Travel 2026: How Amadeus’ Trends Are Redefining the Journey

In 2026, travel is moving into a new phase that feels closer to science fiction than to traditional tourism. Technology provider Amadeus has released its Travel Trends 2026 report, created in partnership with trend forecasting agency Globetrender and grounded in Amadeus’ proprietary data and analytics. The report highlights six key trends that will shape how people move around the world in the coming years: pet-centric travel, hybrid human-AI trip planning, new point-to-point routes, pop-culture tourism, hyper-personalized hospitality and innovation-driven destinations.

Pet economy: travelling with dignity for animals

Pets are no longer an afterthought in travel planning. They are treated as family members whose comfort must be respected. Bloomberg projects that the global pet industry could reach 500 billion USD by 2030, and Shape Insight data shows that animals are travelling more than ever. Among nearly 2,900 respondents in the UK and US, 27% of pet owners who took their animals on their main holiday in 2025 did so for the first time.

Transport operators are adapting fast. China Railway Express is piloting pet-friendly services on its busy Beijing–Shanghai route, laying the groundwork for broader roll-out. In Italy, updated ENAC regulations now allow medium and large dogs in aircraft cabins, signalling a shift toward more inclusive travel policies.

In 2026, SkyePets plans to launch long-haul transpacific flights with pets allowed in the cabin between Australia and the US. Hotels are also moving beyond basic “pet-friendly” labels. The AKA Hotels group has integrated animals into its loyalty programme via the Canine Club, treating them as valued guests rather than mere exceptions.

Amadeus frames 2026 as a year of genuine care for loved ones — including those on four legs.

Travel Mixology: blending AI, social media and brand tools

Trip planning is no longer a straight line from search engine to booking. The modern traveller uses Travel Mixology — a layered approach that combines the power of large language models with the nuance of human experience. First, people turn to AI to get an overview of destinations and options. Next, they cross-check with Reddit threads, YouTube vlogs and social feeds to capture emotions, pitfalls and lived experience.

Then come branded conversational assistants, which use past searches and bookings to tailor recommendations. Some travellers bypass this step entirely and build their own planning stacks from tools, spreadsheets and custom automations.

Amadeus expects these “mixology travellers” to move into the spotlight in 2026. Google Flight Deals, powered by Amadeus inventory, already lets users search for trips by mood rather than fixed destinations. It’s now possible to describe a desired vibe — quiet coastlines, food culture, nightlife — and let the system propose smart matches.

Expedia’s Trip Matching converts Instagram reels into bookable itineraries, decoding visual content into flights, hotels and experiences. The result is a richer, multi-source planning process that balances machine speed with human authenticity.

Point-to-point precision: long-range narrow-body aircraft

Aviation is making the world smaller by redesigning how far smaller aircraft can fly. In 2026, new fleets of long-range narrow-body jets are expected to reshape point-to-point travel. At the centre is the Airbus A321XLR, equipped with an additional rear centre tank that extends range by around 700 nautical miles.

When the aircraft was announced in 2019, airlines placed roughly 500 orders, with deliveries beginning in late 2025. This year marks the scale-up in real service. IndiGo will launch the first direct route between India and Athens in January 2026, while Air Canada prepares to link Montreal and Mallorca for the first time. According to Amadeus Travel Intelligence, such narrow-body long-range jets will account for nearly 10% of Iberia’s flights at the start of 2026, including seven transatlantic routes between Madrid and the Americas.

At the same time, Qantas’ Sunrise project, operated by A350-1000ULR aircraft, will connect Sydney non-stop with London and New York, cutting journey times by up to four hours compared to traditional routes.

Journeys once seen as exhausting marathons are turning into more manageable sprints, opening remote cities and secondary destinations to a much wider audience.

Pop-culture tourism: from fandom to real-world journeys

Streaming hits and global franchises are no longer just entertainment; they are powerful tourism engines. In 2025, themed “Labubus” experiences reportedly generated close to 1 billion USD in sales, while Visit Bath expects Netflix’s Bridgerton to add roughly 5 million GBP per year to the local economy.

In 2026 and beyond, more brands will build on intellectual property to stay relevant. The Seoul Tourism Organization has developed a full experience based on the K-Pop film Demon Hunters: visitors can weave traditional bracelets from the story, try dishes featured on screen and join “Learn K-Pop dance” sessions by the Cheonggyecheon stream.

Data from Amadeus Travel Intelligence shows that classic fandom events are also gaining traction. Searches for international flights to San Diego during Comic-Con have risen by 9% compared with the previous year.

Pop-culture’s influence will extend well past 2026. The construction of Universal Studios Great Britain, starting in 2026, should create a major European hub for IP-driven attractions supported by an integrated hotel and resort network. For experienced tourism brands, IP-based concepts become gateways from screens to shared physical experiences that build community and belonging.

Pick ’n’ Stays: hospitality as a configurable experience

Hotels are evolving from simple room categories to highly configurable experiences. Travellers increasingly expect to choose details: from blackout curtains and pilates reformers to perimeter monitors for deep work or rooms placed just steps from the breakfast buffet.

This transformation is driven by advances in central reservation systems (CRS). Solutions like Amadeus’ iHotelier enable hotels to manage availability not only at room level but also at the level of room attributes, turning design features into bookable upsell options.

Characteristics that were once difficult to search for — a room large enough for VR gaming, or a suite with outstanding soundproofing for remote work — now become clear purchase arguments. As AI adoption accelerates, personalization will move from “nice-to-have” to the default operating system of hospitality.

With the arrival of generative AI across platforms from Meta to Google, scrolling through generic categories such as “standard” or “premium” will increasingly feel outdated. In this context, Pick ’n’ Stays is not just a convenience feature; it is a strategic differentiator that allows hotels to maximize revenue by aligning inventory with the exact needs of each guest.

Innovation tourism: visiting the future today

Amadeus’ final trend turns to destinations where tomorrow is already visible on the street. In some places, robots assist travellers with luggage, tickets are bought with a simple wave of the hand, 3D-printed hotel rooms and drone deliveries are part of everyday operations. This is not fiction — it is a travel segment for those who want to experience the cutting edge first-hand.

Shenzhen is a prime example. Long recognized as a Chinese innovation hub, the city is now drawing global leisure travellers. Amadeus Travel Intelligence reports a 48% year-on-year increase in flight searches to Shenzhen in the first half of 2026, reflecting its growing appeal as a place where technology, creativity and capital converge.

In the US, around 2,000 additional autonomous vehicles are expected on the roads by 2026, while London prepares for self-driving taxi services from Waymo and UK-based Wayve, pending implementation of the UK Automated Vehicles Act anticipated in 2027.

The wearables space is moving just as quickly. In 2026, legendary Apple designer Jony Ive is expected to introduce the first OpenAI hardware device. AI-powered instant translation headphones already exist, but research from the UK’s Coller Foundation hints at interspecies translation that could rethink conservation practices and safari tourism.

For future-curious travellers, innovation tourism is less about passport stamps and more about stories — the story of how they saw the next era before it became mainstream.

International Investment believes that Amadeus’ Travel Trends 2026 marks the beginning of a structurally new travel era. Pet-centric services, AI-driven planning, long-range narrow-body routes, pop-culture-based experiences, hyper-personalized hotel stays and innovation-focused destinations together redefine what “going on a trip” means. Brands that succeed will be those that treat technology as an enabler, not a substitute, and put people — travellers, pets and local communities — at the centre of a smarter, more emotional and more immersive travel ecosystem.