2026 Travel Trends: Arts and Culture Tourism and the 'Creativity Boom'

In our 2026 travel trends report we highlighted creative tourism as a key trend for this year and beyond, as travellers reported interest in art, culture, and hands-on experiences. Creative tourism may make you initially think of experiential travel, the demand for living like a local, or maybe even fandom tourism when it comes to certain aspects of the passionate, high-intent traveller; but creative travel is more—it’s maximalist in every sense.

Creative tourism often focuses on encompassing more of every experience. Think more colours, more style, and more active participation by travellers. Though of course, every travel experience is unique to the traveller booking it, so this is where understanding your customer needs is vital.

Here’s what you should know about the Creativity Boom as a current travel tourism trend:

Why is creativity a global travel trend in 2026?

According to a recent report from Marriott Bonvoy, 68% of travellers have been on a trip driven by passion. This can include hobbies like making music or interests such as visiting art galleries. In short, all types of creative activities.

Travellers want to see creativity everywhere, from carefully selected art pieces in hotel lobbies and inspiring community initiatives, to local exhibitions, street art, and even themed hotels. 

As with any tourism trend, there are several sub trends that are worth noting when it comes to the 'Creativity Boom'.

• Younger travellers are particularly interested, with around 82% of Gen Z having already taken a passion-led trip, compared with the 68% for other traveller demographics who responded to a recent survey by Marriott Bonvoy.
• Cultural immersion travel plays a big role, and not just in the traditional sense of visiting museums and UNESCO heritage sites, but also participating in workshops, interactive exhibitions, and art residencies.
• 40% of travellers are highly-motivated by cultural experiences, and book at least one experience that is connected to local culture during their trip. 
• Travellers want to learn by doing: there is an innate connection between hands-on experiences and the Creativity Boom trend, where travellers are seeking immersive travel experiences that let them truly identify, engage and interact with a destination's culture and arts.
• ‘Skillcations’ and hobby-driven travel are great examples of what people expect from creative travel. In a 2026 report conducted by Hilton, 72% of travellers said they would like to take time off to explore a hobby or a skill.

Literary trips and travel experiences linked to the literary world are on the rise: from book-related and reading retreats to literary conventions, book-lovers are on the move.

What are hotels doing to be part of the creative tourism trend?

Cleanliness, price, and location are a given when it comes to booking motivations; but travellers are expecting more from their accommodation. Travellers increasingly want their hotel to align with their travel style and values, whether that’s solo-friendly stays or sustainability-focused accommodation.Creativity can also be part of this list.

Here are two of many examples of how some hotels are appealing to travellers seeking a creative-leaning stay:

The Fife Arms in the Scottish Highlands expresses creativity through themed rooms. Each of its 47 rooms and suites is inspired by Scottish nature, culture, art, and poetry. The royal suites, for example, feature artwork, antiques, and furniture linked to royal figures who had a deep connection to the Highlands. 

Considering the 'boom' in demand for unique stays—where the hotel is recognisable as a vehicle for storytelling, as a destination in its own right—the impact of social media on the virality of a hotel, and the millions of views on influencer accounts who travel to unique hotels and accommodations, a themed hotel is a memorable way to offer an artistic retreat to your customers.

Enchantment Resort in Arizona offers art-focused experiences that allow guests to express themselves and engage with creative practices. Their Artist Cottage hosts a range of workshops from pottery to wood burning, while others involve the local community and culture, such as the gourd decorating workshop using locally-grown gourds, for an experience that is deeply connected to local culture. 

Offering hands-on activities that combine local community, produce, cuisine or artistic practices aligns with the increasing demand for immersion in local culture from today's traveller.

Distributor tip: When booking hotels or listing them on your platform, look for rooms that tell a story, lobbies that feel like art galleries, or experiences that evoke curiosity. Working with a B2B partner can help with global travel distribution. Hotelbeds members get access to over 300,000 global properties, including art-led and creative hotels, for example—among many other competitive benefits, as part of the wider HBX Group ecosystem.

You can also book both of the aforementioned hotels, along with many others offering a stay which aligns to arts and culture-inspired travellers, on the Hotelbeds Booking Engine. All you have to do is sign up to access thousands of hotels worldwide, alongside immersive experiences, car hire and transfer solutions.

Sign up today to access the Hotelbeds portfolio

Why should global travel distributors consider creative tourism experiences?

According to a recent UNESCO estimate the cultural sector contributed $4.3 trillion per year to the global economy. This includes both tangible (historic sites, museums, monuments) and intangible products (events, concerts, city tours, workshops) - the latter of which offers many opportunities for creative tourism experiences, including:

• Tours focusing on niche interests, such as culinary travel, fandom tourism, and street art.
• Festivals and live events as the main drivers of the trip.
• Community-driven initiatives where travellers learn more about the local culture.
• Hands-on workshops or art residencies.

Distributor tip: Package interactive experiences with accommodations, maximise your earnings, and strengthen your reputation for delivering memorable trips. If you’re looking to broaden your portfolio, Hotelbeds gives you access to 23,000+ experiences around the world, to help you enhance every trip by offering in-demand and immersive travel experiences to every traveller.

Access the portfolio by becoming a Hotelbeds partner today.

Spotlight on literary tourism and ‘novel’ destinations

Want to see a creativity-driven trend in action? Literary tourism is on the rise.

While travel inspired by books and fictional stories is certainly not new, what’s notable is the growing value of this niche tourism segment, and the scope of interest around the world. In fact, according to recent surveys:

• 32‏% of travellers want to visit a destination mentioned in a book,
• 18‏% would stay in book-themed accommodation,
• 12% want to go on a writing and/or reading retreat.

A particularly immersive example of literary travel is bookish retreats. Featured in outlets like BBC Travel and The Times, the popularity of such retreats has been booming in recent years. A popular format includes organising themed retreats, by book, of course, and travellers are guided around the destinations where the story is set.

With around 40% of travellers seeking more cultural experiences during their trips, it is easy to see how literary themed trips, where the itinerary is set and the activities are guaranteed to be aligned to participants’ interest, are on trend for the modern traveller. Experiences such as reading retreats ideally blend the aspects of travel and community that today’s traveller is craving.

However—readers aren’t just simply heading into the world to see where books are set; the bookish community is thriving in commercial and convention environments, too. Attendance at annual events like Hay Festival, drawing 300,000 attendees on average; the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with around unique 500 events; the Jaipur Literature Festival, a show-stopping event in the literary world; London’s Young Adult Literary Convention (YALC); BookCon in New York, and many more are at an all-time high.

Book-lovers are seeking opportunities to connect with other readers, and with the surge in demand for special editions of popular books—some with a staggering resell value—the popularity of ‘BookTok’ spaces and the virality of reading among social media, the literary scene offers a compelling opportunity for distributors, and the travel industry at large.

These travellers are high-intent, often with funds to burn on their passions, and who are willing to travel to engage and interact with their favourite authors and other readers in their chosen community—just as we are seeing on a larger scale with the growth in fandom tourism.

Other examples of literary travel experiences include:

• Organising visits to book cafés and libraries.
• Attending book-related events, such as the NYC BookCon and international literary festivals.
• Building itineraries around author events, including book signings, talks, and launches.
• Curating a destination list based on locations featured in a travellers’ favourite fictional stories.

Books aren’t just sparking interest; they’re sparking pilgrimages. And with 7 out of 10 travellers declaring that reading time is important to them on a trip, literary travellers shouldn’t be overlooked by distributors wanting to capture a ready-and-waiting bubble of revenue.

How can global travel distributors capitalise on the creative tourism trend?

Travellers interested in creative tourism are experience-driven and willing to spend more on authentic, memorable activities. Here are some travel strategies on how to use this trend:

Personalise your offers

Creative tourism covers a wide range of activities: ceramics, art, photography, music, wine tasting, staying in design hotels… The list goes on. Use customer data, previous bookings, and travel tech tools like Insights, our powerful recommendation tool, to find creative activities for every traveller. 

Powered by real-time data and based on your growth potential, Insights offers personalised destination and experience recommendations tailored to your market, for in-demand and competitive opportunities to sell.

Implement filters for easily-refined searches

Make creative tourism products easier to find across your distribution channels for travellers at the point of booking. If you have a booking engine, consider adding filters for art-focused stays, craft workshops, or related in-destination experiences.

Create packages for personalised travel experience

Bundle accommodation, transport, and actitivities into tailored itineraries

For example, for a trip to the Scottish Highlands, your package can include: anartistic hotel room, or perhaps a themed hotel for an immersive stay;a whiskey workshop to combine arts, local produce and culinary tourism; Outlander-inspired tours to tap into the high-intent book-loving traveller, and other activities your clients might be interested in to extend their stay.

Distributors who join the Hotelbeds network can easily combine memorable stays with in-destination travel activitiesand transport solutions into one exceptional trip with the Hotelbeds Booking Engine.

Market creative experiences and destinations

Let creative experiences take centre stage in your marketing, whether that’s your social media, newsletters, or blogs. These resonate well with travellers, show your expertise, and make a lasting impression. Instead of “We offer comprehensive Scotland experiences,” think “Experience Scotland in your own way: from Outlander-inspired tours to visits to fairytale castles.”

Partner with local creators

Work with local artisans, chefs, musicians, photographers, designers, and cultural organisations who know the creative scenes in their destinations inside out. This helps differentiate your offering from competitors and offers unique experiences to clients.

Hotelbeds as your partner in creative travel

At Hotelbeds, part of HBX Group, we equip you with data, technology, and a global network so you can offer the best creative experiences. As our member, you get to:

• Access our global portfolio of hotels in 170+ countries, with boutique, design, and luxury options.
• Choose from 23,000+ travel experiences: from workshops and guided or private tours, to hands-on experiences in big cities and emerging destinations.
• Use data-driven tools like Insights and reports to act on market trends early
• Get personalised upselling and cross-selling options integrated into your booking journey.
• Benefit from competitive rates from hotels in our Preferred Partner programme, so besides creativity, you also get reliability, exclusive prices, and excellent customer service.

Become a part of the Hotelbeds network in just a few clicks today.