We’ve seen it all, let's talk about what you’ve got.
This past year, Sparrowly Group has been deep in the trenches of place-making across Australia, working with destinations finding their voice and business owners crafting experiences that visitors can't forget. We've seen what works, what doesn't, and what truly moves the needle. So as 2026 approaches, we've distilled it all down. The trends worth leaning into as you shape your place, your destination, your business. Consider this your shortcut to what matters.
We’re seeing visitors expand their budgets and their horizons with around one third of travellers bumping up their flight and accommodation budget. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also become the employee of the year, winning the award for best travel planner at the ‘dreaming’ through to the ‘consideration’ stages of the visitor journey, in particular. It can even give a traveller the flight seat location for the best views on the plane. The Australian has recently shared the expected capacity of AI in the coming years, with the power to cross-check your friends' calendars for a free weekend, find the best swim-up bar and book it all within your AI tool of choice. But, thankfully, it hasn’t figured out a way to replace us human folk at the destination, so that's not going anywhere soon, as we know the experience stage of the visitor journey is the deal breaker to drive loyalty and advocacy.
Wellness has been growing in popularity for years, and can be adapted into many different formats. Focus on ‘Wellness through Community’ is gaining in popularity, with visitors not just focusing on the spa but also the connections they make - with themselves and others. ‘Slow Holidays’ will also gain momentum, helping travellers fill their cups. With the large segment of literature lovers on social media, nicknamed BookTok, refuelling the love for immersing deep into a book, travellers are looking for places to help them sink in, or actually visit the locations written about. Vrbo, a vacation home platform similar to Airbnb, found that 91% of travellers are interested in centring a trip around reading, relaxation and quality time with loved ones, and 30% of travellers want to visit a location mentioned in a book. These types of holidays steep further into disconnected and quiet hobbies.
Which brings us to the concept of ‘Hushed Hobbies’. Think birdwatching (time to break those perceptions folks), fishing, butterfly, moth chasing, and foraging. More than half of travellers (52%) would consider butterfly and moth watching, and 74% would try fishing or birdwatching, with animal migration and nature blooms being a stronger incentive in deciding when to travel than school holidays.
With more direct steps into quieting down our day-to-day stimulation and refilling our natural desires, ‘Dark Sky’ tourism is fast becoming a must-see experience, acting as a draw card for some fantastic photography (Steve Lippis work from Winton is a favourite) as well as sharing cultural and scientific education with visitors. Destinations around the world are working towards their Dark Sky Place Accreditation, which is an inherently sustainable action to safeguard the natural landscape from light pollution and over-saturation of visitors. By looking for quiet regions with stunning natural beauty and a sparse population, dark sky and astrotourism can help diversify offerings and bring in travellers that are increasingly drawn to the night sky and the marvels of the universe, and activate remote and rural destinations.
Often, travel is spent as a means to reconnect and make memories with family. ‘Skip Gen’ tourism comes from grandparents taking their grandchildren on holiday with them. Around half of Australian travellers (51%) have planned or are planning a skipgen holiday, and 91% believe family travel benefits the health and well-being of the grandparents. ‘Inheritourism’ comes in, on the other hand, with older generations travelling together. With adult children still travelling with their mature parents, following their spending habits and preferred accommodation style, travel habits are being inherited. Two-thirds of travellers say their parents influenced their hotel and travel styles.
‘Unique sport’ and fan voyage is another area that we predict will pique interest in 2026. Sport pulls curious people into your region, with 57% of travellers saying they're likely to attend a local sports event to experience the community more deeply. Globally, think sumo wrestling, curling and Muay Thai. In Australia, we have thriving sporting communities in regional areas, including rodeo, camp drafting, show jumping, dirt biking or BMX, speedboat races, sheep dog trials and surfing competitions, to name a few.
So, what should you do with all of this as you work through your Destination Management Plans and business operations? Should you take this list and retrofit it into your destination?
NO….BUT here’s what you should do.
Use these trends as a mirror, not a blueprint. Step back. Go deep. Truly understand what makes your region irreplaceable. Scratch past the surface level tourism experiences and what's trending on Reels. Instead, lean into what you can own and own brilliantly. Let these trends illuminate the experiences that reveal the soul of your community, that build businesses with staying power, that cement your destination's positioning in visitors' minds. Every regional community has a unique heartbeat. Your job isn't to follow trends, it's to highlight and safeguard what makes your place worth protecting, worth visiting, worth remembering.