If you’re planning a trip in 2026, the most important travel decision won’t be choosing between Bali and Barcelona. It’ll be choosing who helps you get there.
Because the decision is increasingly made before you ever ask for a quote: while you’re scrolling Instagram for ideas, comparing flight “bundles” that don’t match from one site to the next, and expecting an answer now, not tomorrow.
That was the underlying theme at Envoyage’s recent conference in Sun City, where Flight Centre Leisure CEO James Kavanagh summed up the mood: “The travel industry will change more in the next five years than it has in the past twenty-five.” One data point shared at the event helps explain why: 68% of new travel agents globally are starting out as independents, not joining traditional agencies; a signal that the centre of gravity is moving towards smaller, faster-moving businesses.
Here’s what industry insiders are actually predicting for 2026:
Trend 1: Your travel agent is showing up in your feed… on purpose
When you scroll Instagram looking for travel inspiration, there’s a good chance your travel agent has noticed… and adapted accordingly. Marketing technologist Kha Ly recently demonstrated something that shocked hundreds of travel professionals: when AI answers travel questions, it’s not pulling from polished corporate websites. It’s grabbing Instagram reels, Facebook posts, and TikTok videos from real travel advisors.
That means that a solo advisor posting authentic travel tips from their home office can now outreach corporate marketing departments with million-dollar budgets. The smart travel agents have taken note. They’ve now started creating the content that inspired you to travel in the first place. “If you create content that someone cares about, you build community. In community, you build trust, and they become customers,” Ly explained to delegates.
Trend 2: In 2026, the fastest reply wins your booking
If you’ve ever messaged two travel companies for the same trip and gone with whoever replied first, you’re not alone. This is why response time has become part of the sales pitch.
Booking windows have compressed from around three weeks pre-pandemic to about seven days now. Client response expectations have dropped from 24 hours to two. The most telling stat from Envoyage’s Sun City conference: 78% of clients will book with whoever gets back to them first.
“You used to have time to check with your manager, get approvals, maybe sleep on a quote,” says Chantal Gouws, GM of Envoyage South Africa. “Now, if you don’t respond within two hours, you’ve often lost the booking. Clients are moving that quickly.”
This creates an obvious advantage for travel advisors who can make decisions independently, without waiting for approval chains or committee sign-off. When you need to confirm that last cabin on a cruise or grab a flash airfare sale, the advisor who can say “yes” immediately usually gets your business.
In South Africa, where WhatsApp is often the real service desk and after-hours queries are normal, speed has become an essential product.
Trend 3: Small players get better tools faster
Travel technology is expanding rapidly (AI, automation, richer content), while becoming harder to manage with more rules, sources, and constant change. Phocuswright research shows this is moving beyond buzzwords into real operational shifts affecting who controls customer relationships.
By 2026, winners won’t be those with the most tools but those with the most streamlined systems: unified workflows for quoting, booking, payment, messaging, and changes. Think of it as an “advisor operating system.”
Smaller businesses can adopt and train on new tools in weeks, not months. When big players merge, they often spend years integrating systems while losing focus on personalised service, creating opportunities for nimble operators.
Trend 4: Airlines now sell like Amazon (and that’s confusing for travellers)
Behind the scenes, airline distribution is becoming more like online shopping: dynamic pricing, personalised bundles, and different rules depending on where you book. New airline technology means what you see on one platform might be completely different from another.
This complexity creates opportunities for advisors who can navigate multiple systems and explain differences to clients. While online booking sites automate everything, human advisors can focus on what machines can’t do: understanding which hotel a client will actually love and why.
“The big companies can personalise content through algorithms,” explains Gouws. “But independents personalise context. We know our clients as people, not data points.”
Trend 5: Young travellers want authentic recommendations
Research shows 82% of Millennials and Gen Z seek experiences that become stories to share, while 73% prioritise supporting local small businesses. This rewards travel advisors who can curate meaning rather than just book flights and hotels.
When Instagram’s AI recommends travel content during group planning sessions, real advisors whose videos appear can book entire groups, not just individuals. Younger travellers trust peer recommendations and authentic voices over corporate advertising.
Platforms now reward genuine advisor content with organic reach that expensive advertising can’t buy.
Trend 6: Personal service scales better than automation
Personalisation becomes the baseline expectation by 2026, but the battleground shifts to who can deliver it without feeling robotic. Adobe research highlights how difficult it is for large businesses to execute consistent relevance across multiple channels and data points.
This gives human advisors a clear edge. Instead of generic suggestions like “you might like this hotel,” they can offer contextual advice: “this will suit you because your toddler naps at 1pm and you hate buffets.” That level of understanding is nearly impossible to automate.
What this means for South African travel businesses
By 2026, success will come from combining technology efficiency with human insight. The destinations that trend will matter less than this reality: travellers increasingly want to book through advisors who understand them personally and can navigate complexity on their behalf.
More travel professionals are going independent because the model finally matches how clients buy: fast, personal, and always-on. By 2026, the advisors winning won’t be the ones with the flashiest storefront. They’ll be the ones who answer quickly, explain complexity clearly, and remember what matters to that specific client.
