Here are few of the stories that caught our attention over the week with some of our takeaways. Watch the video for a summary or scroll down for the analysis.
The Reports Are In: Why Technology Alone Won’t Win the Travel Game in 2026
Four major industry reports dropped this month—from Hilton, Trip.com Group, Skyscanner, and Hotels.com—and whilst they arrive from different corners of the travel ecosystem, they’re remarkably aligned on what’s actually driving booking decisions in 2026. Strip away the predictable AI hype, and what emerges is something more fundamental: travellers are craving human connection, authentic experiences, and brands that understand their emotional needs, not just their search queries.
The common thread? Technology is rapidly becoming table stakes. The differentiator is understanding the “why” behind the journey.
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Hilton’s 2026 Trends: Five Shifts That Challenge the Distribution Playbook
Hilton’s 2026 Travel Trends Report identifies five pivotal behavioural shifts that have significant implications for how we think about reach and relevance in travel distribution.
Generation Permutations: The Family Unit Just Got Complicated
The traditional nuclear family holiday is fragmenting into something far more complex. Nearly half of Hilton’s global team members report seeing three-generation travel groups, whilst 29% of travellers are embracing “skip-generation” trips where grandparents take the children without parents. One-on-one parent-child bonding trips account for 50% of family travel, and children bringing friends along is becoming standard practice.
The commercial reality? Your room configurations, your family packages, and your entire distribution strategy may be targeting a family structure that’s already obsolete. Properties offering flexible, connected room options—like Motto by Hilton Rotterdam Blaak, which can accommodate 24 people across 12 connected rooms—are seeing the demand.
More telling is the shift in decision-making power. 86% of travellers now value experiences over material gifts, and 84% actively seek opportunities for the entire family to play together. This isn’t about selling rooms anymore; it’s about curating shared experiences that families can’t replicate at home.
Hushpitality: The Surprising Countertrend to “Always On”
The number one motivation for leisure travel in 2026 is “to rest and recharge” (56%). Not to explore. Not to photograph. To rest.
This has tangible operational implications. 73% of global travellers find digital check-in valuable, and Hilton saw over 12 million Digital Key downloads in the first half of 2025—up 20% year-over-year. But here’s the nuance: 72% also value in-room entertainment, and 20% are using streaming services at hotels more than ever before.
The hotel room has evolved from a place to sleep into a sanctuary for restoration. Solo travel is surging (26% plan to travel alone in 2026), and even group travellers are carving out solitude—48% add solo days to family trips, and 28% actively seek quiet moments alone.
For distribution, this means your inventory isn’t just competing on location and price. You’re competing on the promise of peace, and that requires a completely different content strategy and partnership approach.
Inheritourism: The 66% Influence You’re Probably Ignoring
Two-thirds of travellers state their parents have influenced their hotel choices, and 73% say their overall travel style has been shaped by their parents. Nearly 60% report parental influence on which loyalty programmes they use.
More critically, when adult children travel with parents, 44% of the time the parents are funding the entire trip. And here’s the kicker: 59% of travellers agree that whoever pays gets to decide the destination.
If you’re only targeting the booker without understanding the influencer and the funder, you’re missing the actual decision-making dynamic. This has profound implications for loyalty programme design, content creation, and partnership distribution strategies.
The Road Trip Renaissance and Home Comforts
71% of Americans plan to drive on their next holiday, with 76% globally favouring road trips over flying for the spontaneity and freedom they provide. After a day of driving, 90% agree a comfortable bed is essential, 83% want complimentary breakfast, and 63% consider a pool non-negotiable.
Simultaneously, 79% of travellers seek familiar menu items for comfort whilst 77% also enjoy exploring local grocery stores for authentic experiences. 64% actively search for pet-friendly accommodation, making “pet-friendly” the fifth most popular filter on Hilton.com.
The insight? Travellers want adventure with guardrails. They want to explore, but from a base of familiarity and trust. 74% find value in engaging with brands they know, and 66% are willing to spend more to book with a trusted brand.
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Trip.com Group and Google: When the “Why” Becomes More Important Than the “Where”
Trip.com Group’s collaboration with Google on their “Why Travel?” report presents compelling evidence that the motivations driving travel have fundamentally shifted from destination-centric to purpose-centric decision-making.
Fork-First Travel: From Side Note to Main Event
Food-related bookings on Trip.com surged 43% year-over-year in the first half of 2025, whilst Google searches for “food travel” increased 18% and “Michelin Guide” searches jumped 22%. But the more revealing trend is in “skillvenirs”—travellers are prioritising knowledge over trinkets. Google searches for “Thai cooking class” exploded by 140%, and “wine tour Niagara-on-the-Lake” saw a 500% increase.
The distribution question: Are your content partnerships highlighting experiential inventory, or are you still leading with room features and location pins?
Discovery-cations: Mindfulness Meets Marketing
Japanese tea ceremony searches increased 53% year-over-year, whilst bookings for hiking destinations like Sapa and Banff surged over 100%. Flight bookings to Bhutan—the world’s first carbon-negative country—increased sevenfold.
There’s a clear appetite for slow-paced, reflective travel. Searches for “homestay,” “rural resort,” and “countryside stay” grew an average of 22% year-over-year, with homestay bookings up 21%.
Trip.com Group has responded by establishing 34 country retreats since 2021, offering activities centred on local heritage and farming culture. This isn’t niche anymore; it’s a measurable shift in mainstream demand.
Travel to Heal: Wellness as Core Strategy
Search interest for spa destination experiences grew 140% year-over-year, whilst “all-inclusive spa” searches jumped 250%. Medical tourism searches increased 8%, but more tellingly, searches for “what is medical tourism” surged 90%—indicating a broadening curiosity about health-driven travel.
The “Sweat & Spa” model is gaining serious traction. Searches for “golf and spa resorts” increased 300% year-over-year, whilst “ski & spa” grew 250%. Sapporo saw hotel bookings surge 111%, whilst Reykjavik experienced a 35% increase—both destinations that pair active adventure with thermal restoration.
Asian onsen searches grew 20% year-over-year, with Japanese hot spring towns like Karatsu seeing a staggering 1,300% increase.
Travel to Connect: The Concert Economy
63% of APAC travellers have already travelled for a concert, and 66% are willing to go abroad for one. For younger travellers, concerts are becoming multi-generational affairs—85% of Thai travellers and 66% of Malaysian travellers combine concerts or festivals with family holidays.
Cities like Macau, Las Vegas, Melbourne, and Singapore are capitalising on this by offering integrated packages where concerts are bundled with accommodation and attractions.
Endurance sports have moved from niche to mainstream, with worldwide search interest growing fivefold in the past year. Hybrid endurance events like Hyrox are exploding in popularity, and 90% of Trip.com travellers want to pair sporting events with cultural exploration.
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Skyscanner’s 2026 Projections: Confidence, Spending, and the AI Pivot
Skyscanner’s survey of 22,000 travellers globally reveals robust demand signals for 2026, but also exposes the gap between technological capability and traveller trust.
The Demand Story: 84% Will Travel as Much or More
84% of respondents plan to travel abroad as much or more in 2026 compared to 2025, with travellers prepared to increase spending across key categories. 37% will increase their flight budget, 31% will spend more on accommodation, and significant percentages plan to book auxiliary services—45% for tours and activities, 33% for multi-city trips, and 30% for flight seat selection.
The primary cost factors influencing destination choice remain consistent: flights (58%), accommodation (57%), and food and drink (37%).
The message is clear: demand is strong, budgets are expanding, and travellers are willing to pay for enhanced experiences and convenience.
From AI Assistant to Agentic AI: The Next Operating System
Piero Sierra, Skyscanner’s Chief Product Officer, frames the coming shift: “At the moment, we’re using language models to solve discrete travellers’ tasks, and boost productivity. But what’s coming is the creation of multiple agents that work together to solve travellers’ problems. And that’s going to change everything.”
Traveller confidence in using AI for planning and booking rose from 47% in 2024 to 54% in 2025. 38% will use AI to research a destination, 33% to create itineraries, and 32% to compare flight or hotel options and prices.
But here’s the problem: 49% of travellers worry about the accuracy of AI-generated information, 24% feel there are too many choices, and 22% state the options provided aren’t meaningful.
Technology is advancing faster than trust. That gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity for brands that can deliver reliable, contextually appropriate recommendations.
Social Search: Where Inspiration Actually Happens
For Gen Z, Instagram (59%), YouTube (54%), and TikTok (47%) dominate as inspiration sources. For Millennials, it’s Instagram (50%) and YouTube (54%). Gen X and Boomers still lean towards traditional channels, but the shift is unmistakable.
Hannah Pilpel, Skyscanner’s Director of Social Media & Community, notes: “Social and search are the platforms of choice for travel inspiration, research and planning… The other ‘A’ word for 2026 on social will be content that’s all about ‘authenticity’.”
Travellers are looking for honest, insider recommendations and hidden gems. Video content is particularly vital for capturing Gen Z attention. If your distribution strategy isn’t optimised for social discovery, you’re invisible to the next generation of bookers.
Over-Tourism: Awareness Is Rising, But Discovery Is Lagging
34% of travellers actively seek quieter, less-visited destinations, and 31% plan to visit popular locations only during shoulder seasons. 32% report that overcrowding has negatively impacted a past travel experience.
Yet 77% of travellers revisit the same destinations for at least 20% of their holidays. Why? 17% state they continue visiting over-touristed places because it’s difficult to determine where else to go or what to do there.
Martin Nolan, Skyscanner’s Chief Legal Officer and Sustainability Expert, identifies the core problem: “We believe travellers need more inspiration and guidance on where else to go other than the most well-known places.”
The distribution challenge isn’t just about selling inventory; it’s about creating effective discovery mechanisms for alternative destinations. The demand for quieter travel exists, but the tools to facilitate it don’t yet match the intent.
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Hotels.com: The Generational Divide in Business Travel Is a Distribution Opportunity
Hotels.com’s Business Trip Report exposes a stark generational divide in how business travel is perceived and executed, with significant implications for loyalty programme design and distribution partnerships.
The Lifestyle Upgrade: 88% of Millennials, 85% of Gen Z
For younger professionals, work trips represent a chance to upgrade their lifestyles. This isn’t just about enjoying perks—though 73% of Gen Z and 77% of Millennials have paid out-of-pocket for a nicer hotel, compared to 48% of older colleagues.
62% of Gen Z have paid to upgrade flights versus 25% of older travellers. 73% of Gen Z splurge on high-end dining and entertainment, compared to 38% of older generations.
When company policy permits, 26% of Gen Z would expense a spa treatment, and 20% would expense workout classes. Millennials are most likely to expense flight or room upgrades and entertainment.
The implication? Younger business travellers are treating corporate travel as an extension of their personal brand and lifestyle. They’re not just filling rooms; they’re seeking experiences that enhance their identity and social currency.
The Work-Trip Influencer: Content-Driven Spending
Gen Z and Millennial professionals post on social media 3-5 times more per day during work trips compared to older colleagues. 75% will self-fund high-end dinners and entertainment specifically to generate better content for social media.
47% of Millennials state they would not travel for work if they couldn’t document it. 34% of Gen Z share this sentiment. Meanwhile, a majority of Baby Boomers post less than once a day, and 20% never share on social media during work trips.
This isn’t vanity; it’s a fundamental shift in how travel is experienced and valued. The trip’s worth is partially measured by its shareability. For distribution and marketing, this means your property’s visual appeal, Instagram-worthy spaces, and content-generation opportunities are now commercial differentiators.
Bleisure: The 3-4 Day Extension
57% of all business travellers cite the opportunity to visit a destination they wouldn’t otherwise see as a major benefit of work travel. On average, travellers want to add 3-4 extra days for personal time after work commitments.
40% of Millennials have taken a redeye flight to gain more time in a destination, and 54% express a desire to extend a work trip for solo exploration.
The distribution reality? Your corporate travel programmes should be architected to capture the bleisure extension, not just the business night. That requires flexible cancellation policies, compelling local experience partnerships, and rate structures that incentivise extended stays.
Divergent Destinations: Tokyo and Seoul vs. London
Gen Z and Millennials rank Tokyo as their top choice for work travel, followed by Paris and New York. Gen X and Boomers prefer London.
Gen Z travellers are five times more likely than Baby Boomers to want a work trip to Seoul.
If your distribution partnerships are built around traditional business travel hubs without accounting for these generational destination preferences, you’re missing the shifting demand patterns entirely.
The Loyalty Play: 58% Book to Maximise Rewards
58% of business travellers make their work travel choices based on maximising rewards, and nearly half (49%) have used rewards earned from business travel to pay for leisure trips.
In response, Hotels.com launched “Save Your Way™,” allowing members to choose between an instant discount at booking or banking the value as rewards for future travel, with no blackout dates.
The strategic insight? Loyalty programmes that force a single redemption model are leaving value on the table. Flexibility in how rewards are earned and used is becoming a competitive requirement, not a nice-to-have feature.
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Prosus Bets ₹13 Billion on Ixigo: The AI-First Strategy for India’s Billion Travellers
TechStory reports that Prosus has committed ₹13 billion (approximately $146 million) to acquire a 10.1% stake in Ixigo, the Indian online travel platform, marking one of the largest single investments in India’s online travel sector this year.
The Investment Thesis
The capital infusion, structured as a preferential issue pending shareholder approval, is designed to fuel Ixigo’s AI-first expansion strategy. The company has successfully carved out a niche targeting India’s “next billion users”—a cost-sensitive, mobile-first demographic in smaller towns and cities that represents the next wave of internet adoption.
Ixigo’s stated goal is ambitious: “Our goal is to build travel platforms that behave like true personal assistants—anticipating needs, handling complex bookings, and resolving issues in real time.”
The AI Strategy: From Tight Capital to Aggressive Expansion
The investment comes at a pivotal moment for India’s travel market. Domestic tourism has experienced record post-pandemic growth, intensifying competition amongst leading OTAs including MakeMyTrip, EaseMyTrip, and Cleartrip.
Ixigo’s AI implementation will span the entire user journey: personalised recommendations, booking automation, and real-time support. The company positions AI-driven personalisation as the key differentiator in a market characterised by tight margins and low loyalty.
The Broader Question
This investment raises a fundamental question that connects back to the insights from Hilton, Trip.com, Skyscanner, and Hotels.com: can AI-driven efficiency and personalisation deliver profitability at scale for cost-sensitive travellers?
The reports we’ve examined this week suggest that whilst AI is necessary, it’s not sufficient. Travellers—whether they’re booking budget domestic flights in India or luxury “Soakcations” in Japan—are ultimately seeking emotional outcomes: connection, restoration, purpose, and authenticity.
Technology that enables these outcomes will win. Technology that simply automates transactions will be table stakes.
Ixigo’s success will depend on whether its AI can do more than process bookings efficiently. It will need to anticipate emotional needs, deliver contextually appropriate experiences, and build trust with a demographic that has limited exposure to online travel platforms.
That’s a considerably higher bar than simply optimising search results.