Taboola predicts five trends reshaping travel marketing

Taboola has published five travel marketing trends it expects to shape how tourism brands reach consumers in 2026, with an emphasis on personalisation, mobile-first planning, creator content, and greater use of first-party data.

Its 2026 Travel Marketing Trends report points to a growing premium on relevance and trust, linking the shift to behaviour across the trip-planning funnel, from inspiration to booking and post-trip sharing.

Experience Focus

Experiential travel and personalisation top the list. The report argues that travellers are building trips around identity, interests, and values rather than choosing standard packages.

Some demand signals come from travel platform research. Expedia data cited in the report shows 91% of travellers sought getaways focused on reading, relaxation, and quality time with loved ones. The same research found 84% were interested in staying on or near a working farm.

Event-driven travel is also contributing to more tailored, higher-value itineraries. Kayak research cited in the report found that 49% of people aged 18-28 and 39% of Millennials said a concert or music tour would inspire them to travel. It also found that 37% of people aged 18-44 would travel for a sporting event in 2026.

For marketers, the trend points to segmentation by interests and offers that bundle accommodation, activities, and add-ons to match those preferences.

Mobile Default

Mobile is the second theme, with trip planning and booking expected to skew further towards smartphones. Deloitte research cited in the report says 74% of travellers book flights through airline websites or apps, using mobile to research options, compare prices, and complete bookings.

That behaviour increases pressure on brands to prioritise speed, clarity, and continuity across devices. The report notes that consumers expect booking journeys that move quickly from inspiration to purchase, supported by low-friction forms and clear calls to action.

Creator Content

Influencer marketing and user-generated content are the third trend. The report positions creator partnerships and guest content as core tools for travel brands seeking to reach younger audiences and stay visible in crowded feeds.

It points to social usage indicators that influence travel choices, citing data showing 81% of Gen Z uses social media daily and 59% look to Instagram for inspiration.

The report adds that the tone of creator-led travel content matters as much as distribution. It argues that audiences prefer realistic, transparent content, including budget information and honest reviews, alongside clear labels for sponsored posts.

First-Party Data

Data and analytics form the fourth trend, with first-party data becoming more important as privacy rules tighten and third-party cookies lose value. The report links the shift to the need for a better understanding of planning behaviours, intent signals, and trip outcomes.

Generative AI also features. Industry data cited in the report indicates a 64% rise in AI usage in travel, with 15% of travellers using generative AI in their trip planning. Among those who used generative AI last year, 61% used it to research activities and attractions.

The report says AI tools can help marketing teams with segmentation, demand prediction, and selecting more relevant offers. It adds that these uses raise the importance of data quality and governance, since many depend on reliable first-party inputs.

Social Search

The fifth trend focuses on the changing role of social media and the rise of emerging platforms as discovery engines. The report describes social feeds and in-platform search as hybrid search-and-review environments where recency and relevance influence decisions.

Time spent on platforms is a key factor. The report cites data indicating social media is Gen Z's top media channel, with more than half spending at least three hours a day on social platforms.

According to the report, that environment increases the value of consistent publishing, creator collaborations, and structured user-generated content campaigns. It also highlights "honest, grounded storytelling" as central to building trust with audiences that scrutinise travel claims and compare experiences across sources.

The report positions social media as a full-funnel channel spanning inspiration, consideration, and conversion, and recommends using social listening tools to monitor sentiment shifts and changing demand signals.

According to the report, relevance and trust are set to drive travel marketing in 2026, as travellers seek out travel brands that hero authentic, audience-led content, honest storytelling and creator partnerships, and use mobile-first design and data to meet travellers where they are.