2026 Travel Trends: Living Like a Local

The Modern Traveller Mindset: Shifting to Authentic Travel

Over the past decade, travellers increasingly seek genuine cultural engagement. According to a recent Oxford Economics report presented at HBX Group’s MarketHub Asia event, 72% of travellers prefer spending money on local activities over traditional sightseeing. This trend is especially pronounced among Millennials and Gen Z, who value meaningful connections and personalised experiences over conventional tourism.

Why now?

The rise of the experience economy has outpaced traditional tourism. Travel is no longer about passive observation; it’s about participation. This heightened appetite for immersive travel is reinforced by the booming experiential travel sector.

Industry forecasts, highlighted in the Hotelbeds Trend Report for Distributors, project the experiences market (tours, activities, attractions) to reach $372.93 billion by 2034, reflecting strong, sustained demand for in-destination engagement. Nearly 90% of Europeans now seek more travel experiences than in recent years, emphasising this shift.

You can also download our travel trend report at the bottom of this page, for more insights on the most influential trends for this year and beyond.

The Demand for Authenticity and Participation

Today’s travellers want authentic interactions—whether it’s trying local food, participating in cultural workshops, or engaging with communities. Data suggests that travellers are seeking more interactions with local culture, food, and communities, with 50% saying they are more interested in trying local food and drink than two years ago, according to Oxford Economics.

Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram amplify these desires, showcasing real-world immersion through videos of regional festivals, cooking classes, or staying in local homestays. These snippets shape expectations, pushing travellers toward active participation rather than passive sightseeing.

• ‘Meaning’ now often equals active participation—meeting locals, stories, workshops, food, culture—rather than passive sightseeing.
• Distributors who can tailor products to personal interests (food, heritage, wellness, nature, creativity) will win share and loyalty.

International Travel Accelerates with a Focus on Local Experiences

Forecasts indicate global inbound tourism will reach 2.1 billion visits by 2030, a 39% increase from last year, with expenditures hitting around $2.6 trillion. Booking patterns support the fact that travellers are staying longer in their chosen destination, with international trip lengths where travellers are staying in paid accommodation, from hotels to local homestays, was 7% higher in 2025 than pre-pandemic averages, according to Oxford Economics.

These longer stays amplify demand for accommodation in culturally-rich neighbourhoods within cities, guided cultural tours, and immersive or ‘everyday’ experiences that make visitors feel part of the locale, not just outside spectators.

So, today’s, and tomorrow’s, traveller will not only be hungry for experiential travel, but will be travelling more in order to satisfy this demand.

An illustrative example is Japan’s retailer Don Quijote (‘Donki’) as one of the notable beneficiaries of this surge in demand for everyday experiences. Their stores, with neon-lit decor and eclectic offerings, have become cultural landmarks, attracting international visitors seeking a ‘local’ shopping experience. 

Their success hinges on localisation, as each location adapts its product ranges to reflect local tastes. Combine this with the appeal of multilingual staff, overseas partnerships and international products, and this Japanese retailer is well positioned to expand its reach, capture this increasing demand to ‘live like a local’, while also offering an example as to the success awaiting businesses looking to leverage this rising demand for ‘the everyday’.

While this is a unique example, Don Quijote’s current success—their 2024 advert with Bruno Mars generated around 20 million views—the message is clear: significant opportunities exist due to the growing appetite for ‘everyday’ trips and itineraries for today’s traveller.

Cultural Festivals & Niche Events as Travel Drivers

Event-led travel is booming, and of course, globally renowned festivities like Japan’s Hanami or Thailand’s Songkran draw millions, offering genuine cultural experiences.

However, today’s traveller is just as likely to be drawn in by local, niche festivities, which are forming powerful drivers for experiential travel, such as regional festivals, music or sporting events. With travel appetite and spending set to remain a priority regardless of economic circumstances for many travellers, this presents key opportunities for distributors to leverage an experience-hungry traveller ready to spend on local, authentic moments.

Industry data shows 60% of international travellers planned trips around such events in 2025; among younger travellers (Gen Z and Millennials), this rises to 56%. While around 40% of surveyed sports fans have travelled abroad for an event, and nearly 20% of ticket buyers have travelled abroad for music festivals (based on AEG Global Partnerships data alone).

Travel distributors can leverage local festivals, food festivals, cultural seasons and local sporting events as high‑intent moments to craft tailored itineraries—focusing on neighbourhood exploration, micro‑districts, and off‑the‑beaten-path experiences before and after the event itself, rather than just the traditional checklist trip.

• Local calendars: (festivals, food fairs, cultural seasons) are high‑intent moments to package these ’local living’ itineraries.
• City breaks can be reframed as neighbourhood‑centric cultural stays: highlighting markets, galleries, venues, micro‑neighbourhood tours, rather than ‘checklist’ weekends.

Why the ‘Local Living’ Travel Trend Matters Now

A few key macro forces underpin this shift:

Personalisation

About 70% of younger travellers want trips tailored to their tastes, with mobile platforms at the core of planning and booking. 

Online Travel Agents are central to fulfilling this demand, however: 50% of global travellers used OTAs when planning or booking their last international trip, who saw approximately 50% growth in gross bookings between 2019 and 2025 (according to the World Travel Market Travel Trends Report). 

For all distributors to stay competitive, platforms must be API-first, mobile-optimised, and feature reviews to build trust and convert browsing into bookings.

Value & Meaning

While price influences destination choice for 81% of travellers, more than 50% consider luxury important, when luxury is defined as high‑quality, personalised, and authentic experiences rather than high price tags, according to insights delivered by Oxford Economics during HBX Group’s MarketHub Asia.

Therefore, distributors who can offer curated, personalised experiences will be able differentiate themselves.

Empower Today’s Luxury Traveller with The Luxury Collection

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The Rise of ‘Off the Beaten Path’ Destinations

While popular tourist spots attract millions, more travellers now seek less crowded, more authentic locales.

Around 56% of travellers are interested in discovering new destinations, especially those offering cultural immersion and fewer crowds. This demand is linked to a desire for ‘detour destinations’—lesser-known spots that, often, provide richer cultural engagement for travellers seeking authenticity.

Consider also the benefit of ‘shoulder season’ itineraries—trip-planning built around more niche seasonal festivities and culture-saturated periods of the year; adapting commonly delivered summer itineraries to winter-adjacent experiences; or replacing popular city destinations with a cooler climate recommendation, or an alternative secondary city. This satisfies the increasing desire for value (in terms of personal meaning, not necessarily cost) and authenticity.

Global Travel Distribution Tools: Leverage Trends with Hotelbeds

Hotelbeds, as a leading B2B travel provider within the HBX Group ecosystem, offers a comprehensive portfolio and technological solutions to help distributors meet this evolving demand:

Locally Located Accommodations: With over 300,000 properties in culturally-rich neighbourhoods, global cities, and natural landscapes worldwide, Hotelbeds enables tailored, immersive stays that reflect local architecture, cuisine, and culture.

Experiences & In-Destination Services: Over 23,000 experiences, including local tours, cultural workshops, artisan-led activities, and off-the-beaten-path excursions, all available to craft and package immersive, authentic itineraries.

API Suite Connectivity: Our robust API solutions, offered as part of the HBX Group ecosystem, streamline inventory access, real-time pricing, reservations, and analytics. This ensures fast, relevant search results and seamless integration into distributor platforms, supporting the rapid growth of international bookings.

The Future of Travel Is Local, Authentic, and Immersive

The ‘living like a local’ trend isn’t fleeting; it’s the defining mindset of modern travellers. Backed by data, a robust experiential market, and social media’s influence, this movement will continue shaping travel in 2026 and beyond.

Opportunities for tour operators and online travel agents:

• Embrace hyper-local, immersive experiences.
• Leverage social media insights and niche events to create targeted campaigns.
• Incorporate local festivals, cultural events, and off-the-beaten-path destinations into itineraries.
• Utilise technological solutions like API integrations to deliver seamless, relevant experiences at scale.

Partner with Hotelbeds to Lead the Future

Hotelbeds is committed to enabling this shift through its extensive global portfolio, innovative technology, and data-driven insights. By partnering with us, you can deliver immersive, meaningful travel experiences that foster loyalty, differentiation, and long-term growth.

Join us today to access the power of a comprehensive B2B travel ecosystem as part of HBX Group, offering local accommodations, experiences, and seamless API integration, so you can meet the rising demand for authentic, local travel in 2026 and beyond.