This year, Skyscanner Ascend brought partners together in London and Singapore for a day centred on insight, connection and thoughtful conversations about the future of travel.
We welcomed travel leaders from a mix of airlines, destinations, agencies, online travel agents who all share a common goal: to understand how traveller behaviour is shifting, how technology is evolving, and how we can continue building products and solutions that serve partners in meaningful ways. Across both events, guests heard from Skyscanner’s senior leaders and partners who joined us on stage, reflecting the breadth and scale of the travel community that fuels our ecosystem.
Here are the biggest takeaways from this year’s event.
Travellers are changing how and where they travel
Traveller intent remains strong across all regions, with our Horizons Outlook showing growth in Europe (+10%), LATAM (+18%), APAC (+9%) and MEA (+22%). Looking ahead to 2026, 39% of travellers plan to travel more and 37% expect to spend more on flights, driven by younger Gen Z and Millennial travellers.
At the same time, how people choose to travel is shifting. Concerns about overcrowding are rising, with 34% planning to seek quieter destinations, 26% choosing less touristy spots to save money, and 31% opting for shoulder seasons for a calmer, more authentic experience. Read more of these insights in our Horizons report here.
Travellers want AI built for exploration
Our Chief AI Officer, Piero Sierra, shared how AI is changing the way people begin their journeys, but not the fundamentals of what travellers need. Travellers still want to compare, understand value and feel confident in the choices they make. Experiments across our platform show that travellers prefer simple, visual discovery and quick clarity over long, chat based interactions. This insight guides how we approach AI at Skyscanner. AI should make exploration feel more intuitive, not more complex. It should support travellers as they form intent rather than overwhelm them with information.
Traveller discovery continues to evolve
Travel discovery is no longer linear. Travellers move through repeated cycles of research and inspiration, switching between destinations, dates and ideas as they go. One interesting insight from the day is that themes are quickly becoming the new currency of discovery with many of our natural-language queries containing thematic intent such as romantic getaways, family trips, city break, and budget breaks. With intent increasingly expressed through vibes rather than just fixed locations, we’re exploring ways to incorporate this into our platform.
A day shaped by partnership
Skyscanner Ascend is built around collaboration. The most valuable moments came from the conversations we had with partners about the challenges they face, the opportunities ahead and the role Skyscanner can play in supporting smarter, more sustainable growth across the travel ecosystem. We left the day feeling energised by the perspectives shared, the breadth of representation from across our travel partners and the collective desire to keep moving travel forward with intention.
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