travel, or make their interests the centrepiece of their next adventure.
Family time looks like it will be a focus in 2026, with multi-generational trips a particular focus. Heritage often forms a key part of these trips, with families taking the opportunity to explore their local history and roots.
In light of recent global events, including rising costs and economic pressures, truly local domestic travel – exploring your own backyard – looks set to be a popular option in 2026. These escapes also allow travellers to capitalise on weekends, rather than having to take time off work.
With a number of huge sporting events occurring in 2026, highlighted by the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, locals will be looking to experience these major sporting events while they’re accessible within home borders, without the need for lengthy and expensive international travel.
What are current tourism trends?
The enduring explorer
These travellers have a desire to visit new places, no matter what pressures they may be facing.
Based on SiteMinder’s Changing Traveller Report, 49% of travellers report a stronger desire to travel in the next 12 months. American travellers lead the way in terms of domestic tourism, with 52% planning domestic-only travel in 2026.
The digital dependent
Travellers are also characterised by the time they spend online, with digital platforms becoming the heartbeat of discovery.
Globally, OTAs (26%) have now overtaken search engines (21%) as the primary starting point for hotel research, while 80% of travellers are now open to using AI to assist with their planning, booking and in-stay experience.
The memory maker
Travellers are also becoming more intentional about how they cultivate enriching and memorable experiences on their trips.
58% of travellers now plan to choose superior or luxury rooms as they prioritise more meaningful, elevated experiences over standard stays – a 4% increase since last year.
The conscious collaborator
Travellers no longer see their accommodation as just a bed and a roof over their head. They want to work with their chosen property and enjoy a stay that feels designed for them.
When it comes to hearing more from their accommodation, nearly half (49%) now expect a personalised experience, and 87% are willing to spend on extras like breakfast and room upgrades to ensure their stay is perfectly tailored to them.
Pichata Ritchie,
Cluster E-commerce Manager
VALA Hua Hin – Nu Chapter Hotels
What is the future of tourism trends and the tourist market?
The future of tourism and the tourist market is poised to evolve significantly, shaped by emerging trends and shifting traveller preferences. Here are some potential developments we might see:
- Regenerative travel: Growing environmental awareness is shifting the focus from ‘sustainable’ to ‘regenerative’ travel, in which you leave a destination better than you found it, through working on local projects or staying at hotels that fund them.
- AI as infrastructure: AI will offer hyper-personalised ‘concierge’ planning: customised activity suggestions, real-time itinerary optimisations, loyalty program tracking and more.
- Purpose-driven immersion: ‘Whycations’ are trips driven by specific emotional milestones or personal passions. Film-based “set-jetting” travel and shopping-focused trips where travellers source local artisanal products look like they’ll be popular in 2026.
- Hushpitality and calm-cations: The focus on health and wellness will intensify through ‘hushpitality’, where tourists seek restorative silence and digital detoxing, and ‘calm-cations’ like dark sky astrotourism.
- The decline of bleisure: The post-pandemic blend of business and leisure, or ‘bleisure’, is expected to fade as travellers seek a clean break between work and play in 2026.
- ‘Little treat’ trips: Brief yet frequent ‘little treat’ trips may replace traditional vacations for many, offering quick boosts of joy. These weekenders don’t use up valuable leave, and can be planned the night before.
- Sabbatical-style nomadism: The digital nomad trend will evolve into more structured sabbaticals, powered by special-made long-term visas that encourage travellers to integrate more completely into local cultures.
- Inclusive tourism: Greater emphasis will be placed on making travel universally accessible, ensuring every stage of the visitor journey caters to the neurodiverse and those with varying levels of mobility.
- Community and authenticity: Tourism that supports local residents will gain traction. More tourists will participate in tourism that focuses on cultural preservation, and that leads to direct local empowerment.
- Flexibility as the new security: Global volatility means flexibility will become a baseline expectation. Destinations and providers that offer open-date bookings and refundable stays will be favoured by travellers who increasingly value the ability to change plans. Travel audiences are changing too. In the latest edition of SiteMinder’s Changing Traveller Report, we uncovered 4 key audiences:
You can see a clear overlap between these changing audiences and both global and domestic tourism trends. Ensure that your hotel can appeal to these new audiences to ensure that you can capitalise on changing preferences and requirements.
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