Top 10 travel trends for Hongkongers in 2026, from road trips to ‘romantasy’

Fans of “romantasy”, a literary genre that blends romance and fantasy, find happiness in mythical storybook worlds in which characters do things like slay dragons and hang out in castles, all while finding love at the same time.\nNow some are taking their passion for the genre into the real world by embracing “romantasy” travel, holidaying to destinations inspired by settings in their favourite novels such as snow-capped mountains, lush forests and ancient castles.\nThis is one of the global trends forecast for 2026 by digital travel platform Booking.com in its “Travel Predictions 2026” survey.\nConducted among a sample of adults who planned to travel for business or leisure in the next 12-24 months, it polled 29,733 respondents across 33 countries and territories, including 1,004 from Hong Kong.\n“Romantasy” travel has struck a chord in Hong Kong, with 89 per cent of those surveyed from the city expressing interest in visiting destinations inspired by romantic or fantasy themes.\nMore than three-quarters (76 per cent) were also open to joining role-play retreats based on their favourite games, books or films, surpassing the global average of 53 per cent.\n\nThe trend aligns with the survey’s overall message: people do not want cookie-cutter itineraries, preferring personalised, tech-supported trips that deliver meaningful connections.\n“Travel in 2026 is becoming a reflection of who people truly are, with journeys built around interests that perhaps in the past felt too niche or bold to explore,” said James Waters, Booking.com’s chief business officer, in a press statement.\nThe research also found a growing trend for road trips as travellers embrace the “meet-up” culture, while journeys guided by fate were also on the rise, with 72 per cent of Hongkongers saying they would change or cancel their holiday if a spiritual adviser suggested it.\nWhile wellness tourism is not a new trend, the survey found it was on track for a major boost in 2026, as travellers seek out tailor-made treatments specifically suited to their skin type.\nAnother growing trend involves holidays offering peaceful retreats where people can connect with nature. A significant percentage of Hong Kong respondents said they would even seek out hotels that allowed them to forage for their meals.\n“Travellers seek stress-free stays and relationships, stepping into fantasy worlds and looking at new ways to experience road trips and vacation rentals with enhanced technology features,” Waters said.\nHere are the top 10 travel trends gleaned from the survey’s Hong Kong respondents.\n10. Quiet please\n\nHong Kong is a noisy city, so it makes sense that 36 per cent of respondents said they would holiday specifically to feel closer to nature, while 32 per cent would seek out restorative rituals for the mind and body.\nThe survey also found that 88 per cent of Hong Kong travellers would stay at hotels where they could forage in the wild for their meals.\n9. Mark a milestone\nForget holidays that celebrate a wedding or anniversary – small achievements are resonating with Hong Kong travellers, who said they would book a break simply because they had worked hard and deserved it (70 per cent), were celebrating a new job or promotion (27 per cent), were marking milestones like sobriety or fitness transformations (20 per cent) or were finding closure after a break-up (13 per cent).\n8. Written in the stars\nMoon phases, astrology and mystical practices are becoming a new compass to guide travel decisions, with 72 per cent of Hongkongers saying they would change or cancel their holidays if a spiritual adviser suggested it, well above the global average (47 per cent).\n7. Turbulence test\n\nHong Kong travellers also plan to test their relationships – romantic, platonic and professional – on holiday, with 73 per cent open to the idea of visiting a remote location to see how their companion handles ambiguity and discomfort.\nGen Z travellers lead the shift, with 86 per cent open to customised itineraries designed to simulate real-life dynamics and test whether a connection deepens or fades.\n6. Tasty souvenirs\nKitchenware and pantry items ranked high on the shopping list, with 77 per cent of Hong Kong travellers saying they would consider buying items such as hand-painted spice jars or decorative tins of artisan olive oil, while 66 per cent were open to travelling to a destination that is known for its culinary crafts or kitchenware.\n5. A trip down memory lane\nNostalgic travel rated highly, with 77 per cent of Hong Kong travellers open to recreating a memory or photo by using technology to identify the exact location where it was taken and then travelling there.\n4. Glow-cations\n\nA holiday in which pampering ranked high resonated with 86 per cent of Hong Kong travellers, who said they were open to booking a “glow-cation” featuring skin-specific treatments tailored to their personal skincare needs.\n3. Humanoid holiday homes\nHi-tech holiday homes enhanced by humanoid helpers were of particular interest to Hong Kong travellers, with 88 per cent of respondents open to booking an automation-enhanced home, including having a cleaning bot to handle mess and a robotic chef to prepare dinner.\n2. Road trip rerouted\nThe classic road trip is moving beyond family and friend convoys to embrace spontaneity and discovery, with 88 per cent of Hong Kong travellers open to carpooling on holiday.\nTravellers valued the spontaneity and flexibility of road trips (82 per cent), the opportunity to meet new people (77 per cent) and the ability to share driving responsibilities (75 per cent).\nSurprisingly, Boomers in Hong Kong (87 per cent) were more open to using self-driving vehicles or AI to shape their routes than Gen Z (69 per cent).\n1. Romantasy retreats\n\nA significant 85 per cent of Hong Kong travellers were open to leveraging AI-powered suggestions that matched fantasy aesthetics, recommended secluded “storybook” stays, or pinpointed real-world filming locations.\n