These are the top trending destinations in Asia in 2026, according to TripAdvisor

If you’re plotting your 2026 travels and trying to dodge the obvious, Tripadvisor has just dropped a list worth bookmarking.

The platform’s Travellers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Destinations has been unveiled, spotlighting the top trending places for the year ahead. The ranking pulls from millions of reviews and ratings over a 12-month period, highlighting destinations that travellers are raving about right now, and the ones shaping where we’re heading next. 

The full global list spans 20 destinations, from Madeira and Tbilisi to Chicago and Milan. But Asia makes its mark with two standouts: Vietnam’s coastal underdog Quy Nhon at #4 and Japan’s laid-back Okinawa City at #16.

Quy Nhon’s addition to this list signals something we’ve been noticing for a while: travellers are looking beyond Vietnam’s usual suspects. Just an hour’s flight from Ho Chi Minh City, this coastal city delivers wide, uncrowded beaches and a slower rhythm that feels increasingly rare. It’s part of a broader shift towards Central Vietnam, a region we’ve already spotlighted in our own list of the best destinations to visit in Asia in 2026. Beyond the sand, Quy Nhon rewards curiosity with Cham-era temple towers perched on hillsides and seafood so fresh it barely needs seasoning. If Vietnam’s headline spots feel saturated, this is the next wave.

Meanwhile, Okinawa City’s #16 ranking feels especially timely. As Japan grapples with overtourism – with Fujiyoshida even cancelling its hugely popular cherry blossom festival for 2026 after crowd pressures peaked – travellers are rethinking where and how they experience the country. Cherry blossom season might conjure images of blush-pink perfection and packed viewpoints, but Okinawa offers a different script altogether. A two-hour flight from the mainland, it swaps selfie sticks for coral reefs and temple queues for subtropical coastlines. With its distinct Ryukyuan culture, restored Shuri Castle and some of Japan’s best snorkelling and diving, Okinawa feels like the answer to Japan fatigue. It's sunnier and far less frantic.

Globally, the top three trending spots for 2026 are Madeira, Tbilisi, and Chicago. And if Asia’s entries are anything to go by, 2026 travel is leaning towards less-hyped but more rewarding destinations. 

The 20 top trending travel destinations for 2026, according to Tripadvisor: 

1. Madeira
2. Tbilisi
3. Chicago
4. Quy Nhon
5. Puerto Escondido
6. Milan
7. Glasgow
8. Abu Dhabi
9. Recife
10. San Carlos de Bariloche
11. Vienna
12. Menorca
13. Taghazout
14. Bordeaux
15. Cali
16. Okinawa City
17. Bentota
18. Halifax
19. Dominica
20. Big Sky

Have you heard? This lush new onsen resort has opened in the mountains of Vietnam

Plus: Where in Penang was Sandiwara filmed? All about the 10-minute film featuring Michelle Yeoh