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Travel Trends Report Guide 2026

Latest article update: Nov 20, 2025

December hasn’t even started, and we’re already in full 2026 travel trend report season.

It’s that time of year when your LinkedIn feed gets flooded with reports, outlooks, megatrends, deep dives, and “future of travel” PDFs.

And let’s be honest: keeping up is nearly impossible.

So let me save you a few hours of scrolling.

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I’ve read and assessed the first eight major 2026 travel outlook reports published so far and mapped all of them into a simple framework to make sense of the noise.

I call this framework The Insight Leadership Matrix (because every great framework deserves a fancy name 😉)

The framework has four quadrants, based on two dimensions:

  • Research depth and quality
  • Narrative strength (a.k.a. Attitude)

Here’s how the quadrants break down:

  • Content Fluff: Mostly shallow, bite-sized outlooks designed to give a quick feel for broad themes. Helpful for a high-level pulse check, but not built for decision-making or prioritization.
  • Excel Dumps: Lots of charts and (usually) survey data with strong signal potential. What’s missing is synthesis and a clear narrative; the famous “so what” is missing.
  • Hot Takes: Bold labels, creative naming, and inspiring trend language… but usually light on analytical depth or proprietary data.
  • Insight Leadership: The gold standard for any trend report: original and proprietary data, analytical depth, and a memorable, research-backed point of view.

So where did the 2026 reports land (so far)?

Below is my personal (and honest) assessment, which is meant to be constructive, not critical.

Below the visual, you’ll find a short breakdown of each individual report.

Content Fluff (Light reads with a lack of depth)

Expedia: “Unpack ’26: The Trends in Travel”

  • Includes basic booking data + survey insights, but takeaways stay broad and familiar (sports events, unique stays, TV-influenced travel).
  • A good mainstream overview, less depth for industry insiders.
  • Read report here.

Priceline: “Where to Next in 2026?”

  • Built on a small survey (3,000+ respondents).
  • Easy to skim, straightforward insights, but very high-level.
  • Read report here.

Omio: “NowNext 2025–2026”

  • Classic YouGov survey trends.
  • Useful consumer pulse, but synthesis stays very light on actionable implications.
  • Read report here.

Excel Dumps (Strong data foundations but lack “so-what”)

Amadeus: “How Will Technology Transform Travel?”

  • Comprehensive report (100+ pages!) with wide survey coverage.
  • Solid for signal-spotting, though conclusions remain exclusively on the safe side.
  • Read report here.

SITA:  “Traveler Voice Report”

  • Robust tech-focused survey (AI, biometrics, automation).
  • Would benefit from deeper narrative synthesis, but a valuable tech-forward perspective.
  • Read report here.

Hot Takes (Creative angles that could use more depth)

Skyscanner: “2026 Travel Trends”

  • Ten trend terms, from creative (“Shelf Discovery”) to familiar themes.
  • Fun and engaging, but light on substance.
  • The Reddit data is definitely a fresh touch.
  • Read report here.

Lemongrass: “Travel Trend Report 2026”

  • Imaginative trend language and strong storytelling, but no data angle whatsoever.
  • Read report here.

Hilton: “2026 Trends Report”

  • Inventive trend titles (“inheritourism,” “hushpitality”).
  • Storytelling is very lively, but evidence stays survey-centric (unfortunately).
  • Read report here.

⭐ One key observation

The Insight Leadership quadrant remains empty (for now).

This isn’t criticism. It simply shows how rare it is to combine:

  • proprietary data
  • analytical depth
  • a bold, memorable narrative
  • and clear, research-backed takeaways

Insight Leadership is definitely hard, which makes it all the more exciting when someone delivers it.

Will we see a true Insight Leadership report for 2026?

I’m optimistic. 

The potential contenders that could pull it off:

  • Skift: Their new Megatrends report is already being teased by Rafat Ali and team. I’m bullish the promo lives up to its quality, especially if it leans more into data.
  • McKinsey or BCG: Both have the analytical firepower to deliver a killer deep dive, though travel isn’t usually at the top of their agenda.

What I am most excited about: 

Bold travel companies using their own proprietary booking and user behavior data. Last year, Kayak, Mews, and Travelport were my favorite reads.

We’ll see in the next few weeks. I'll keep you updated.

In the meantime, if I missed any report, let me know. Send me an email at lennart@onechart.co.

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