Expedia Group Forecasts 2026 Journey Tendencies, Highlighting Sustainable, Story-Pushed Exploration

Vacationers are shifting away from sightseeing towards extra significant experiences. More and more, holidays are centered on connection, tradition, and sustainability relatively than conventional vacationer points of interest.

Expedia Group has launched its annual travel-forecast report, Unpack ’26: The Tendencies in Journey™, providing an early take a look at what vacationers are in search of within the coming yr. The corporate reviews that the period of passive, easy getaways is giving option to deeper, extra intentional journey rooted in tradition, sustainability, and private that means.

A central part of the brand new report is Sensible Journey Well being Verify, a brand new business software designed to highlight locations that handle tourism development responsibly. Created in collaboration with the World Journey & Tourism Council, the metric highlights locations integrating sustainability and cultural safety into their customer technique.

“A few of my most unforgettable journey moments come from immersing myself in native cultures, supporting native economies, and exploring less-traveled locations,” Expedia Group CEO Ariane Gorin mentioned.

“With 1 billion common month-to-month journey searches, Expedia Group isn’t only a journey market; we’re a catalyst for optimistic change. We’ve a duty to form the way forward for journey: one which’s smarter, extra sustainable, and deeply respectful of the locations we go.”

Eight Locations Beginning Sturdy for 2026 Journey

The report identifies eight locations exhibiting appreciable momentum heading into 2026.

Large Sky, Montana, noticed a 92 % enhance in searches, reflecting a surge of curiosity within the luxurious mountain expertise. Okinawa, Japan, rose 71 %, buoyed by its mixture of quiet seashores and cultural historical past; Sardinia grew 63 % as vacationers search for Mediterranean escapes that really feel much less commercialized.

Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island climbed 53 %, with Savoie, France, rising 51 %, signaling heightened curiosity not only for ski terrain but additionally alpine gastronomy and slow-travel tradition. (The Savoie area will play a big function within the upcoming 2030 Olympic Winter Video games.)

Rounding out the record have been Fort Walton Seaside, Florida (+45 %); Ucluelet, British Columbia (+44 %), a storm-watching capital that appeals to rugged coastal vacationers; and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (+30 %), identified for its arts scene and colonial structure.

Traveller Conduct Shifting

Past vacation spot knowledge, Unpack ’26 outlines a number of behavioral shifts in vacationers.

One of many extra shocking findings: sports activities are more and more shaping journey, with greater than half of respondents saying they might take pleasure in attending a regional sporting occasion whereas away. Amongst youthful vacationers, that quantity rises much more.

The pattern extends past world championships, sumo in Japan, capoeira gatherings in Brazil, and the fast-growing “banana ball” baseball variant within the U.S., which have been all cited as examples of itinerary-worthy occasions.

Resorts are additionally altering how they’re getting used. Greater than half of the vacationers surveyed mentioned they deliberate to divide a visit throughout a number of resorts in the identical vacation spot.

That shift displays a need to discover distinctive neighborhoods all through the journey. A traveler in Tokyo, for instance, may keep in Shibuya for nightlife however relocate to Asakusa for historical past and temples. It additionally suggests cost-sensitivity paired with a willingness to design journeys that really feel handcrafted relatively than one-size-fits-all.

In the meantime, adaptive-reuse properties, former practice stations, breweries, banks, and even faculties, are gaining traction. Searches for a Kyoto lodge housed in a former faculty grew 194 % year-over-year, underscoring a worldwide curiosity about lodging with a story.

Distinctive Vrbo’s Attraction to Sluggish-Journey

Vrbo findings indicated a quieter however nonetheless highly effective shift: the “readaway.”

With social fatigue mounting, 91 % of vacationers expressed curiosity in journeys centered round studying, leisure, and uninterrupted time with family members. Pinterest searches for book-club retreat concepts have surged, as have visitor evaluations referencing reading-forward stays.

These escapes usually happen in rural settings, the place days decelerate and fewer distractions permit for intentional downtime.

Vrbo knowledge additionally pointed to rising enthusiasm for farm-based lodging. Eighty-four % of vacationers mentioned they might be fascinated about staying on or close to farmland, a pattern pushed by a need for nature-rich, hands-on experiences.

Climbing topped the record of most popular actions, adopted by interacting with animals and harvesting produce. Visitor evaluations mentioning farm elements climbed 300 % year-over-year, suggesting that rural immersion is not area of interest however more and more mainstream.

Hollywood Will Additionally Proceed Influencing Journey Plans.

Greater than half of vacationers worldwide say they’re extra prone to go to a vacation spot after seeing it on display screen, and amongst Gen Z and Millennials, the share is much larger. The U.S. market alone represents an $8 billion alternative tied to film- and TV-inspired journey. Not like a decade in the past, when epic fantasy collection drove vacationers to dramatic landscapes, right this moment’s screen-based journey is dispersing guests to locations which may in any other case sit exterior commonplace vacationer circuits.

Taken collectively, the report paints an image of a traveler who needs tales, connection, and place-based richness.

Expedia’s full Unpack ’26 analysis attracts on platform search conduct and a 24-country client survey of greater than 24,000 respondents.