TikTok the travel agent! How the social media platform is shaping our holidays – and where app says is hot for 2026

In 2020, TikTok and the holidays were uncomfortable bedfellows; The social media platform was just starting to become widespread, and thanks to a global pandemicNobody was going anywhere.

But five years later, Travel has exploded on TikTok; The app says almost half of UK users are now looking for content related to their next trip.

While the platform’s average user age in the UK is 30, put aside the misconceptions that it’s all Gen Z content about Ibiza beach clubs; Nearly every type of travel experience, including #holidaynightmares, has evolved on the short-form video app.

A quick browse can take you anywhere in the world in seconds; There are steam trains passing through lush Yorkshire valleys, family gangs give tips on how to backpack in Thailand, toddlers and foodies document the story. The best NYC spots for viral croissant pizza (yes, they exist).

No one is more surprised by the seemingly endless variety of content than the brand’s Travel Manager.

Hannah Bennett stepped into this role during these uncertain days of quarantine and has seen the app’s ability to inspire holidays go from zero to hero in five short years.

‘What we’ve seen over the last 18 months is that people come to TikTok specifically to search,’ he tells the Daily Mail. This is up 131 per cent year-on-year, with 46 per cent of people looking for travel on a weekly basis.’

AI-generated content aside, of which there is a lot, Bennett says much of TikTok’s appeal for many travelers is that it’s warts-and-all honesty; There are vacation hell videos as well as FOMO trips.

Travel content on the platform is more diverse than ever; almost every holiday area finds a place for itself; pictured: Videos of steam train adventures on TikTok

Bennett says: ‘When I was growing up, everything was glossy travel brochures amazing people and amazing beaches.

‘On TikTok, this is real; There is also a behind-the-scenes element; 80% of the content might be great, but you’ll also have ‘this went wrong’ content, which makes it more realistic.’

The tips the application gives for this year may surprise many people.

According to the brand’s research, the location of 2026 city breaks will be Central Europe, with Germany’s financial center Frankfurt, attracting weekends away from cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne.

TikTok says that tiny Liechtenstein, located between Switzerland and Austria, can also get a slice of the tourism cake.

Despite having beautiful mountains, Rhine views and turreted castles, its capital, Vaduz, is home to just 6,000 residents, roughly the same number as a village in the UK, and there are no direct flights.

But TikTok says the rise of ‘slow travel’ is putting the fairytale country on the map for tourists looking for a still relatively unknown mountain destination.

Elsewhere, classic Mediterranean destinations and alternative accommodations are likely to be on people’s travel wish lists.

In Italy, the lesser-known resort town of Milano Marittima on the Adriatic coast is garnering attention, as is Bologna.

Family travel, including tips, is a key area where travelers share their advice

Where is hot in 2026? Less explored destinations, including Liechtenstein, will be on people’s travel radars this year, according to TikTok

The birthplace of Spaghetti Bolognese, Bolognese is also home to the world’s oldest university and is already rivaling big-name stars Venice and Rome, thanks to low-cost flights with Ryanair and British Airways.

Many old favorites are also likely to continue attracting large amounts of tourists, with Spain’s Malaga and the Costa Brava attracting a lot of attention.

When it comes to city breaks, TikTok says the most popular destinations searched include Copenhagen, Budapest, Florence and Naples.

The social media platform says there has also been an explosion of interest in St Andrews Lakes in Kent, UK.

The waterscape is located on the site of a former quarry and features undeniably blue Mediterranean water.

It became popular with its sauna, hostel and activities; There is a water park, open water swimming, canoeing and paddleboarding.

Bennett says the way we search for holidays is also changing, with people more open to finding new travel ideas rather than just being presented with content.

Bennett says: ‘I think a few years ago most people would spend most of their time on the ‘For You’ page where content was curated for you; If you’re interested in cats doing stupid things, you’ll see this. If you are interested in travel, you will see travel.

‘But over the last 18 months we’ve seen a shift from passive to active discovery, so people are coming to TikTok specifically to search [for travel content].’

What does the social media app’s Travel Manager say about overtourism, one of last year’s hottest topics?

In 2025, there were heated protests across Europe regarding the negative impact of mass tourism; Destinations such as the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, mainland Spain, Greece and Italy targeted tourists.

Overtourism protests in Tenerife in May 2025: Social media platforms accused of fueling mass tourism in recent years

Residents of the Cotswolds and Cornwall in the UK have expressed how they feel the arrival of thousands of tourists throughout the year, many taking selfies and videos for social media, is destroying their places.

Bennett says: ‘We really understand this concern and the element of virality that exists across all social platforms; People want to know where the hot target is.’

He argues that TikTok is useful in its own way of diverting tourists’ attention, with destination spoofs – swapping a popular city or resort for a lesser-known one – proving hugely popular on the platform.

‘TikTok plays a really important role in this element of discovery. People Maybe they want to explore a new place that they haven’t been to before and that their friends and family haven’t been to. So instead of going to Barcelona, ​​for example, they will discover a new alternative.’