Summary:
- Travel in 2026 will feel like science fiction due to AI and pop culture.
- VR-ready rooms and sound-managed workspaces becoming bookable.
- Travelers are planning trips using multiple platforms, including large language models.
TRAVEL IN 2026 will feel like science fiction, with advances in artificial intelligence, aircraft and hotel technology reshaping the industry, according to an Amadeus report. Other innovations include virtual reality-ready hotel rooms, sound-managed workspaces and better ways to travel with pets.
The 2026 Travel Trends report from Amadeus and Globetrender highlighted that hotels are using technology to let travelers select room features such as fitness equipment or workspace tools.
Updated reservation systems allow hotels to list detailed room attributes once hard to specify, while AI-driven platforms let travelers select rooms based on specific features rather than broad categories.
“From new pet travel technology to AI-powered trip planning, long-range narrow-body jets, pop culture-inspired pilgrimages and personalized hotel stays, innovation is reshaping travel,” said Dan Batchelor, Amadeus’ senior vice president of global corporate marketing and communications. “Pets are traveling with dignity, travelers are blending machine intelligence with human instinct, aircraft are shrinking global distances, entertainment franchises are inspiring new experiences and hotels are letting guests design every detail of their stay.”
Jenny Southan, Globetrender’s CEO, said travel is on “spin mode,” with technology, culture and innovation driving rapid change.
“We track shifts in consumer behavior across 10 global megatrends, from ‘Climate Contours’ to ‘Youthquake,’” she said. “The pace of change in the mid-2020s is accelerating the travel industry, influencing how companies and individuals respond.”
Pawprint economy drives the trends
The pet industry is expected to reach $500 billion by 2030, the report said, citing Bloomberg. Shape Insight data showed 27 percent of surveyed UK and U.S. pet owners traveled with pets for the first time in 2025. China Railway Express is testing pet travel on the Beijing–Shanghai route, Italy now allows medium and large dogs in aircraft cabins, SkyePets will launch in-cabin pet flights between Australia and the U.S. in 2026 and AKA Hotels has added pets to its loyalty program. Broader support for pet travel is expected next year.
Travelers are increasingly using multiple platforms to plan trips, including large language models, social media like Reddit and YouTube and brand AI assistants. Google Flight Deals uses Amadeus inventory to suggest destinations from open-ended prompts, while Expedia’s Trip Matching converts Instagram reels into bookable itineraries. This multi-source approach is expected to guide travel behavior in 2026.
New long-haul narrowbody aircraft are expanding nonstop routes, the study found. Airbus’s A321XLR entered service in late 2025 with 500 carrier orders and more extended-range models will arrive in 2026. IndiGo will launch India–Athens nonstop service, Air Canada Montréal–Mallorca and Qantas will offer nonstop Sydney–London and Sydney–New York A350-1000ULR flights. Narrowbody aircraft will account for nearly 10 percent of Iberia flights, including seven long-haul Madrid–Americas routes.
Cultural IP is influencing travel demand, the report said. Labubus generated about $1 billion in 2025 and Bridgerton is projected to add £5 million per year to Bath. Seoul Tourism built a visitor journey around KPop’s Demon Hunters, while flight searches for San Diego during 2026 Comic-Con are up 9 percent. Destinations are investing in IP-based attractions, including Universal Studios Great Britain, which begins construction in 2026.
Destinations highlighting emerging technology are attracting travelers seeking early access to new systems. Flight searches to Shenzhen for early 2026 are up 48 percent. Autonomous vehicles are expanding in the U.S. and London plans driverless taxis ahead of the UK’s Automated Vehicles Act in 2027. Wearable technology is advancing, with Jony Ive set to unveil OpenAI’s first hardware device in 2026, alongside AI-based inter-species translation research.
“Although people’s fundamental human needs don’t change from year to year, what does change is how they react to marketing, news cycles and pop culture,” Southan said. “As we enter the latter half of the decade, 2026 will feel more ‘science fiction’ than any year that has come before.”
An October report by the World Travel & Tourism Council found the sector could add 91 million jobs by 2035 but still face a shortfall of over 43 million. The hospitality segment alone is projected to have an 8.6 million-worker gap, about 18 percent below required levels.
