Trip.com Group reveals what travelers want this summer: shorter trips and cooler escapes | News

2026 is quickly shaping up to be another record year for travel, as jetsetters look to check off their vacation checklists and fulfill their wanderlust. Looking back at the first half of 2026, Trip.com Group found that users from mainland China, the United Kingdom and Malaysia were the most enthusiastic about clocking their miles, traveling an average of up to 2,800 km, equivalent to the distance between Beijing and Manila, or London and Tenerife.

Across all regions, cosmopolitan hubs and megacities remain tourism hotspots, with the top-ranked cities by flight bookings being Seoul, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Taipei[1].

The second half of 2026 will continue to be a busy travel period as many welcome the summer holidays, sunny weather and school holidays. Outbound flight bookings from regions including Europe, East Asia and Southeast Asia are showing double-digit year-over-year growth this summer and school holidays, based on Trip.com Group data. Driving this increase are some key trends seen this summer, including demand for quick getaways, family vacations and coolcations.[2].

Quick getaways dominate vacations this summer

Quick escapes are the way to go this summer. The average travel time for bookings made during this period ranges from 2.92 days to 3.8 days, with short-haul flights making up the majority of bookings. This is particularly prominent in Europe, where bookings for short-haul flights are increasing by 73% year-on-year.

Long weekend travel, a form of quick vacation where people combine one to two days of annual leave with a long weekend, remains popular. This summer, bookings for short trips of 4 days or less are up more than 40% in the East Asia and Europe regions, and more than 15% in Southeast Asia. This increase is expected to accelerate further in the second half of 2026, especially for the East Asia and Southeast Asia regions, suggesting that quick getaways will continue to dominate travelers’ itineraries for the rest of the year.

Family trips are taking the lead

This summer, more and more travelers are choosing to go on a family trip, taking advantage of the school holidays. Hotel bookings by families with children 12 and under increased across all regions this summer and more than doubled in markets including mainland China, South Korea and Japan, based on data from Trip.com Group.

A recent Trip.com Group survey also found that traveling with family is rated as the most attractive experience, ranking higher than traveling with a partner, friends or solo travel. This trend is even more evident in markets such as Britain, Germany, Singapore and South Korea, especially among older millennials or people aged 35 to 44.

What this means is that family experiences become a top priority for travelers, whether it means selecting convenient flight times or having family-friendly food and activities near the accommodation they choose. Having the right accommodations for the trip is especially important for Gen Zs and Millennials, and factors they look for include family-friendly options and whether the hotel is located near kid-friendly attractions.[3].

In Southeast Asia, some of the most booked attractions this summer include family-friendly experiences such as Bali Zoo in Indonesia, as well as Desaru Water Adventure Park and Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm in Malaysia, while theme parks such as Universal Studios Japan, Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland are very popular choices in East Asia.

Coolcations See a higher question

As global temperatures rise, travelers are increasingly trading the sun and sand for cooler weather and activities. Data from Trip.com Group shows that searches for cooler destinations and coolcations have increased by 74% since the beginning of this year[4].

Topics like ‘escape the heat’, ‘summer escapes’ and ‘cool summer retreat’ are trending as travelers prioritize experiences away from the crowds and sweltering heat. Trip Moments, Trip.com’s community platform where travelers can share experiences and find inspiration, saw a 15.4% year-over-year increase in content last summer, highlighting cool summer vacation destinations as well as tips and tricks to beat the heat[5].

In addition to popular coastal cities such as Palma Mallorca, Izmir, Malaga and Porto, global searches for flights to European destinations such as Iceland, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland and Wales are seeing a significant increase this summer compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, cooler destinations in Asia such as Inner Mongolia, Sapporo and Yunnan are experiencing growing interest from international travelers. Ulaanbaatar and Sapporo in particular, with comfortable temperatures averaging around 15°C to 25°C this summer, are among the top 10 most booked cities for South Koreans, with strong triple-digit year-on-year growth.

For cooler getaways this summer, Trip.com users can easily get recommendations on top destinations for summer water activities or cool water escapes through Trip.Best, a travel guide with data and inspiration for lodging, attractions, destinations and more.

Less thinking, more AI planning

Travelers no longer plan their trips by scouring the internet for information, but leave the hard work to AI, according to Trip.com Group’s recent report. Readily available AI travel tools like TripGenie and Trip.Planner allow users to get customized itineraries and assistance in seconds, changing behavior. Google search interest for “help plan my trip” grew 190% year-over-year, while TripGenie’s AI-enabled order volume on Trip.com increased approximately 400% year-over-year, indicating greater reliance on AI for inspiration and bookings.

In addition to pre-trip planning, travelers also see AI as a useful companion during their trip. Usage of TripGenie’s core tools, such as hotel comparison, menu help and live translation, has increased approximately 300% year over year. While travelers in highly connected short-haul travel markets such as Hong Kong SAR, Singapore and Malaysia interact with TripGenie more often per trip for on-the-spot inspiration and attraction guides, travelers in parts of Europe and North America typically turn to AI earlier in the planning cycle, consulting TripGenie weeks in advance.

This signals a growing shift towards using AI as an integral part of travel planning and travel, making it even easier for people to explore the world in 2026 and beyond.