Moving into 2026, travellers remain eager to pack their suitcases, with younger generations helping to drive new travel patterns and preferences. Meanwhile, the global travel landscape is evolving against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, rising costs, and climate pressures. These factors are increasingly influencing where people go and how they plan their trips, giving rise to trends like ‘coolcations’ and shoulder-season travel.
Where travellers went in 2025, and where they are heading in 2026
France continues to lead as the world’s most-visited destination, with Spain and the US close behind, and China, Italy, and Turkey also remaining popular. Japan has emerged as a breakout destination this year, experiencing a major surge in global interest and welcoming a record-breaking number of international visitors.
In line with this, Squaremouth’s sales data shows that for the last few years, the US, Mexico, Italy, France, Spain, and Canada have continued to be popular with American travellers. However, early data for 2026 shows the Bahamas entering the top five for the first time, suggesting a rising interest in Caribbean travel.
For Australian travellers, Dylan Wilkinson, Head of APAC and nib Travel Marketing, highlighted Bali and Japan as the two major winners. The ski season has been a particular draw for Japan, with around half of travellers adding snow-sports coverage to their insurance policies.
“As we look toward 2026,” he said, “we expect Japan’s momentum to continue, while keeping our eyes on emerging destinations where value, experience, and accessibility align and current travel trends based around sustainability and unique experiences continue to evolve and influence travellers’ behaviour.”
Panama remains the number one destination for expats, followed by Colombia
For adventure travellers, UK-based B Corp tour operator Wild Frontiers has identified 16 destinations expected to be especially popular in 2026. Its line-up includes: Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Tanzania, South Korea, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Japan, Oman, Chile, Argentina, Kashmir (India), Georgia, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Pakistan, and Ecuador.