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Emotion-driven travel tops 2026 trends for the UAE, KSA residents: study

The report also finds that 75 per cent of UAE and KSA travel plans are AI-assisted in 2026 for efficient, stress-free itineraries.

travel 2026

In 2026, travel is shaping up to be intentional trips that begin with purpose, driven more by emotion than destination.

Coined ‘The Whycation’ by Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report, people are embracing travel plans that allow them to have meaningful experiences and rest.

Backed by insights from more than 14,000 travellers across 14 countries, the research highlights a pivotal shift away from traditional travel planning, with more emphasis on personal exploration, cultural immersion, and AI-assisted travel.

“This year’s Trend report shows that UAE and KSA residents are reinventing how they explore the world, placing greater emphasis on personal connections, cultural immersion, and travel with


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Shantelle Nagarajan is Campaign Middle East’s Junior Reporter who covers marketing news which focuses on FMCG, real estate and brand retail industries. Her features delve into brand strategy, appointments, trends in consumer behaviour and CX. Shantelle also contributes to social media coverage, editorial event programming and print content work. She previously worked in PR and marketing, most recently at Edelman, where she was part of the Brand team. When she’s not writing for her day job, you can find her with her nose buried in a book, playing at a weekly open mic night or doom-scrolling the latest make-up challenges on TikTok.