Interview with an expert: What will define the future of travel and tourism in 2026 and beyond?

Ask the Expert Series | January 2026

Interviewer: Branka Orosnjak, Managing Partner (Europe), Hall & Partners
Interviewee: Vivek Neb, EVP & Managing Director, Escalent

In the first edition of Hall & Partners’ monthly Interview with an Expert series, Branka Orosnjak speaks with Vivek Neb, on the forces reshaping travel and tourism - from AI-driven planning and experiential travel to sustainability, overtourism, and the need for more insight-led decision-making.

Looking ahead: Travel trends shaping 2026

Industry forecasts point to a year defined by experience-led growth. Recent reporting on the biggest travel trends of 2026 highlights accelerating demand for personalised journeys, slower and more sustainable forms of travel, and experiences designed around emotional connection rather than volume. 

Against this backdrop, Branka Orosnjak spoke with Vivek Neb to explore which shifts will truly reshape the sector - and where the industry remains least prepared. From smart tourism infrastructure to immersive cultural programming, the conversation highlights how destinations must move from volume-driven growth to value-led experience design.

Q: What emerging trends will shape global travel and which ones do you think the industry is least prepared for?

Several trends are converging at once. Solo travel continues to rise as travellers seek flexibility and experiences tailored to personal interests, while multi-generational travel is growing as families look for journeys that work seamlessly across age groups.

Technology and AI adoption is accelerating, largely driven by travellers themselves. AI is reshaping the entire traveller journey - from inspiration and planning to booking, in-destination experience, and loyalty - raising expectations for speed, simplicity, and personalisation at every touchpoint. As these tools reduce friction and decision fatigue, travellers are becoming less tolerant of disconnected, manual, or inconsistent experiences.

Wellness and experiential travel will continue to grow in importance, as travellers prioritise mental and physical wellbeing alongside immersive, meaningful experiences that go beyond traditional sightseeing.

Luxury travel is expected to see a strong resurgence, particularly in tailor-made, highly personalised journeys. Sustainability will remain a key consideration, with travellers increasingly factoring environmental and social impact into their travel decisions, while social and creator-led inspiration continues to shape destination choice.

Where the industry is least prepared is in structure. Travel remains highly fragmented and slow to digitize, making it hard for many players to keep up with AI-driven expectations. Overtourism is another major issue - widely recognized, but still lacking coordinated, long-term solutions.

Some destinations are moving faster than others. Dubai, for example, has positioned itself as a global smart tourism leader by integrating AI, IoT, and data across airports, transport, hotels, and attractions - enabling contactless journeys and more seamless visitor experiences. Indonesia is taking a similar ecosystem-wide approach through policy reform and platforms such as its Meticulous Artificial Intelligence of Indonesia (MaiA), pairing technology adoption with infrastructure investment, sustainability, and visa simplification. Singapore, meanwhile, has made sustainability a measurable competitive advantage, ranking among the world’s leading destinations on the Global Destination Sustainability Index while advancing sector-wide decarbonisation initiatives.

Cruising offers a clear signal of how quickly traveller expectations are evolving. The category is moving beyond traditional itineraries toward immersive and highly differentiated experiences - supporting solo travellers, multi-generational groups, and expedition-led journeys to destinations such as the Arctic and the Galapagos. Longer port stays, flexible dining and dress codes, onboard technology for work and play, and ‘ship-within-a-ship’ concepts reflect a broader demand for choice, depth, and personal relevance.

Q: What are the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the sector right now?

A: Travel has increasingly become a non-negotiable life priority. Even when they’re facing economic uncertainty, consumers continue to prioritize spending on experiences over material goods. This shift is reinforcing travel’s role in wellbeing, aspiration, and personal identity and supporting resilient demand across many markets.

Emerging outbound markets are playing a critical role in this growth. Regions such as Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East are contributing a growing share of global travellers, supported by rising incomes, improved connectivity, and expanding middle-class populations. Visa liberalization and expanded visa-free travel are further reducing barriers and encouraging cross-border mobility.

Another major opportunity lies in the continued return of Chinese outbound travellers. Given the scale and spending power of this market, its recovery represents a substantial boost for airlines, hotels, destinations, and the wider travel ecosystem.

Affordability pressures, workforce shortages, geopolitical instability, and climate-related disruptions are all adding volatility. Together, they underscore the need for more adaptive, insight-led strategies across the sector.

These opportunities are underpinned by strong industry fundamentals. Several travel sectors - including cruising - have rebounded faster than expected, attracting first-time travellers and pushing passenger volumes beyond pre-pandemic levels. This resilience reinforces the importance of adapting experiences quickly, as new entrants often arrive with higher expectations and lower tolerance for friction.

Q: How have traveller expectations changed - and how well has the industry adapted?

A: Traveller expectations have shifted decisively toward more meaningful, purpose-driven experiences. Increasingly, travellers want authentic and culturally immersive journeys that allow them to connect deeply with local people, traditions, and places. This has driven demand for curated experiences and culturally led itineraries, with hotels and operators introducing local programming and cuisine to meet these evolving expectations.

Destinations such as Japan and New Zealand illustrate this shift clearly. Japan continues to redefine travel through deeply immersive, respectful experiences rooted in culture and service excellence, while New Zealand positions itself around regenerative, nature-connected tourism that aligns environmental stewardship with visitor experience. Abu Dhabi has also invested heavily in differentiated, experience-led tourism - from large-scale cultural festivals to immersive attractions such as team Lab Phenomena - reinforcing how experience design is becoming central to destination brand strength.

However, not all destinations have adapted at the same pace, and those with limited tourism assets continue to rely on generic itineraries that fall short of these new expectations.

This shift toward meaning and immersion is also fuelling the rise of slow travel. Train-led holidays are gaining momentum as travellers seek lower-carbon alternatives, scenic journeys, and a more deliberate pace of exploration. From classic luxury rail routes in Europe to immersive journeys in India, North America, and South America, the journey itself is increasingly seen as part of the experience - aligned with growing interest in wellbeing, sustainability, and ‘cool-cation’ destinations.

Wellness travel has also expanded rapidly, particularly among higher-income travellers. Journeys focused on self-care, mental health, and physical wellbeing are no longer niche. This demand has driven the rise of wellness hotels, spa-led resorts, and specialised retreats focused on physical and mental restoration. However, access to these offerings remains uneven, highlighting an opportunity to make wellness travel more inclusive. Despite this growth, access to such offerings remains limited primarily to high-net-worth individuals, highlighting an opportunity to make wellness travel more inclusive and accessible.

Sustainability has moved from being a “nice to have” to a core expectation. Travellers are actively assessing the environmental and social impact of their choices and expect genuine action rather than symbolic gestures. While progress is being made, travellers are increasingly adept at distinguishing real commitment from superficial messaging.

Airlines play a critical role in setting these expectations. Singapore Airlines continues to define premium travel through precision, consistency, and care across the journey, while Emirates has built an aspirational global brand by combining scale with experience-led innovation. Together, they demonstrate how alignment across service, technology, and brand promise shapes traveller perceptions long before arrival at a destination.

The power of insights

Q: In your view, how can insights help the travel sector anticipate trends, personalise experiences, and make smarter strategic decisions? 

A: Travel ecosystem brings together multiple industries - from government-managed destinations to hotels and airlines - connected through a complex network of intermediaries such as tour operators, travel agents, DMCs (Destination Management Company), and OTAs (Online Travel Agency). This ecosystem is highly fragmented, leading to disconnected information flows and decision-making that is often heuristic rather than insight-driven. As a result, data remains siloed across the value chain, limiting problem-solving to individual segments rather than enabling a holistic view of the traveller journey. This fragmentation creates inconsistent experiences, leaving travellers expecting more.

To address this, the sector needs a unified insights interface that supports better decision-making by leveraging contextual intelligence across all connected stakeholders. Given the capital-intensive nature of the sector, anticipating trends before they peak is critical. An insights-led approach can help identify emerging shifts and guide coordinated transitions across the ecosystem. Only through such alignment can the industry deliver a consistent, seamless experience across every travel touchpoint.

Marketing excellence increasingly reflects these shifts. At the 2025 Travel Marketing Awards, campaigns such as Incredible India, TikTok’s My Kind of Cruise, TUI Accessible Holidays, and Iceland’s Meet the AURORAS were recognised for blending cultural immersion, inclusivity, and digital creativity. Together, they signal how experience-led storytelling - grounded in accessibility, authenticity, and emotional connection - is becoming a defining benchmark for successful travel brands.

Key takeaways

• Traveller expectations are evolving faster than industry structures
• AI is reshaping planning, booking, in-destination experience, and loyalty
• Sustainability and authenticity are now baseline requirements
• Emerging outbound markets will drive future growth
• Unified, cross-ecosystem insights are critical to resilience and coordination

In summary

As the travel and tourism sector looks toward 2026 and beyond, the challenge is not simply to recover or grow, but to adapt structurally to rapidly changing traveller expectations. Technology, sustainability, and experience design are deeply interconnected, shaping how brands build relevance, resilience, and long-term value in an increasingly volatile environment. Brands and destinations that succeed will be those that move beyond fragmented decision-making, embrace unified insight, and continuously innovate to deliver experiences that are seamless, personalised, and meaningful - an approach grounded in the kind of evidence-based understanding Hall & Partners brings to complex category transformation. In a world where travellers are moving faster than ever, the ability to anticipate change, adapt with confidence, and align around a strong, differentiated brand will define the next era of travel leadership.