What direction is travel headed in 2026?
Booming hotel group Minor Hotels says travellers are re-thinking how they move through the world, seeking multi-dimensional experiences that resonate emotionally, relationally and spiritually.
The new report released this week, the inaugural Minor Hotels Travel Trends Report, explores various dimensions of connection that illustrate the shift for hotels from simply delivering service to helping guests find meaning through their journeys.
“Today’s travellers want more than destinations, they want stories, connections and meaning," says Dillip Rajakarier, Group CEO of Minor International, parent company of Minor Hotels.
"Our trend report reveals a growing appetite for authentic engagement and conscious travel choices.
"For Minor Hotels, this is an invitation to continue shaping experiences that prioritise wellbeing and cultural depth, ensuring every journey offers something truly memorable.
"Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, the report finds that people continue to prioritise travel in the year ahead. The outlook for 2026 is overwhelmingly positive, with 94% of respondents expecting to travel as much or more in the coming year, with one-third planning more trips than in 2025.
"Ninety-four % plan to spend the same or more on travel in 2026, with almost half (47%) intending to increase their travel budgets. Luxury travellers are nearly twice as likely to travel more in 2026 compared to all respondents, with 61% expecting an increase in frequency."
The report says travellers are prioritising quality over quantity, seeking experiences that deliver personal value rather than simply more trips. While travellers remain optimistic for the year ahead, affordability remains a leading factor shaping plans for 53% of respondents, followed by seasonality (42%), ease of travel (40%) and time (40%).
Over half of respondents (53%) book their travel within three months of departure, showing a willingness to clear their schedule at short notice or to wait for greater clarity amidst ongoing uncertainty.
Hotel websites dominate as the most utilised planning tool for 80% of travellers, ahead of personal recommendations (35%) and online travel agents (29%). At the same time, emerging technologies, such as generative AI chatbots, are now used by 12%. Heaven help us all.
Even on group journeys, travellers are carving out space for solitude and nature to recharge with 71% of respondents agree that taking a break from technology, social media or work during their travel is important for their personal wellbeing.
"Forty-four percent plan to integrate more wellness or mindfulness - although I'm betting some of them have no idea what mindfulness is - rising to 73% among those already engaged in wellness practices. Spa treatments lead as the top-choice activity (75%), followed by nature-based experiences (59%) and fitness (49%).
Culture is discovered through flavour, with food the primary gateway for 85% of travellers, followed by historic architecture (71%) and nature (65%). Not so sure about all that love of architecture, either.
# Read the full report and the trends shaping travel in the year of connection here:
https://media.minorhotels.com/
https://media.minorhotels.com/
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