Each new year ushers in a deluge of tantalising ads for holidays. On every channel, on every platform, on every page, the world flaunts its beauty.
Destinations beckon: but where should your clients spend their precious funds and their precious time? If they are anything like me, their expectations might go far beyond wanting some sun, sea and sandcastles.
On a recent trip to India, for example, I did a block printing workshop to discover this centuries-old craft, and Jaipur’s connection to it. While in Cyprus the year before, I visited the village of Tala, where my grandfather was born, and which gave my family its name – Taliotis.
In choosing to explore block printing’s history in Jaipur, and my own in Cyprus, I became one of the millions of people whose holiday intentions have come to be defined as trends – in my case, to learn a new skill or gain an insight into another culture, (transformational travel) and to discover my family’s roots (genealogy tourism), respectively.
Strong start
Travel agents and tour operators have reported a strong start to 2026, with bookings looking healthy.
“As we move through January, traditionally the biggest booking month of the year, customers are booking earlier, spending more and prioritising value, experience and reassurance over simply chasing the lowest price,” says Julia Lo Bue-Said, Chief Executive Officer of Advantage Travel Partnership.
“Across the second weekend in January, sales revenue was up 17 percent year-on-year, average booking value increased by 8 percent, and both booking volumes and revenue were more than 90 percent ahead of the previous weekend, a natural but telling acceleration as January progresses.”
While Audley Travel achieved its best-ever January sales last month. Its trade sales programme is up 15 per cent year-on-year.
Nick Longman, CEO at Audley Travel, says: “We’re delighted with our January sales and also to see such great growth in our trade programme. We’re excited to continue to grow the trade side of our business during 2026.”
InteleTravel has also notched its first ever day generating £2 million sales during a bumper month in January.
On January 29, gross sales topped £2 million and overall in the month, bookings were up 44% and revenues up 35% on the same period last year.
The cruise sector performed particularly strongly, with revenues up 67% in January.
It comes on the back of two months of increased activity, including a customer-facing magazine, three weekly webinars and full-day live and virtual events.
InteleTravel now has 80% of its partner portfolio participating in the partner engagement programme with advance scheduled activity planned for the remainder of 2026.
“Our performance supports the statistics we are seeing that holidays remain a top priority, with customers taking full advantage of competitive pricing during the campaign,” said UK and Ireland MD, Tricia Handley-Hughes.
Long-haul destinations in the Middle East, Indian Ocean, Asia and Africa are selling strongly too.
Immersive and experiential
Others trends that dominate include multi-generational breaks (ABTA’s Holiday Habits report showed that almost 70% of UK families had either been on or were planning a multi-generational holiday break), a growing interest to explore tier-two destinations and travelling during off-peak or in shoulder seasons, which also ties in with a wish to travel more sustainably.
Interest in adventurous and experiential trips is also surging. Travel consultant Rebecca Berzins, who has been organising tailor-made itineraries for UK clients for 20 years – 10 of those as an adviser for global agency, Travel Counsellors – has seen strong indicators of how 2026 is shaping up.
“Enquiries and bookings for immersive and experiential trips are leading, and coming from all ages and demographics. Long gone are the days when adventures were for young, cash-strapped backpackers. Interest from the over 50s is increasing year by year, and adventure tour operators are responding accordingly,” she says.
She’s not wrong. In November last year Exodus Adventures launched its Signature Collection which includes several sought-after destinations such as Japan.
The itineraries feature expert-led experiences that make a positive impact on the communities visited. The Collection, says Managing Director, Sally Cowdry, “will take guests to the very heart of a place, to connect with its people, culture and natural beauty.”
Explore Worldwide has also recognised a desire among the over-50s to combine luxury and adventure by introducing a new product, Explore Upgraded, which provides four-star accommodation instead of three-star.
Budgets on the up
Such products highlight another travel trend– an increasing desire to “travel better” means people are spending more on their holidays.
“Premium leisure,” says Berzins, “is the biggest growing market sector; bookings for lower or mid-budget holidays are falling slightly but demand for luxury travel is higher than ever.”
But what does luxury mean to today’s travellers? ABTA came up with a definition in 2019 that still holds true. The association identified luxury as “not always something that is defined by monetary value and materialism but by the emotional experiences enjoyed.”
Tapping into the human desire for emotional experiences gives the travel industry almost limitless opportunities to develop and promote new itineraries.
Almost everything can qualify, from climbing Kilimanjaro or walking one of the pilgrim paths, such as the Camino de Santiago in Spain, to seeing a puffin in Northumberland, a whale in Nova Scotia or a black rhino in Namibia.
Live and kicking
Then, of course, there is the enjoyment people get from live events. Now tagged as event or fandom tourism, this is another area that is buoyant.
According to the World Economic Forum, music tourism could top $9bn (£6.8bn) by 2030, up from nearly $6bn (£4.5bn) in 2023, while sports tourism, led by football, is predicted to exceed a trillion (dollars and pounds) by 2032.
Helena Steinhart, from the Vienna Tourist Board, says the city started gearing up for Eurovision 2026 as soon as the news that it would be the host city was announced.
“Eurovision was last held in Vienna in 2015, but we are expecting the number of people who will visit this time to be even greater.
“Many of our mid-range hotels are already booked – we normally only see such intense activity in the summer and Christmas market periods, but we expect the competition to bring a different demographic to our city than our previous hosting.”
Sports tourism will continue to draw crowds in 2026. With the Winter Olympics kicking off next wee, Milan and Cortina D’Ampezzo are seeing an influx of visitors for February and March, while football fans will be flying off to Canada, Mexico and the U.S. for the FIFA World Cup, which takes place in June and July.
Visitor numbers are on the rise in many places. Eleni Skarveli, Director at the Greek National Tourism Office (GNTO) UK and Ireland, explains: “Even much-visited destinations, such as Greece, will see a spike in visitor numbers when there is news.
“This year, major hotel openings and new airline routes to both Mykonos, and Samos will boost tourism to those islands, but we are hoping that people will take the opportunity to explore further afield while they are there.
“For example, we are promoting pairing Samos with Lemnos for those seeking crowd-free downtime, or with Lesbos for a memorable multi-generational holiday that combines gorgeous beaches with incredible local cuisine and historic ouzo distilleries.”
Let’s also not forget the power of the internet to create a tourism frenzy, particularly when the prevailing chat is about the biggest, the newest, or the best thing ever.
Launching in 2026
Virgin Atlantic will start a direct route between London and Phuket, Thailand, from October 18, 2026. The three-times-a-week service will interest travellers who find the current required stop in Bangkok off-putting.
Four Seasons Resort, Mykonos is scheduled to open mid-year on the cliffs above Kalo Livadi Bay. The 94-room hotel will woo visitors with its two infinity pools, spa, four restaurants and kids’ club.
South Korea will draw avid hikers wishing to be among the first to walk new sections of the coast-to-coast Dongseo Trail. Some sections are already open but when completed – some time in 2027 – the route will be 227 miles long.
Amazement Park®, Europe’s largest immersive experience, is opening in Westfield, London, in June, taking over an 80,000 square foot space for a multi-generational explosion of lights, sounds and smells. When Instagrammers are already posting about it months ahead of its opening, you can rest assured it’s going to be a crowd-puller.
The Orient Express is taking to the seas with the launch of its first cruise ship, the three-masted Corinthian, the world’s biggest sailing ship.
Book it
Departing June 18, 2026, a seven-night B&B break at the new Semeli Hotel in Mykonos is priced from £1,299pp, based on two sharing, including return flights from London Gatwick, Regional departures also available.
XENIA TALIOTIS
Xenia is a London-based writer and editor who longs to live elsewhere. She writes regularly for The Telegraph and The Times.
