Travel Tech Trends Outlook: 2026

By Author: D Edward Levy
Total Articles: 31
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The travel market continues its upward momentum in spite of shaky global economic fundamentals. For the first half of 2025, UN Tourism reported a robust 5 percent increase over the previous year for international travel volume and an impressive 4% over 2019’s pre-pandemic level. Seniors, GenX’ers and empty nesters are key demographics powering the travel market according to TravelMarketReport’s 2025 Travel Outlook and travel providers tailoring products and marketing to cater to those specific consumer groups. One commonality among all demographics is the consistent demand for travel technologies that offer conveniences and elevate experiences. A major driver of preferences and trends is the use of smartphones in most aspects of travel. Continued evolution and improvement of smartphone features and capabilities have made mobile devices the number one travel accessory. AI technology is another recent innovation that is taking the travel industry by storm with rapid adoption in all areas of the industry. Traveling in the digital era has seen rapid changes and shifts in traveler preferences and 2026 looks to be another year ...
... of broadening technology use and adoption.

Smartphones Are the Preferred Travel Accessory

Travel and technology have always had a close relationship with the industry, quick to adopt new innovations faster than other industries. Household use of the internet caused major shifts in how the travel business operates but even on a larger scale, smartphones and mobile devices have literally upended the business. With over 7 billion smartphones on the planet, mass adoption of the devices is an understatement and their evolution in functionality has made smartphones the must have, go to travel accessory. And consumers are maxing out use of their mobile devices across the entire spectrum of travel. From research and planning, to research and reservations and staying connected while abroad, travelers have high expectations and increasing demand for features and benefits as smartphone technology continues to advance. Features, such as Where Am I? in the PokkeTTREK mobile app, cater to growing preferences for more localized experiences and ‘off the beaten path’ recommendations from mobile devices. Advanced organizational functionality and connectivity in today’s smartphone enable apps like medTOUR+assist to deliver benefits and conveniences to medical and wellness travelers. Smartphone usage in travel is expected to increase as more devices come online and global connectivity becomes more accessible.

AI Solidifies its Role in Travel

The next and current big thing in travel technology is Artificial Intelligence in both user facing technology and operational infrastructure. The enthusiasm for AI is strong and the travel industry has been the fastest sector to adopt and implement the technology on a large scale. Travel consumers are also embracing the assistive nature of AI and are turning to ‘chatbots’ for travel research and recommendations as well as end to end planning and bookings. AI technology has also proved its worth in resource and asset management on the back-end of the business, providing real time strategies and efficiencies that help control costs and maintain smooth operations. AI technology is set to change how travel training is deployed and technology such as hospit-AI-lity will increase effectiveness and reduce training time, yielding positive impacts on guest experiences, reputational marketing and revenue.

Payment Preferences Shift to Digital

The increase in smartphone usage has created a parallel shift in preferences when it comes to payment types and technology. Actual physical credit and debit card usage fell in 2025 as more travelers rely on their phones and digital wallet technology as an all in one solution while on trip. Growing use of digital currencies is also rising alongside digital wallet use and assets such as BITCOIN becoming more popular as a method of payment for travel purchases. Small and midsize travel providers can access new and lucrative demographics by accepting cryptocurrency for payments and integratable technology like TripReMIT, allowing travel businesses an easy way to accept digital assets like BITCOIN and ETHER for online travel purchases. Cryptocurrency users tend to spend more per transaction and spend more frequently, providing new opportunities for small and midsize travel providers that cater to this market.

Demand for Functionality and Conveniences from Technology

Smartphones and mobile devices continue to be one of the more dominant technology trends in travel as travel consumers demand more functionality and conveniences from their mobile devices. Smartphones are now the preferred device for travel research, purchasing and staying connected while on trip. User facing AI technology has also seen large-scale adoption in the travel sphere as consumers embrace the convenience of ‘concierge-like’ services from AI chatbots and portals. Researching travel and booking itineraries are automated and executed by a few user inputs. Even payment preferences are shifting as many travelers prefer using digital wallets and digital currencies to pay for travel purchases and for use during the journey. Traveler demand for conveniences and benefits from their technology will increase as smartphone functionality and capabilities evolve and new features come to market.