Travel used to be about checking countries off a list. Now, it’s increasingly about what those journeys mean. Food pilgrimages, sweat-and-spa escapes, and tech-augmented adventures are becoming the new reasons to book a ticket. That’s the premise behind Why Travel?, a new global consumer report from Trip.com Group and Google, which dives into the evolving motivations shaping trips in 2026 and beyond. Trip.com Google travel trends

By blending Trip.com’s booking data with Google’s search insights, the study reveals how travellers are shifting away from rote itineraries and toward deeper purpose, community, and tech-enhanced discovery. It’s a redefinition of travel that feels less transactional and more transformational.

Five Lenses Shaping Tomorrow’s Trips

The report outlines five themes driving this shift:

• Travel as Expression – Social media, livestreaming, and aesthetics are influencing bookings like never before. In markets such as Thailand and India, up to 76% of viewers say they’d book directly through livestreams.
• Travel with Purpose—Curiosity and cultural immersion are replacing cookie-cutter sightseeing. Searches for “Japanese tea ceremonies” are up +53% year-on-year.
• Travel to Heal—Wellness is blending challenge with indulgence. Interest in “golf & spa resorts” (+300%) and “ski & spa” packages (+250%) reflects that hybrid appeal.
• Travel to Connect—Concerts, sports, and multigenerational gatherings are key drivers. Two-thirds of travellers say they’d cross borders for concerts, while endurance sports tourism is up fivefold.
• Travel of Tomorrow—AI tools are becoming co-pilots. Searches for “help planning my trip” jumped +190% YoY, showing growing comfort with AI-driven planning.

As Han Feng, Vice President of Trip.com Group, put it:

“Travel in 2026 will be more than movement; it’s about meaning.”

What This Means for the Industry

The rise of experience-driven travel isn’t unique to Trip.com. Competitors are already pivoting in similar directions. Expedia has doubled down on concert tourism partnerships, while Booking Holdings has been building AI-first planning capabilities into both Priceline and Booking.com, focusing on “inspiration to booking” funnels. Meanwhile, niche players like Klook and GetYourGuide are capitalizing on the “travel with purpose” wave by prioritizing immersive, local-led experiences over generic tours.

What makes Trip.com and Google’s reports noteworthy is the scale of data behind them. When two giants with visibility into both bookings and global search patterns align on the same trends, it signals where the industry is headed.

A Larger Shift: From Commodity to Connection

This move echoes findings from WTTC (World Travel & Tourism Council) and Skift Research, both of which highlight wellness, cultural immersion, and AI-driven personalization as top growth areas through 2030. Travellers aren’t just buying flights and hotels—they’re buying identity, healing, and belonging.

In many ways, the report confirms what the market has been whispering for years: the future of travel isn’t about where you go, but why you go.

Conclusion: Meaning as the New Currency

The Why Travel? report underscores a reality the travel industry can no longer ignore—consumers are demanding journeys with emotional resonance, cultural fluency, and tech-enabled flexibility. For Trip.com Group, doubling down on AI tools like Trip.Planner and packaging entire concert trips makes sense. But the bigger picture is this: in a world where Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, and smaller disruptors are all racing to capture the “purpose-driven traveller,” differentiation will come down to how authentically platforms deliver meaning, not just convenience.

As Skift’s Megatrends 2025 report also noted, “travellers will prioritize identity, wellness, and connection over geography.” The companies that listen—and design for that shift—are the ones most likely to define the next decade of global tourism.