What have we learned from 2025? Sustainable tourism trends that will define 2026

By 2025, sustainability was becoming less of a purely "green" issue and increasingly a topic of community and quality of life. According to the Booking.com 2025 research summary, 53% of surveyed travellers were already aware of tourism's impact on communities, and 69% stated they wanted to leave the places they visited in better condition than they found them. This mindset is expected to grow further in 2026: guests will not only seek "nice accommodation" but also experiences that avoid overcrowding, conflict, and "invisible damage".

This shift in perspective points towards the increasing importance of transparent, comprehensible information in 2026. Data and feedback that help determine how well a destination or service aligns with the local environment will be crucial. The I-DEST approach is built on this: it doesn't label things as "good" or "bad" but provides context, enabling travellers to make more informed decisions.

By 2025, it became clear in many places that managing crowds couldn't be solved by communication alone. By 2026, increased tourist taxes, new fees, and regulatory measures will take centre stage in several destinations, partly to ease pressure and partly to fund infrastructure. A good example is that in 2026, rising or new tourism taxes and entry fees are making headlines. This trend is expected to become even more prominent in Europe in 2026: the "everything for everyone, always" model will give way to a greater focus on liveability and capacity.

According to UN Tourism forecasts, this approach will strengthen further in 2026, particularly in Europe. In this context, digital and data-driven solutions that help predict pressure and recommend alternative times or locations will become increasingly valuable. The I-DEST approach doesn't dictate directions but makes patterns visible to destinations and service providers, helping them become more liveable.

The European Commission's Transition Pathway for Tourism approach in 2025 reinforced that the competitiveness and sustainability of tourism in the coming years will be built on the trio of green transition + digital transition + resilience. In 2026, solutions that measure operations (energy, waste, mobility pressure) and enable interventions based on data rather than intuition (e.g., timed communication, traffic redirection, capacity management) are expected to accelerate.

In 2026, more destinations will use data to manage energy consumption, visitor flows, or seasonality. This kind of measurability is not only important for service providers but also for travellers, who increasingly value transparent operations. The I-DEST plays a mediating role in this process: connecting data, interpretation, and decision support.

The World Economic Forum 2025 materials describe the future of tourism increasingly as an ecosystem where personalised experiences and business development go hand in hand with strengthened social and environmental commitments. In 2026, artificial intelligence and data-driven planning will become part of everyday life: route and timing optimisation, demand steering to less busy periods, better capacity utilisation, less "unnecessary movement," and less waste. In short: AI is not a trend in itself but a tool to deliver the same experience smarter and with less impact.

This logic aligns closely with the thinking represented by I-DEST: the goal is not to recommend "more" but to provide the right experience at the right time and place.

The demand for longer stays and slower, more immersive travel is not just about the experience. UN Tourism and several European policy analyses also highlight that longer stays, as opposed to shorter, frequent trips, offer more balanced pressure on destinations while also providing more stable economic revenue for local providers.

Similar conclusions appear in the European Commission's tourism analyses, where the "longer stays, fewer trips" logic is emerging not only as an environmental issue but also as a resilience and competitiveness factor. In 2026, more destinations and providers are expected to consciously encourage longer stays – not just with discounts but by offering richer, locally-focused experiences.

This is not only an environmental issue but also one of experience quality. The I-DEST approach aligns with this trend: its content and analyses don't list quick "tick-off" attractions but help interpret a region as a more complex entity.

It is noteworthy that UN Tourism and major tech/data players (such as Amadeus) are organising programmes and events specifically focused on Travel Insights 2025 & Trends 2026 by region. This indicates that in 2026, knowledge about "what works" will circulate faster within the system: destinations or providers won't start from scratch but will work from adaptable patterns, comparable data, and toolkits.

The I-DEST programme supports knowledge sharing not only with monitoring data but also with free, multilingual e-learning materials available on Moodle.

One of the key lessons of 2025 is that sustainable tourism is not a separate trend but a prerequisite for higher-quality travel. In 2026, destinations and travellers who not only react to problems but think ahead – in terms of timing, pressure, and community impact – will have the advantage.

In this environment, decision-support approaches like I-DEST's help facilitate more conscious travel not with loud messages but with clear information and context – ultimately leading to a better experience for everyone.