Global travel is heading for another record year in 2026, but the way people travel is changing, with short-haul trips, value-led spending and AI-assisted booking among the six trends shaping the industry after World Travel Market (WTM) London 2026, according to APL Media and Meeting Media Group. The show ran from 3 to 5 November, and the trends come from the WTM Global Travel Report 2026, produced with Tourism Economics.
International overnight arrivals are forecast to reach a record 1.57 billion in 2026, up 2 percent on 2025, while spending by international visitors is expected to rise 6 percent to US$1.8 trillion, according to the report as cited by both outlets. Those figures are forecasts for the full year, not final counts. Within-region trips are forecast to rise 3 percent in 2026 while inter-regional travel falls 3 percent, as higher costs and disruption push travellers towards closer destinations, according to APL Media.
Travellers are also mixing budget and premium choices on the same trip. The report finds 56 percent are interested in combining budget-conscious choices with more expensive elements, while 49 percent have spent on luxurious travel experiences, up from 41 percent in 2025, according to APL Media. Domestic and regional breaks, shoulder-season escapes and cooler destinations are gaining appeal as travellers seek better value, according to the report.
Artificial intelligence is moving from inspiration towards booking. Almost a quarter of travellers, 24 percent, used AI chatbots to plan their latest international trip, up from 18 percent in 2025 and 10 percent in 2024, according to APL Media. More than a third, 36 percent, say they would trust AI to complete a booking, while 53 percent would consider using it for recommendations and 58 percent for searching and comparing prices, according to Meeting Media Group. Social search is taking off too, with 54 percent of the travel audience reportedly searching for content on TikTok, according to APL Media.
Adventure has no age limit, according to the report. Almost half of the clients served by surveyed adventure travel businesses were aged over 51, and 64 percent of travellers express interest in adventure trips, although only 19 percent typically take one, according to Meeting Media Group. Across age groups, 57 percent are very interested in visiting natural environments, 61 percent are very interested in sampling local food and drink, and 37 percent chose their latest international destination to relax and unwind, up from 31 percent in 2025, according to APL Media. Accessible travel and responsible travel round out the six trends: sustainability is becoming an expectation rather than a selling point, and authenticity starts with local communities, according to APL Media.