Last checked Oct 2026
Booking.com's 2027 travel predictions: what they mean for your agency
Booking.com asked more than 28,000 travellers what 2027 looks like. Three of its nine predictions land right on a travel agency's desk. Here is what to do with them.
In this article
Booking.com's 11th annual Travel Predictions, built from research with more than 28,000 travellers across 32 countries and territories, say travel in 2027 goes off-script: people book by mood, trim packages down to what they will actually use, and are ready to let an AI agent cover their work while they are away. Three of the nine predictions matter directly to a travel agency. Here is what each one means for the way you quote and sell.
Do travellers really want packages where they can remove services?
Yes. 66% of global travellers want a package that lets them remove services they do not expect to use, according to Booking.com. The all-inclusive logic is weakening: travellers do not want to pay for the open bar they will skip or the buffet they will avoid.
For an agency, that is a quoting problem before it is a product problem. A single bundled price gives the client one number to push back on. An itemised quote, priced service by service, lets the client strike out the lines they do not want and keep the rest. The conversation shifts from "your package is expensive" to "remove the airport transfer and we are done". Every line that stays is margin you can defend, because the client can see what it pays for.
How do you sell to a traveller who only knows how they want to feel?
81% of global travellers would choose a destination based on how they want to feel rather than where they want to go, and 76% would use a tool that recommends destinations based on their mood.
You already hear this on WhatsApp every week: "we want a break somewhere quiet, maybe hills, budget around a lakh." That enquiry is not vague anymore. It is the new normal. The agent who wins it turns the mood into two or three real, priced options while the other agencies are still asking which destination the client has in mind. Speed decides who gets the booking. A quote that goes back in 15 minutes lands while the mood is still warm. One that goes back the next day lands after the client has already paid someone else.
Travellers are ready for AI cover. Are you?
64% of global travellers would be interested in an AI agent that manages their work while they are on vacation, and 43% would be comfortable letting AI handle their emails and admin while away. Read that again as an agency owner. The people you sell to are getting comfortable with software that reads, drafts, follows up and keeps things moving while a human is elsewhere.
They will soon expect the businesses they buy from to run the same way: an enquiry answered at 11 pm, a follow-up that goes out on its own, a quote that does not wait for the owner to get back to the desk. The same cover exists for your side of the counter. While you are with a supplier, at a family function, or asleep, the desk keeps working.
What should your agency do with the 2027 predictions?
None of this needs a new business model. It needs quoting that is itemised by default, a habit of answering the mood with priced options instead of more questions, and cover for the hours you are not at the desk. That is what we are building NAMA to do: software that runs a travel company end to end, from enquiry to invoice, so a quote that took 3 hours goes out in 15 minutes and no enquiry waits for the owner to be free.
Source: Booking.com's 2027 Travel Predictions, news.booking.com. All figures above are from that report.
Frequently asked questions
- Q: What are Booking.com's travel predictions for 2027?
- A: Booking.com's 11th annual Travel Predictions describe nine trends for 2027, based on research with more than 28,000 travellers across 32 countries and territories. The common thread is travel going off-script: trips chosen by mood, packages trimmed to what will actually be used, and growing interest in AI handling work while people travel.
- Q: What share of travellers want to remove services from a travel package?
- A: 66% of global travellers want a package that lets them remove services they do not expect to use, according to Booking.com's 2027 predictions.
- Q: What is mood-based travel search?
- A: It means choosing where to go by how you want to feel rather than by destination. Booking.com found that 81% of travellers would pick a destination based on the feeling they want, and 76% would use a tool that recommends destinations based on mood.
- Q: Would travellers really let an AI agent handle their work while on holiday?
- A: 64% say they would be interested in an AI agent managing their work while they travel, and 43% would be comfortable letting AI manage their emails and admin while away, per Booking.com's 2027 research.
- Q: How can a small travel agency act on these trends?
- A: Quote itemised so clients can remove the lines they do not want, answer mood-based enquiries with priced options within minutes, and use software that covers enquiries and follow-ups when the owner is away from the desk.
