From far-flung European tours to premium experiences and niche itineraries, we explore the tourism trends for 2026 and how coach operators can take advantage over the next 12 months
Whether in life or in business, the start of a new year is when we’re most likely to think about change and the future.
Although savvy coach operators are more likely to be planning trips for 2027 than 2026, the expected trends in tourism for this year are likely to continue into the next.
With help from both inside and outside the coach sector, we investigate what is set to be hot in the coming 12 months.
Far-flung is a winner
UK coach travellers are increasingly looking to go further afield in Europe when crossing the Channel, operators say.
According to Nottingham-based Skills Holidays, interest in “more diverse and far-reaching European tours” is continuing to build.
Skills’ Head of Holidays, Neil Leavesley, says: “Our expanded programme, including destinations like Transylvania, the Menton Lemon Festival, and the imperial cities of Eastern Europe, is performing well, supported by our Optimum coaches that offer a more premium, comfortable journey.
“Feedback shows customers are increasingly keen to travel further and invest in the right holiday, helping shift perceptions around the traditional ‘low-cost’ coach break.”
Parrys International Tours reports that its reinstated tours previously withdrawn due to their proximity to Ukraine are already sold out. Managing Director Dave Parry says European holidays are generally selling well.
He cites improved channel crossings and renewed support for coach from LeShuttle on Eurotunnel crossings. He adds: “There are fewer coach tour operators offering European holidays and that is our main target with our best margins.”
Dave notes the challenge of losing passengers to the “ever-increasing cruise market”, although Parrys itself has tried to capitalise on this with its Norwegian Fjords tour in July.
Feedback shows customers are increasingly keen to travel further – Neil Leavesley
Indeed, Skills observes that ocean itineraries are emerging as a growth area for coach operators.
Neil says: “For the first time, we’ve introduced ocean itineraries, such as ‘Land of Ice and Fire’ in Iceland, into our brochure, and early demand confirms that customers value the convenience of a coach operator’s door-to-door service paired with a cruise experience.”
Expedia’s Unpack ’26: The Trends in Travel report offers further insights as to the destinations which are growing in popularity.
Sardinia, Italy, is among the top 10 global trending hotspots in its “beyond the crowds” category, with searches on Expedia’s website growing by 62% year on year. Savoie, France, is another, with a 51% rise cited.
Home comforts
That said, UK trips continue to be popular of course. Jason Edwards, MD of Jason Edwards Travel, says: “The one-night city breaks are going well, and so are the nine-day tours in Europe. Even bringing our brochure out early, we’ve seen a lot of interest in next year’s Christmas markets.”
Dave adds: “Our themed weekends and events are also selling well, particularly with unique itineraries… Of course, West End shows have peaks, and we continue to offer London weekends, virtually every week of the year.”
Steve Mason, Director of Operations at Kent-based NK Holidays, says: “We are selling day trips like they’re going out of fashion. We’re also really getting into doing theatres, musicals, etc, and we’re really picking up a big clientele in that market.”
Expedia’s Unpack ’26 survey had the Cotswolds as its top-trending UK “beyond the crowds” destination, with a 35% increase in searches year on year. Of course, recent issues with coach parking in the area make it a less attractive option for operators.
Premium appeal
As well as catering for the cost-conscious end of the market, operators would do well to have more premium options too, routeone hears.
Jason says that many coach travellers are “looking for a little more than cheap and cheerful”. He adds: “That lends itself to our programme: The hotels we’ve got are first-class.
“The itinerary we offer is the best we can offer, with all the attractions included. They’re travelling with a first-class company with new coaches and fantastic drivers.”
It should not be assumed that everyone is looking for the cheapest options – Steve Reed
Steve Reed Tourism, which is a business specialising in connecting hotels, attractions, and destinations with group travel organisers and coach operators, says it should not be assumed that everyone is looking for the cheapest options.
Owner Steve Reed says: “Give them opportunities for luxury and high-quality premium group tours, and you might be surprised how many people will pick up on that.”
However, Jason adds that the market is generally keen to budget and Steve Mason echoes this. “Eighty per cent of our customers are looking for a group bargain and that’s the trend that I’ve seen,” says Steve, adding: “When we’ve been working prices out, if they come in at the range of £820-830, for example, I’ve deliberately brought it down to £799, £795, because it’s a more attractive price point…
“The trends really are, if you can get the price, quality, and the content right, you’re going to sell.”
Looking for a niche
The attraction of thinking outside the box and offering niche tours is repeatedly highlighted.
Steve Reed says: “Yes, people want to go back to the normal destinations, the wonderful places like Beamish [Museum], County Durham, the Black Country Living Museum, etc. But what they also want to do is more niche, more challenging things as well.”
Neil adds: “Beyond core coach holidays, demand is rising for more experiential trips – from extended tours to curated days out, prompting us to segment our ‘day out’ offering to highlight those that include access to events, attractions, or cultural experiences.
“High-quality options, such as our Highgrove Garden Tour with lunch, are proving especially popular.”
Exemplifying a niche market, Leger Shearings Group owns the brand First for Bridge, specialising in bridge holidays in the UK and abroad.
Beyond destinations, Expedia’s Unpack ’26 report, produced in association with Hotels.com and Vrbo, highlighted a number of wider tourism trends globally.
Among these is “set-jetting” or travelling to destinations made famous by films or streaming shows, says Expedia.
The business adds that its research shows 81% of Gen Z and Millennial travellers plan holidays based on what they have seen on screen. Wuthering Heights and Downton Abbey locations in Yorkshire were forecasted by Unpack ’26 to be among the biggest trends this year.
NK Holidays has arranged trips to the shooting locations for Emmerdale and Coronation Street, and Steve Mason can see the fascination of set-jetting.
“There is a definite element of wanting to see where these things happen,” he says. “The more the show is loved, the more custom you’re going to be getting from it.”
In 2024, Leger Shearings arranged a special tour in partnership with the makers of the new film The Great Escaper.
A specially wrapped coach took battlefield enthusiasts on tours around Normandy to mark locations seen in the film, which was linked to the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Beyond core coach holidays, demand is rising for more experiential trips – Neil Leavesley
Literary trips are on the up, with Vrbo saying “readaways” are the “next big chapter in travel” and highlighting that searches for “book retreats” and “book club retreat ideas” have increased 100% and 265% respectively on Pinterest.
“Salvaged stays” at hotels which are converted historical relics are another rising theme cited in Unpack ’26. It said searches for the Bodmin Jail Hotel in Cornwall are up 110% year on year at Hotels.com, while converted banks, railway stations, and abbeys are experiencing a spurt in popularity worldwide.
The report also highlighted that 84% of travellers expressed an interest in staying on or near a farm, with some related activities being hiking trails, animal interaction and gardening or harvesting produce.
“Hotel hopping” is another trend referred to by Unpack ’26, with 59% booking into multiple hotels within a single destination at Hotels.com. The trend is particularly noted among younger travellers, it said.
Change or stagnate
The importance of keeping your annual brochure fresh was another common concept in routeone’s investigations. Operators should not simply rely on the same trips year in, year out, we were told.
Steve Reed says: “We’ve been frustrated at times that some of the coach operators will simply maintain the status quo. That’s good enough in some respects. But it doesn’t future-proof their business.
“Among your typical, family-run operator, a lot of them are a bit reluctant to take a change. There is probably also a skills gap in as much as how they reach a marketplace to be able to attract new customers.”
He adds that gradually introducing new offerings will help to attract a new generation of customers. That was echoed by Steve Mason, who adds: “A coach operator needs to be lowering the age profile of its customers.”
He adds: “If you want to be an old stick-in-the-mud and say, ‘we’ll just do that again this year’, you’re not going to get the punters. In the past, you could probably get away for two or three years doing the same holidays, but now you’re lucky if you get away with it the second year.”
Dave adds that Parrys is looking to attract a younger market with some of the events, concerts and shows that it lists in its brochure.
Bright forecast
Overall, prospects are looking good for coach tourism this year in the estimation of Steve Reed after his discussions with his client operators.
“I think underpinning 2026 prospects is cautious optimism,” he says. “Lockdown just about killed us off, and it’s taken these last few years for this to be rationalised and to settle down into a pattern.”
However, he adds: “One of the big challenges is, even those who are saying all the coach group bookings are still good, from what we can see, the trend is lower numbers on each coach.”
Neil adds: “We are forecasting strong growth across several niche and premium sectors in 2026.”
Meanwhile, Dave highlights that Parrys looks on course for a “record-breaking year”.
The new year brings fresh hope, but the message from the industry is clear: don’t stand still, look for a niche, price appropriately and don’t neglect the premium market.
With thanks to the Coach Tourism Association for its assistance with this article.
