Travelzoo predicts ‘experiences’ will drive travel demand in 2026

Travelzoo general manager James Clarke has predicted experience-led travel will be in particularly high demand in 2026, prompting a call for agents to “add on activities” to beach-based packages.

 

During Travelzoo’s breakfast briefing on next year’s anticipated travel trends, Clarke was among the speakers invited to identify five trends.

 

He said culture-rich trips have been “outperforming all others”, arguing: “Experience is the new luxury.”

 

He added: “Experiences are going to drive [growth] next year. They’re going to be the motivator to get people to book. People are going to want a holiday they can come back and tell everyone about.”

 

He encouraged agents who are selling a beach break to “add on activities”.

 

“There will always be a demand for R&R on a beach, but I think beach breaks are going to be broken up by people saying they want to go on a boat trip to see a historic place,” he said.

 

He added: “Tangible luxury purchases are down and experience purchases are up.”

 

Another trend he identified was the rise of “Goldilocks booking”.

 

Increasingly, he said, a client will only make a booking if everything is “just right”.

 

Citing Travelzoo research, he said “60% of our members haven’t yet booked for 2026” but he added that 60% had the intention to book “if the deal was right”.

 

Another trend is the rise of river cruise, he said, with the remaining trends being the growth of off-season travel and customers favouring Spain and Italy.

 

“Spain and Italy are member favourites for next year,” he said, adding: “There’s great value in these destinations.”

 

He said both countries boast a range of “duplicate destinations”, noting that some travellers opt for Seville instead of Barcelona.

 

“The opportunity is beyond the tourism hotspots,” he added.

 

Highlighting the growth of shoulder-season trips, he said: “Off-season is not second-best anymore. It’s becoming first choice.”

 

Finn Partners managing partner Amy Skelding identified “passion-led travel” as a trend to watch in 2026, noting the demand for trips linked to sports event and music concerts.

 

Traveltek chief commercial officer Cressida Sergeant outlined cruise-related trends, including new entrants to the luxury and expedition sector, while Amadeus UK country manager Clare de Bono’s trends included the growth of generative AI.

 

De Bono added: “I think 2026 is going to have an explosion of agentic AI.”

 

Travel Trade Consultancy director Martin Alcock cited trends related to the economy, business and regulation.