If your travel calendar for 2026 includes a quick island hop, a weirdly specific Portuguese getaway, or a cross-border safari run, Airalo just made your “I need data now” problem a little easier.

Airalo has added fresh eSIM coverage in a mix of classic leisure destinations and places that usually get skipped by travel eSIM menus. The headline is simple: more locals, more islands, and more “niche but real” coverage, plus a regional bundle designed for East Africa.

Airalo’s destination pages already list these new options as live in their store (so this is not a teaser). You can see the Aruba, Bermuda, Kosovo, Azores, Madeira, French Guiana, and Guyana listings directly on Airalo’s site.

Data only packages (new)

Kosovo is the one that will matter most to Balkan road trippers, business travelers doing Pristina for two days, and anyone who wants to avoid the classic “I will just rely on hotel WiFi” lie. Airalo positions Kosovo with both data-only and unlimited options available, which is usually a sign they have enough partner coverage to confidently sell different usage styles.

Aruba and Bermuda are more obvious tourism wins, but they are also the kind of destinations where roaming can feel absurdly expensive compared to the actual flight deal you bragged about. Airalo now shows dedicated data only packages for both.

Data only and unlimited packages (new)

Azores and Madeira are the sleeper additions. These are not countries, they are travel decisions. And that is exactly why this matters. When providers add islands and territories (instead of only “Portugal”), they are basically admitting how people really travel now: you plan the island, not the flag. Airalo lists both Azores and Madeira as separate destinations, and Madeira includes unlimited variants.

French Guiana and Guyana are the “finally” additions. They are not mass tourism markets, but when you need coverage there, you really need coverage there. Airalo has both live destination pages.

Regional package (new)

Safarilink is the regional move, covering Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania in one pack. This is the classic overland safari triangle, plus business travel between hubs where switching SIMs every border is just unnecessary friction. Third-party plan listings also label Safarilink as a three-country regional product, matching Airalo’s positioning.

Why these additions are actually a big deal

On paper, this looks like “more destinations added.” In reality, it signals two trends that keep showing up in the travel connectivity market.

First, travel eSIMs are getting more granular. We are moving from “Europe” and “Portugal” to “Azores” and “Madeira.” That is not just nice UX. It is a commercial strategy. Granular destinations let providers price more tightly (sometimes higher), align better with local wholesale roaming costs, and reduce complaints when travelers land somewhere remote and discover their “Portugal plan” behaves like it was designed for Lisbon only.

Second, providers are racing to cover the awkward gaps. French Guiana and Guyana are the kind of places that expose whether a brand is building serious wholesale reach or just repackaging the same few roaming relationships. The more of these “edge markets” you see filled in, the more competitive the catalog becomes for frequent travelers who do not stick to only the top 20 destinations.

And this is happening while the whole travel eSIM category is accelerating. Juniper Research figures, as reported by Telecoms.com, point to travel eSIM revenue growth of 85% in 2025, which explains why everyone is in a hurry to expand coverage and packaging formats.

Data only vs unlimited: what you should tell readers

Here is the quick reality check: “unlimited” in travel eSIM land usually means “unlimited with fair use rules,” and sometimes speed limits after a threshold. That does not make it bad. It just means you should choose it for the right traveler.

Data only is typically best when:

• You mainly need maps, messaging, rides, and light browsing
• You will be on WiFi a lot (hotel, coworking, villa)
• You are price sensitive and can live with a cap

Unlimited is typically best when:

• You tether a laptop often
• You post video, upload stories, or work fully remote
• You do not want to think about usage at all

Airalo has been expanding unlimited availability across destinations (they maintain a dedicated unlimited packages section), and Kosovo plus Madeira being shown with unlimited options fits that wider product direction.

The Safarilink play: why East Africa is perfect for regional bundles

Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania is a very “regional eSIM” itinerary. You can land in Nairobi, do a quick hop to Entebbe or Kampala, then finish in Zanzibar or Arusha, sometimes in under 10 days. A single regional eSIM reduces three common pain points:

• You keep one eSIM profile, so you are not reinstalling at borders
• You avoid surprise roaming on a local SIM when you cross into the next country
• You can pre-buy before you land, which matters if you arrive late or tired

This is also where regional bundles compete directly with the old-school physical SIM routine. Physical SIMs can still be cheaper in some cases, but for short trips with multiple borders, the friction cost is real.

How this stacks up against Holafly, Nomad, Yesim, Airhub, Ubigi, and the wider market

From a market-watching perspective at Alertify, Airalo’s move fits a familiar but still effective strategy: catalog expansion with intent. They are adding destinations travelers actually search for and layering in unlimited and regional packages only where usage patterns clearly justify them.

Holafly remains the most obvious comparison. Their entire story is built around unlimited data, marketed aggressively toward travelers who do not want to think in gigabytes. For remote workers, creators, and long-stay travelers, that message still lands well. The trade-off is usually less flexibility and fewer small or short plans.

That “heavy user” segment is also getting more competitive. FairPlay has entered the market with strong propositions for data-intensive users, showing that unlimited or high-cap plans are no longer a one-brand territory. In that context, Airalo’s advantage is different: breadth and modularity. More destinations, more plan sizes, and selective unlimited options rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Nomad plays the regional game best. Their regional store is built for travelers who hop borders and want predictable per-GB pricing across multiple countries. Balkans-style groupings and multi-country passes are core to their UX. Airalo’s new Safarilink pack is more focused than a continent-wide Africa plan, which can be a real advantage if pricing and network quality hold up in practice.

Yesim sits somewhere between lifestyle and utility. They have been leaning into app experience, adding features, and broader consumer appeal beyond pure travel, often bundling eSIM connectivity with extras. For travelers who value convenience and an all-in-one feel, Yesim competes less on raw destination count and more on experience.

Airhub operates on a different layer altogether. As a B2B-first platform, Airhub is less about consumer branding and more about powering other eSIM offers behind the scenes. Their relevance here is structural: many consumer eSIM products on the market today rely on platforms like Airhub to scale coverage quickly and launch niche or regional packages (but hey have some really great data plans!).

Ubigi continues to occupy the “operator-grade” lane. With a deeper telecom heritage, strong regional bundles, and a reputation for stable routing, Ubigi often appeals to frequent travelers who prioritize consistency over flashy pricing.

From Alertify’s perspective, the takeaway is clear. The market is no longer separating into “best eSIM” and “everyone else.” It is fragmenting by use case: unlimited vs modular, regional vs granular, consumer-led vs infrastructure-led. Airalo’s latest expansion shows they are still betting on scale and destination depth, while competitors sharpen around specific traveler behaviors.

Conclusion

Airalo adding Aruba, Bermuda, Kosovo, Azores, Madeira, French Guiana, Guyana, plus a Safarilink regional pack is not just more pins on a map. It is Airalo leaning into what the travel eSIM market is becoming: granular destinations, more unlimited variants for heavy users, and tighter regional bundles for border-hopping trips.

The smart takeaway for Alertify readers is this: the best eSIM brand in 2026 is going to look less like a single “best overall” winner and more like a portfolio decision. Airalo is widening its portfolio fast. Holafly keeps pushing the unlimited lifestyle. Nomad keeps sharpening the regional storefront. Ubigi keeps positioning itself as the more operator-like option.

And the trendline is clear. With travel eSIM revenues projected to surge and the industry still early in overall adoption (GSMA Intelligence), expansion moves like this will keep coming, and we will likely see more micro destinations and more sub-regional packs before we see true standardization.