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As we head deeper into 2026, the travel and hospitality industry is evolving faster than ever. After years of disruption, travellers, hoteliers and travel sellers alike are reshaping expectations, from how trips are planned and booked to how experiences are delivered and valued. With economic pressures, technology advances, and changing traveller demands all intersecting, staying ahead of the trends isn’t just smart, it’s essential.
Let’s explore the major trends shaping travel and hospitality in 2026, and how innovative solutions like Refund Protect from Protect Group are becoming critical tools for travel brands.
1. Flexibility is expected
One of the clearest trends for 2026 is travellers’ insistence on flexibility; not just in ticket choice but throughout the entire journey. Gone are the days when fixed, non-refundable bookings were acceptable. Today’s travellers want peace of mind that they won’t lose money if plans change. Whether due to illness, work changes, or unexpected life events, travellers increasingly expect options that let them adjust or cancel without penalty.
And that expectation extends across travel segments from flights and hotels to tours, experiences, and ancillary services. This shift has industry players rethinking rigid policies and pushing for more traveller-centric booking models that balance certainty for the business with confidence for the customer.
2. Technology and AI personalised experiences
Artificial intelligence and tech innovation are reshaping travel planning in 2026. AI is becoming the backbone of search, recommendations, booking flows, and even real-time itinerary adjustments. Travellers are using AI-assisted tools to design personalised trips, receive instant alternatives during disruptions, and enjoy seamless interactions across devices and platforms.
For travel sellers and hotel brands, this means investing in systems that reduce friction and provide the personalised confidence travellers demand. This includes transparent, intuitive refund and protection options built right into booking flows.
3. Hospitality focuses on confidence and experience
Hotels and accommodation providers are facing their own set of shifting dynamics in 2026. Faced with rising cancellation sensitivity and longer decision cycles among travellers, especially international guests, hotels are rethinking how they drive bookings while maintaining occupancy and revenue.
Many are now offering flexible stay options, dynamic cancellation terms, and other measures to boost confidence. These aren’t just “nice to have”; they’re essential. Guests want reassurance before they commit, and hotels that provide that, without eroding pricing power, can improve conversions and loyalty.
4. Conscious and purposeful travel continues to rise
Beyond flexibility and technology, travellers in 2026 are making more conscious choices about how and where they travel. Sustainability, authentic local engagement, meaningful experiences, and purpose-driven stays are big themes this year.
This trend ties back to confidence and satisfaction: travellers want not just convenience, but travel that resonates with personal values, creates memories, and feels worth the investment. That emotional reassurance goes hand in hand with the financial reassurance offered by flexible bookings and refund protection options.
5. Booking behaviour is more strategic and sensitive
With inflation pressures and rising travel costs, particularly on international tickets and hotel stays, travellers are more strategic in their planning. Many delay bookings until they feel confident in price and flexibility, pay closer attention to cancellation terms, and compare options more thoroughly than ever before.
This has real consequences for travel sellers: longer planning windows, higher checkout abandonment, and greater sensitivity to refund and flexibility offerings. Brands that adapt by embedding smart, reassuring options into the purchase flow are more likely to seal the booking and cultivate repeat customers.
Where Refund Protect fits in and why it matters in 2026
This is where Refund Protect, a flagship product from Protect Group, becomes especially relevant.
Refund Protect isn’t traditional insurance; it’s a refund protection solution that lets customers upgrade their purchase at checkout to enjoy enhanced refund flexibility for covered unexpected events (like illness, travel disruption, or emergencies), and it’s available across flights, hotel stays, tours, and experiences.
Here’s why Refund Protect is aligned perfectly with 2026 travel and hospitality trends:
1. Builds traveller confidence at point of sale
With higher cancellation sensitivity and longer decision windows, travellers are more likely to complete bookings when they feel secure that they can recover their spend if plans change. Refund Protect delivers that reassurance right in the booking flow, boosting conversions and lowering abandonment.
2. Enhances the value proposition without burdening operations
Unlike complex traditional insurance, Refund Protect integrates smoothly via API or widget, without regulatory barriers and with minimal overhead for travel sellers or hoteliers. It gives customers peace of mind while preserving the business’s pricing strategy and operational simplicity.
3. Supports new revenue streams
Offering Refund Protect isn’t just about risk mitigation; it’s a revenue enhancer. Smart, real-time pricing and personalised positioning increase conversions and generate ancillary income for travel sellers, OTAs, airlines, and hotels alike.
4. Meets traveller demand for flexibility and trust
As travel moves toward more personalised, conscious, and tech-driven experiences, Refund Protect answers a core demand: trust. Travellers in 2026 want options that adapt to life as it happens — and Refund Protect lets brands meet that expectation without undermining their revenue goals.
Looking ahead at 2026
Looking ahead in 2026, travel and hospitality are shaped by confidence, flexibility, technology, and values. Travellers are smarter, more discerning, and more sensitive to risk and inconvenience. In this environment, building trust, both through experience and financial reassurance, is a competitive edge.
Products like Refund Protect from Protect Group empower travel and hospitality brands to deliver that trust, reduce friction, increase booking conversion, and align with the broader evolution of travel behaviour in 2026.
After all, in a world where life happens, travellers want the freedom to explore it without fear of losing their investment in their booking. Refund Protect helps make that happen.
