Amadeus has unveiled its Travel Trends 2026 report spotlighting six shifts reshaping the global tourism landscape. The forecast identifies The Pawprint Economy for upmarket pet travel, Travel Mixology blending AI with human trip planning, and Point-to-Point Precision utilising new narrowbody jets for longhaul routes.
The technology provider also highlights Pop Culting, driven by entertainment IP; Innovation Tourism, where travellers visit tech-forward destinations; and Pick ‘n’ Stays, featuring extreme hotel room personalisation.
This shift towards personalisation remains relevant for the regional accommodation sector.
Panawan Khaikaew, director of sales for hospitality in Thailand at Amadeus, advises clients to leverage attribute-based selling to drive revenue rather than relying on standard price cuts.
“We are emphasising that hotels do not have to discount to drive volume. Instead, they should add the specific experiences customers are looking for and allow them to pay for that customised value,” Khaikaew said.
To foster guest loyalty and support attribute-based selling, Amadeus is embedding AI into its Travel Intelligence solutions to streamline data analysis for hoteliers.
“By integrating AI advisory tools, hoteliers can simply input a query and instantly receive actionable results. It saves time, allowing them to focus more on daily operations and long-term marketing strategies,” Khaikaew elaborated.
Amadeus is expanding its headquarters in Thailand to capitalise on these industry shifts.
Bousserind Comson, senior director of sales for hospitality across Thailand, Vietnam and Laos at Amadeus, confirmed this regional development is a strategic priority.
“We want to be more supportive of hotels, and to be more and more hotel-focused, because we already cover the airline sector. With hotels, we still have a lot of ground to cover because there are many hotels around the world that don’t work with us yet,” she told TTG Asia.
“Asia-Pacific is a key region for travel in general, and this is also where you see a lot of new hotels opening. Therefore, Asia-Pacific, and especially Thailand, is a key market to establish our presence as we focus on capturing the hotel sector,” Comson concluded.
