Summer travel trends interview
1. Europe is once again being perceived as a trending destination. Which regions or cities in Europe currently have the greatest potential to “rise” in the coming years?
Europe is the number one regional destination in the world although is facing tough competition from emerging regions like Asia Pacific, and is spurred on by strong intra-regional demand, a diverse product offer and some excellent transport options such as world-class rail travel. The war in Iran and global uncertainty will be a driver for intra-regional demand with Europeans holidaying closer to home, especially with the record high fuel prices, surcharges and threat of flight cancellations.
In terms of performance, Iceland (29% growth in arrivals 2024/2025) and Norway (13%), North Macedonia (10%) were stand-out performers in 2025, according to UN Tourism data, Some breakthrough destinations include the Balkans as consumers look for emerging and off the beaten path experiences. Consumers are always looking for the next big thing so dupes have been popular over the past few years, eg Girona rather than Barcelona.
We will see a consolidation of top trending destinations – France, Portugal, Greece, Spain, Turkiye – whilst upcoming smaller destinations will benefit from the off the beaten path strategies such as Croatia, looking beyond Dubrovnik, so that there’s equitable spread of tourism revenues so that there will not be polarisation between ultra big and uber small.
2. Which five destinations in Europe are on your personal bucket list?
For me it is about the experience in the destination with the local community and nature, so my top ideal destinations that I aspire to (as I do not agree with the term bucket list as it can commoditise travel) are in no particular order:
· Stargazing the northern lights from a glass igloo in Scandinavia
· Greek island hopping on carbon neutral ferries
· Foodie walking tour in Lisbon or the Basque country
· Balkans walking holiday staying in local rural retreats
· Outer Hebrides staying in an eco-lodge next to an idyllic white sand beach
And I am travelling for work in May so looking to some forest bathing in the Spanish Pyrenees in Catalonia with the Adventure Travel Trade Association
3. What new travel trends are you observing specifically in Europe—particularly in relation to slow travel, bleisure or more conscious forms of travel?
Bleisure has had its moment, and communities are reacting negatively against the concept (eg the Canary Islands) where bleisure travellers are regarded as taking homes from residents creating a lack of affordable housing causing a housing crisis.
According to Booking.com data, 85% of consumers say that travelling sustainably is important to very important. However, there is typically a say-do gap, and the data shows that older generations are more committed to travelling in a sustainable way than younger generations.
The revival of night trains is another way of choosing more sustainable and impact-conscious travel where trains produce night trains produce 28 times less GHG than air travel, according to study by IEA and Back on Track.
With some of the most generous holiday allowances in the world, slow travel is a potential option for European travellers, where the movement is over 20 years old and gaining more traction with travellers looking to make the journey part of the experience.
4. According to recent rankings—such as those by Zable—so-called “best-value” destinations in Europe are gaining importance. Do you see a structural shift towards more price-conscious destinations, even within the premium segment?
Travel is one of the last consumer items to go as consumers are so passionate about their holidays, destressing and experiencing new cultures, destinations and price is always a consideration along with affordability. Value is changing and is highly personal, with new tools like AI delivering ever greater levels of personalisation so that travellers can narrow the expectation gap.
The luxury high end will always be resilient from price increases as seen from the war in Iran but value for money resonates with everyone, with the role of the agent/operator becoming more under threat, trust is fundamental to their continued success, where AI is causing a new wave of disintermediation.
5. Which hospitality concepts are currently gaining the most traction—classic grand hotels, lifestyle hotels, or more experience-driven resorts?
With younger generations, it’s about experience and looking beyond the hotel to the tours, activities and experiences that you can do in the destination along with the wellness offer in the hotel. Lifestyles hotel brands to resonate and the global hotel chains continue to launch new brands to appeal to different segments.
When it comes to hotels it’s all about choice, hence we see ever greater diversification in the brands available in the large hotel chains’ portfolios and pipelines. Bringing independent boutique operators under a chain’s umbrella is one way of ensuring that the experiential factor is met such as IHG with Six Senses and Vignette Collection.
6. “Coolcations” and the escape from summer heat have been major topics in recent years. To what extent is climate change already influencing flight planning and demand for Northern European or Atlantic destinations (e.g. Scandinavia, Scotland, the Baltics) compared to traditional Mediterranean hotspots?
The European Joint Research Centre data points to a long term trend from southern to northern European destinations, with the former to increase by 10% by 2,100 compared to a 5% decrease for the latter under a higher warming scenario. This means that also some demand will be lost due to pricing considerations and people looking for staycations. The coolcation phenomenon is already here, with star performers such as Iceland seeing a 29% increase in arrivals over 2025, and Norway with 13% according to UN Tourism. Scandinavia has done a good job of offering all year travel experiences as seen with the #articsummer trend. Scotland tends to outperform the rest of the UK with its diverse offering from city breaks to rural retreats.
Flight capacity is central to the success of the coolcation trend, as there is clear demand for cooler climates where climate change impacts (such as extreme weather) are already considered by the majority of travellers when planning their trips. However, with the war in the Middle East, capacity is under threat due to the excessively high fuel costs and subsequent flight cancellations so route development may well come down to which airlines are the best hedged and have locked in the best price for their fuel supply over the mid term.
7. In 2026, numerous new boutique and luxury hotels are opening across Europe—from restored palazzos in Italy to cliff-top resorts on Greek islands and sustainable projects in lesser-known regions. Which hotel openings or concepts do you consider particularly forward-looking for the discerning business and leisure traveller?
For me, the stand-out operators are driven by purpose and passion for their local environment, communities and destinations. Notable examples include Six Senses (IHG) that is opening its first property in London including a private member’s club. Whilst Iberostar is highly innovative with its wave of change program and its pre-competitive alliances focused on driving positive social and environmental outcomes.
For the wow factor, Black Sand Hotel, Ölfus, a volcanic beachfront hotel in Iceland stands out as one to visit with its locally sourced materials, designed in complement to the dramatic volcanic landscape. The hotel encourages guests to embrace slow living and is only 40 minutes from the capital so could be a nice slow experience after a busy week of meetings for business travellers.
Other examples for business travellers include luxury hotels opening residences providing more of at home feel and experience. This relates to ‘The Great Hunkering-down’ as quoted in the Financial Times, where consumers are increasingly spending time at home.
Outside Europe, NoMad Singapore (Hilton), a luxury lifestyle hotel, looks impressively beautiful with its biophilic design including a 15 storey waterfall due to open in 2027 with a strong focus on immersive cultural experiences. Again, a great base for the busy business traveller that is sustainable, immersive and cool.
8. Many new hotels strongly position themselves around themes such as regenerative tourism, slow travel and local immersion. Based on your data, what do discerning travellers actually expect from new hospitality projects in Europe in 2026—beyond greenwashing?
Discerning consumers are looking beyond marketing slogans for verified proof of sustainability certification. One third of Booking.com’s survey respondents look for certification and 100 million rooms certified by third parties were sold on their platform.
According to data from Hilton, 72% of travellers expressed a desire to take time off to explore a personal passion or hobby, while connecting with family and friends is another top priority and 70% of families seek experiences that connect them to local traditions.
9. You focus extensively on sustainability. Sustainability and overtourism remain key challenges. In your view, which European destinations or hotel concepts are currently best at balancing growth—driven by new flight connections and increased capacity—with genuine positive impact through regenerative models?
Amsterdam and Copenhagen are stand-out city performers when it comes to balancing community needs with long term strategic goals for sustainable tourism.
Iberostar is one of the best examples of sustainable hotel operators, adopting a wide range of sustainable strategies to ensure that it can protect the local environment and communities that depend on tourism.
Growth through-out the year, ie expanding seasonality to encompass shoulder and off-peak seasons is one strategy to mitigate the challenges of peak season capacity constraints.
10. How will we travel in 2050?
There will be multiple factors that will shape how we will travel in 2050. The most important shifts will be driven by socio-demographics, technology, consumer trends and the climate emergency.
On the one hand, the travel industry will continue to enjoy robust growth, accelerated thanks to technological advances such as AI and the rising middle classes in emerging markets. Yet on the other hand, travel will face the eternal struggle in how to manage this growth in a responsible and fair way to reach net zero emissions. The speed of sustainable transformation on the supply side will need to speed up to ensure that the right policies, business practices, infrastructure and sustainable energy supply meet future demand.
If the travel industry continues its current trajectory, there will potentially be tens of billions of air passengers and tens of billions of international arrivals travelling around the world, with their respective carbon footprint that needs to be addressed. Not forgetting domestic tourism which is even greater in magnitude.
If the industry fails to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change, the future for travel and tourism will be restricted majorly in certain parts of the world, facing elevated visitor levies, bans, flight surcharges and heavy restrictions as communities reject excessive and harmful forms of tourism. This could lead to the closure of beautiful and fragile sites to the public, shifting access to the elite. Gated communities and visitor zones may become the norm rather than the exception.
As a vehicle of cultural exchange, it is vital that steps are taken in future to ensure that tourism remains inclusive and open to all with low barriers to entry, whilst taking full responsibility for its social and environmental impacts. Net zero strategies, autonomous vehicles and high-speed transport will be standard as electrification accelerates.
This interview was with Business Traveller Germany