We’re nearly a month into 2026, and with the holiday rush behind us and spring break just around the corner, now is the perfect time to set your sights forward. To help experience-based outfitters prepare for the year ahead, we’ve pulled together the top 5 trends shaping 2026. Drawing from insights across leading industry channels, including Arival, Tourpreneur, Travel and Tour World, and other trusted resources, these trends show where the outdoor and experience industry is headed and what operators should be paying attention to.
Now let's dive in!
Technology is no longer just a back-office tool for operators; it’s influencing how guests discover experiences, how they book, and how businesses run day to day. In 2026, the operators who embrace smart tech and AI aren’t just saving time; they’re staying visible, competitive, and relevant in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
If you are looking for an AI solution that takes your guests' online booking experience to the next level, check out how Flybook and TOMIS Tech collaborate on bringing a smooth and useful chatbot to your booking flow. Read on here.
Today’s travelers are moving away from one-size-fits-all activities and toward experiences that reflect their personal interests, identities, and passions. In 2026, success favors operators who know exactly who they’re serving and build intentional experiences around shared interests and communities. When looking more into this, we found two main themes:
Spending time outside is no longer a “nice-to-have”; it’s a core reason people travel. As travelers seek meaningful ways to disconnect, recharge, and reconnect with nature, outdoor experiences continue to rise in importance across all age groups and trip types.
With the continued and increased attention travelers are giving to unplugged and outdoor experiences, making sure you offer ways for your outdoor experience to reach more people is essential. The holidays may be over, but gifting is a year-round activity - check out how you can ensure your guests, and potential guests, can give a gift that is fitting for this year's trends. Read on here.
Where travelers go matters less than what they’ll feel, learn, and remember once they get there - it's truly those memorable experiences that leave a lasting impact. In 2026, the strongest operators are focusing on thoughtful experience design. Experience design is more than organizing logistics around an activity or offering; it is taking every detail, every human sense, even, into account. Designing experiences requires insight into who your guests are, what they like, and what will move them; your goal is to craft moments that tell a story and create a connection.
The idea that adventure has to equal discomfort is quickly fading. Today’s guests want immersive outdoor experiences paired with thoughtful amenities, quality gear, and a level of comfort that allows them to focus on enjoying the experience, not enduring it. When thinking more about this, a couple of things stuck out when we found this great article from Shop Eat Surf.
As you aim to reach the guests looking for comfort in the outdoors, you are inevitably bringing experience design into your business. This is a great opportunity lean into these trends in conjunction and incorporate multiple that are likely to impact your business this year.
At first glance, some of the trends emerging across the industry can feel a bit contradictory: embrace more technology while staying deeply human-centered with storytelling, lean into a specific niche while still meeting growing demand for outdoor and nature-based experiences. Finding that balance isn’t always easy, especially as operators weigh whether to follow trends or lead with authenticity. The reality is, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. As you navigate the expectations shaping the experience industry this year, focusing on clarity, consistency, and thoughtfully incorporating even one new idea or trend is a meaningful step forward. If you’re doing that, you’re already on the right track.
What's next for us this year, and industry insights? Well, moving forward with confidence starts with taking time to look back. As we review insights and data from 2025, we’ve been able to check our assumptions and see how last year’s predictions played out, and the results have been encouraging. We’ll be sharing more soon on what 2025 revealed through our data, but in the meantime, we invite you to revisit our collaborative mid-year trends report. Many of the expectations we highlighted in the Navigating the Current piece for the second half of 2025 proved to be right on track.