Long-Haul Travel Barometer 1/2026
At a glance
- Report covers international tourism outlook, sentiment trends, and strategic implications for NTOs and DMOs.
- Focuses on AI adoption, marketing strategies, and evolving consumer behaviour in long-haul travel.
- Published by European Travel Commission to guide destination strategy and competitive positioning.
What the report covers
The Long-Haul Travel Barometer tracks global sentiment and travel intentions for long-distance journeys, with particular attention to European competitiveness. Published by the European Travel Commission in February 2026, the report examines how macroeconomic conditions, consumer confidence, and emerging technologies shape demand. It addresses strategic priorities for national tourism organisations and destination marketers navigating softening travel appetite.
Key findings
The report identifies cooling sentiment in the long-haul travel market for 2026, with Europe experiencing particular headwinds. This represents a shift from stronger sentiment in prior periods, suggesting that global economic conditions and consumer confidence are moderating demand for extended international travel.
The barometer emphasises the role of artificial intelligence in tourism marketing and operations. NTOs and DMOs are expected to adopt AI-driven strategies to maintain competitiveness as traditional marketing channels face saturation and consumer preferences evolve.
Strategic implications centre on destination diversification and value positioning. As sentiment softens, destinations must refine messaging, target high-value segments more precisely, and differentiate offerings to sustain visitation during a period of reduced propensity to travel long distances.
Why it matters
DMOs & destinations
Softening long-haul sentiment signals reduced international arrival forecasts, requiring DMOs to recalibrate marketing budgets, refocus on profitable segments, and accelerate digital transformation to compete for price-conscious, quality-conscious travellers in a cooler market environment.
Hotels & hospitality
Declining long-haul travel appetite may compress occupancy and yield, especially for luxury and international-facing properties. Operators must optimise pricing strategies, enhance direct-booking capabilities, and leverage AI-enabled personalisation to maximise revenue per available room during softer demand conditions.
Travel tech & distribution
Barometer findings indicate increased demand for AI-powered search, recommendation, and dynamic packaging solutions. Travel platforms must invest in predictive analytics and personalisation to help suppliers reach choosy consumers and help travellers make confident decisions in an uncertain market.
Methodology and limits
This brief is based on the publicly available summary and metadata only; the full report text could not be retrieved. The Long-Haul Travel Barometer is published by the European Travel Commission as a periodic intelligence tool. The methodology, sample size, data collection period, and whether figures are survey-based, modelled, or forecast-derived cannot be confirmed from the available information.
The source document could not be retrieved when this brief was written: it is based on the report's public metadata and abstract only. Check the official source for the full findings.
Official source
The report is © European Travel Commission (ETC). This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel — it quotes only figures published in the source and never reproduces the document.
Check the official statistics on Pulse
Related reports
The European Travel Commission's Long-Haul Travel Barometer 2/2026 finds that 70% of potential long-haul travellers express strong desire to visit Europe, signalling robust market interest despite global economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
The European Travel Commission's Long-Haul Travel Barometer (3/2025 edition) reveals a contracting global appetite for long-haul travel, with 55% of surveyed respondents from seven major overseas markets planning trips in H2 2025—a 4 percentage point year-on-year decline.
The European Travel Commission's Q3 2025 quarterly report provides intelligence on tourism trends, national tourism organisation strategy and artificial intelligence adoption across European destinations.
The European Travel Commission's 2025 report examines AI adoption among European National Tourism Organisations, revealing significant implementation gaps and regional disparities.