Skift Global Travel Insights: What’s New for 2026?

Report Overview

As we head into 2026, global travel demand remains resilient — but how travelers plan, book, spend, and stay loyal is changing. Confidence is holding, yet priorities and behaviors are diverging across regions, age groups, and traveler mindsets, reshaping the global travel landscape.

This report examines traveler behavior across the U.S., the UK, India, and China — four markets that together capture the most important forces shaping travel today. Spanning mature and high-growth economies, they offer a clear view of where momentum is building and where caution persists.

Using fresh consumer survey data, we explore how travelers are responding to higher prices and shifting expectations across the journey — from mindset and spending outlook to planning, booking, loyalty, experiences, sustainability, and business travel. We also assess forward momentum through a composite view of traveler confidence, while highlighting meaningful differences by age and traveler type.

For travel brands, platforms, destinations, and investors, this report provides a practical framework to understand where demand remains durable, how behavior is adapting rather than retreating, and which shifts are becoming structural in an increasingly uneven global market.

What You'll Learn From This Report

• Traveler Mindset, Confidence, and 2026 Outlook

• Travel Spend Outlook 2026: Behaviors, Trade-Offs, and Financial Priorities

• Travel Planning: Channels, Influence, and AI

• Booking Preferences and Channel Behavior

• Loyalty and Rewards Behavior

• Experiences, Activities and Travel Styles

• Sustainability and Traveler Concerns

• Business Travel and MICE Outlook