Overview
- Skyscanner identifies seven trends shaping 2026 travel: beauty-focused “Glowmads,” supermarket-led “Shelf Discovery,” year-round mountain “Altitude Shift,” literature-inspired “Bookbound,” solo “Catching Flights & Feelings,” multi-generational “Family Miles,” and “Destination Check-in.”
- Accommodation is increasingly decisive in where people go, with 45% of travelers choosing a destination for the stay itself and that rising to 61% among Gen Z.
- UK search data points to smaller gateways surging, led by Salerno, Italy (+211%), Koror, Palau (+156%), and Kochi, Japan (+106%), with Bilbao (+97%) and Rabat (+87%) also climbing.
- Market-specific results show India’s top riser is Jorhat with a 493% jump in searches, followed by Jaffna and Muscat, reflecting a tilt toward authentic, lesser-known spots.
- Price dynamics are shifting too, with the biggest airfare drops to Cologne (−44%), Goa (−34%), and Kaunas (−31%), as 84% say they’ll travel more in 2026 and 37% plan to spend more on flights, 31% on hotels, and 16% on car hire.