Predicting trends in travel is more challenging than in other sectors. This is because when people travel, they balance two things. 1) experiencing new things. This means breaking habitual behaviours. 2) risk aversion – travel invites risk management at every step, from research to insurance to virtual previews.
One way to overcome the complexities of predicting travel trends is by combining different perspectives to remove intellectual blind spots. Which is why this year we contributed to Amadeus’ report on travel trends for 2026.
The trends are based on Amadeus’ proprietary data and produced in collaboration with travel trends forecasting agency Globetrender. The report has been shared via trade publications such as Travolution,Travel & Tour World, and Hotels Magazine.
At the top of the trends to watch list is pet travel. Also known as ‘The Pawprint Economy’. This included insights from our research on the topic.
Amadeus Travel Trends 2026 identifies that pets, bespoke hospitality, point-to-point planes, pop culture and innovative planning are likely to be important to travellers in 2026.
Why does pet travel matter?
A wave of new technology, legislation, and innovation is ensuring animals’ needs are being given greater attention while travelling and that this is ‘a booming market.’ Adding weight to Bloomberg’s prediction that the global pet industry will be worth US$500 billion in 2030.
One factor driving this is that more people are travelling with their pets. Our survey of 2,896 travellers who own pets in the UK and USA found that 27% of pet owners (Pet Parents) who took their pet on their main holiday in 2025 were doing so for the first time.
The Pawprint Economies’ im-puuurr-fections
Pet Parents love both travel and pets. But combining pets & travel is complex. For all involved. And especially for Pet Parents.
42% of those who took their pets away in 2025 experienced no challenges in doing so. But the remaining 58% did. The main ones being:
- Pet anxiety about being somewhere new
- Their pet was stressed in transit
- The extra cost involved
- Pet struggled with a new routine
- Finding the right food
There are, of course, many Pet Parents who didn’t take their pet away with them on their main holiday in 2025. Their main barriers to doing so were:
- Travelling would’ve been too stressful for their pet
- Not believing any accommodation/destination is truly ‘pet friendly’
- Restrictions on where pets can go at holiday destinations
Future o-paw-tunities in pet travel
Pet ownership is predicted to keep rising. And this means opportunities in pet travel will do too.
The immediate opportunities are visible via brands like Skye Pets and Bark Air, which are providing pet-specific travel services. Or AKA Hotels, which has built pets into its loyalty program.
Our research also provided further insight for those in the travel sector hoping to capitalise on the growth of the Pawprint Economy. This includes details on:
- The holiday profile (destination, accommodation, transportation) of Pet Parents who took their pets away with them in 2025
- The pet products and services they used to help them on their trip
- Last year’s spend and next year’s willingness to spend within the Pawprint Economy
- How to encourage more Pet Parents to travel with their pets in 2026
