The Data Appeal Company and Mabrian, both part of Almawave Group, unveil Travel Megatrends 2026, a comprehensive look at the behaviours, motivations and spending patterns transforming tourism across Europe and beyond. The report highlights 7 major megatrends, led by the rise of experiential tourism, directly shaping destination management strategies for 2026.
In this context, experience-lead and agentic destination management are set to be key trends for the coming year, placing travellers and their preferences at the heart of planning and tourism offerings. This shift has been accelerated by the emergence of AI tools, transforming the travel industry from a purely transactional model into a more dynamic, conversational, and traveller-focused experience.
Travel 2026 Megatrends: from rational to experience-driven travel
Based on an in-depth analysis of destinations, accommodation providers, booking platforms, and online behaviour, Data Appeal and Mabrian conclude that travellers are no longer primarily motivated by price, bucket-list icons, or generic experiences.
2026 marks a new paradigm: travel as a deeply personal act, where every decision is guided by motivations, interests, identity, and preferences.
In this context, there will be seven key megatrends shaping the travel industry next year:
1. The intentional traveller: Personalisation. In 2026, personalisation in travel moves from a transactional add-on to the central lens for planning journeys. Travellers seek clear purposes—reconnect, recharge, explore, or pause—and prioritise sustainability, local culture, wellness, or family time. The rise of agentic AI and conversational searches enables dynamic, real-time recommendations throughout the trip, not just at booking.
2. Story-led journeys: Narrative travel. Travel is increasingly guided by stories. Destinations and experiences become stages where travellers can immerse themselves in worlds that inspired them. Set-jetting—visiting cinematic locations—and fantasy- or media-inspired itineraries show that narrative tourism, enhanced by AI, has gone mainstream, transforming destination choice.
3. Event tourism: Impact and legacy management. Mega-event tourism is consolidating as a strategic force, generating visibility, visitor flows, and economic return. In Europe, event-related tourism spending is growing and is led by sports, exhibitions, and festivals. Smart planning, investment in high-value events, and predictive analytics maximise economic and social impact, reinforcing the centrality of events in modern tourism.
4. The wellbeing reset: Regenerative and active wellness. Wellness becomes a central driver of travel, with people prioritising physical, emotional, and mental restoration, movement, and connection with nature.A recent study by Mabrian shows that nature-related experiences account for 17.9% of the activities available in Europe, in line with growing demand from travelers.
5. Back to belonging: Roots and reconnections. Travel also means reconnecting with roots, memories, and identity.
Mirko Lalli, CEO and Founder at Data Appeal commented: “Data recently presented by Data Appeal confirms that roots travel is not a nostalgic niche, but a structurally valuable segment for Italian destinations. Between 2022 and 2025, both the volume of digital traces and overall sentiment for Italy’s roots travellers increased, with especially strong performance in Basilicata (sentiment 90.2/100, +1.7 points vs 2022) and Central ItalyRoots trips are also predominantly relational: couples and families are the main segments across Italy, confirming that these journeys are designed to be shared across generations.”
6. From icons to experiences: Experience-led destination management. Destination management increasingly focuses on diversified, well-structured experiences beyond iconic attractions. Italy, Spain, and France lead in cultural, gastronomic, and nature-based offerings.These experiences, visible on digital platforms, attract long-haul travellers, balance geographic and seasonal flows, and distribute economic benefits more widely.
“Activities and experience offerings available in online platforms play a decisive role in attracting long-haul travellers, who rely heavily on digital channels to assess a destination’s value and relevance, as well as for planning and booking purposes. A strong, well-curated portfolio of experiences on these platforms enhances destination positioning, supports itinerary planning, and reveals lesser-known assets that help balance visitation both geographically and seasonally. Clear calls to action are essential for destinations to differentiate themselves in competitive markets and to guide travellers toward deeper, more meaningful engagement,” said Carlos Cendra, Director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian.
7. Tech-intelligent & sustainable destinations. Destinations are becoming intelligent systems powered by technology and data. Travellers use AI to plan and personalise journeys, while destinations predict demand, manage flows, and optimise itineraries. This digital intelligence also promotes sustainability: balancing tourism with resource preservation reduces environmental impact and increases resilience to visitor surges or climate-related challenges.
“Destinations can proactively manage visitor flows, fine-tune capacity in real time, and guide travellers towards alternative routes or off-peak times, improving both operational efficiency and the visitor experience. This shift will accelerate with agentic AI: goal-driven systems that can support DMO teams by monitoring demand, recommending actions, and executing routine tasks under human oversight. ” concludes Lalli.
Conclusion: Preparing for 2026
These seven megatrends show that travel in 2026 goes beyond physical movement: travellers seek relevance, connection, and meaning, while destinations must balance complexity, sustainability, and opportunity. Combining data and AI amplifies human insight, anticipates behaviour, and enables economically and culturally balanced experiences. The real value lies in interpreting information to imagine how tourism could evolve, not just how it is today.
Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Congxiao
Editor Ⅱ: Bao Gang
Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong
