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.
Business travel makes a comeback
Over the past few years, business travel has gradually rebounded from pandemic lows, with professionals eager to reconnect face-to-face after long stretches of virtual meetings. The rise of ‘bleisure’ – blending work trips with leisure time – has also taken hold, becoming standard practice for many, especially younger workers who want to make the most of travel opportunities.
Going solo
In 2025, solo travel has also been on the up with more travellers embarking on lone adventures. Adam Schrader, Director of Operations at Riskline, highlighted popular destinations ranging from Bali, Thailand, India, and Japan to Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Top city choices in 2025 included New York, Vancouver, Sydney, Tokyo, Lisbon, and Berlin.
Impact of geopolitical issues
The global picture is anything but straightforward, with issues including the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, escalating unrest in the Middle East and parts of Africa, and rising tensions in the US.
In 2026, travellers will continue navigating a complex landscape. Schrader explained that geopolitical instability could be difficult to predict, as sudden events can quickly affect the safety of a destination – for example, the recent violent protests in Indonesia and Nepal.
Some risks, however, unfold more slowly, gradually influencing travel patterns. “A good example might be tensions between European countries and Russia since 2014,” he said. “Now, more than a decade later, tourists may avoid places like Poland or the Baltic states due to the conflict in nearby Ukraine. This sort of change in travel patterns likely started slowly and accelerated after the outbreak of war in 2022.”
Perception of risk also matters, explained Schrader. For example, although Jordan is considered safe, its proximity to conflict has impacted tourism. By contrast, ongoing border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand have had little noticeable effect on tourism, Schrader noted.
Low-risk destinations
Considering geopolitical and climate issues, Schrader said that low-risk destinations in 2026 would continue to be those with long-standing, stable governments, robust infrastructure, and good services. According to Riskline, he said, those countries include: “China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and several countries in Southeast Asia. Much of Europe remains a safe destination, notwithstanding the ongoing war in Ukraine. North America and countries like Chile and Argentina in the south are also low risk.”
Read the full article in ITIJ.