Eastern Asia (14.41%) and South-Eastern Asia (13.58%) continue to capture the largest share of international travel demand during the summer season. However, Eastern Asia records a significant year-on-year decline, and Western Asia experiences the steepest drop in demand compared to summer 2025 (-2.69 percentage points), reflecting the impact of travel disruption linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
FLORENCE (Italy), June 11th, 2026 — Destinations in Southern Europe, particularly Greece, Spain and Italy, are set to experience a significant surge in international demand during the Northern Hemisphere summer season, capturing 11.71% of global international travel intent between June and August 2026, up +2.47 percentage points compared with the same period last year, according to new analysis from The Data Appeal Company / Almaviva Group.
The insights, based on Data Appeal Mabrian’s data intelligence, the company’s Tourism & Destinations division, provide an in-depth analysis of international travel intent performance using the Share of Searches Index* for June, July and August 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
“Summer travel intent data suggests that, as air connectivity and flight corridors are disrupted by rerouting, higher costs and geopolitical uncertainty, long-haul demand is naturally reorganising towards destinations that feel closer, more familiar and more accessible,” explains Carlos Cendra, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Data Appeal.
According to Cendra, this helps explain “the positive outlook for destinations gaining travel intent, particularly in Southern Europe, as well as the resilience of Asian regions”, despite the decline in overall demand to Eastern and Western Asia, which continue to be supported by substantial intercontinental and regional travel flows.
The analysis reveals five key trends:
Trend #1: Southern Europe Leads Summer Travel Intent Growth
Data indicates that Southern Europe will be the standout performer of the summer season, capturing 11.71% of global international travel intent for summer 2026 — an increase of +2.47 percentage points year-on-year, representing a very significant rise in international demand compared with summer 2025. Demand is growing across numerous Mediterranean and nearby leisure destinations, particularly Greece, Spain and Italy, supported by strong air connectivity and the enduring appeal of sun-and-sea holidays; a trend that aligns with the outlook identified by Data Appeal Mabrian in the aftermath of the Iran war.
Athens leads Southern European destinations, capturing 0.77% of global travel intent and gaining a significant +0.23 percentage points year-on-year — the largest increase recorded by a destination in the region — reflecting its dual role as both a city destination and a gateway to the Greek islands. Barcelona (1.01%, +0.22pp year-on-year), Rome (0.85%, +0.09pp), Madrid (0.91%, +0.14pp) and Milan (0.76%, +0.10pp) also strengthen their positions, underscoring the strong performance of Spanish and Italian destinations.
Trend #2: North America Sustains Strong Summer Demand
The data also highlights North America’s momentum during summer 2026. The region accounts for 8.36% of global international travel intent during summer 2026, growing significantly by +1.01 percentage points year-on-year. Performance is partly supported by FIFA host-city demand, particularly across major US gateways such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Orlando, as well as other high-volume routes serving the East Coast, West Coast and Southern United States. Canada is also showing strong momentum beyond tournament-related demand, with Vancouver (0.60%, +0.11pp) or Calgary (0.35%, +0.09pp) leading growth among Canadian destinations.
Trend #3: Asia Navigates the Impact of Political Headwinds in Travel Intent
Eastern Asia remains the region capturing the largest share of international travel demand for summer 2026 (14.41%), followed by South-Eastern Asia (13.58%). This means that more than one in four international travellers will choose destinations in these two regions during summer 2026. However, demand declines significantly in Eastern Asia, by -1.67 percentage points, compared with the same season in 2025.
Western Asia is also losing ground in summer 2026, recording a very significant decline of -2.69 percentage points in international market share compared with summer 2025, as geopolitical uncertainty continues to weigh on global demand. Nevertheless, intra-regional travel, demand from Gulf markets, and the strong summer appeal of destinations such as Türkiye, Cyprus and Georgia are helping the region mitigate the impact of ongoing uncertainty, allowing it to retain 10.71% of global travel intent.
Despite the slowdown experienced by Eastern and Western Asia for summer 2026, international travel intent towards South-Eastern Asia remains positive, showing a minor increase of +0.55 percentage points compared with summer 2025. Bali leads travel intent in the region this summer, capturing 1.38% of global market share (+0.32 percentage points year-on-year), followed by Manila (1.12%, +0.16pp) and Jakarta (0.77%, +0.11pp). At the same time, Vietnamese destinations including Hanoi, Da Nang, Phu Quoc and Ho Chi Minh City, alongside Mactan-Cebu (Philippines) and Koh Samui (Thailand), are all gaining market share, highlighting the breadth of demand across the region.
Trend #4: Latin America and Africa Benefit from Shifting Global Demand
Share of Searches Index performance also points to a broader redistribution of international travel intent during the summer season, benefiting destinations across Africa and Latin America. Africa captures 4.28% of global international travel intent, experiencing a minor increase compared with summer 2025. Meanwhile, Latin America and the Caribbean account for 3.38% of international travel intent during summer 2026, gaining +0.72 percentage points year-on-year and ranking among the regions posting the strongest increases in travel demand this season, as predicted by Data Appeal Mabrian in the early analysis carried out in the weeks after the starting of Iran War. Within Latin America, Peru, Brazil and Mexico lead demand growth, while Puerto Rico, Aruba and Guatemala demonstrate the breadth of growth across urban, sun-and-beach and culture-led travel segments.
Trend #5: Coolcations Cement Northern Europe’s Summer Appeal
International travel intent towards European destinations also highlights growing interest beyond traditional sun-and-sea holidays, particularly for urban, cultural and nature-based alternatives to destinations experiencing peak summer temperatures. Between June and August 2026, Northern Europe captures 5.96% of global international travel demand, gaining a moderate +0.60 percentage points in travel intent year-on-year. London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Copenhagen and Iceland all record increases in global travel intent, reinforcing the continued strength of the coolcations trend identified by Data Appeal during summer 2026.
* Share of Searches Index: This is a proprietary index that reflects the strength of travel demand to a destination based on the global flight searches behaviour. The assessment of the Share of Searches Index performance applies a three-point scale for increase or decrease (minor, moderate, significant), based on the magnitude of percentage point variations and their relative impact on the overall index value. For a detailed explanation of the Share of Searches Index methodology, visit: https://mabrian.com/blog/share-of-searches-index/
###
About The Data Appeal Company
Part of Almawave / Almaviva Group, The Data Appeal Company, with Mabrian as its tourism intelligence division, is a global leader in AI-powered travel intelligence. Together, they provide predictive insights to destinations, tourism boards, and travel industry professionals worldwide. Leveraging proprietary artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and an expert tourism advisory team, they transform data from over 130 sources into strategic decision-making tools, delivering one of the world’s most comprehensive ecosystems for sustainable destination growth and competitiveness.
More information:
Ana Maria Marquez
Communications Manager
+34679650890
amarquez@dataappeal.io
