If paradise had a postcode, 4877 would be it. It might look like a random number now, but you’ll be seeing a whole lot more of it next year. Why? Because the tropical town behind those digits – Port Douglas – has just landed a spot in Booking.com’s top ten trending destinations in the world for 2026. Wedged between two World Heritage-listed wonders, this slice of paradise in Far North Queensland was the only Aussie destination to make the list – and you’ll want to visit before the rest of the world catches on.
Now in its tenth year, Booking.com’s Travel Predictions report used data from January to August 2025 to highlight the destinations seeing the biggest year-on-year search spikes. Drawing on insights from nearly 30,000 travellers across 33 countries, the experts also forecast the trends set to shape how we explore the world in 2026.
One of the report’s standout trends is wellness travel, with 80 per cent of global travellers saying they’d be interested in trying out at least one beauty or wellness treatment while on holiday. Enter Port Douglas: just the spot to dive into all things wellness.
Perfectly placed between two UNESCO World Heritage wonders – the historic Daintree Rainforest and the breathtaking Great Barrier Reef – this tropical Queensland town offers plenty of places to pamper yourself. Beyond beauty treatments, you can find inner peace by simply soaking in the region’s natural beauty, or supercharging your wellness with a host of adventurous activities. Drift under the rainforest canopy on the Mossman River, zipline through the treetops in the world’s oldest rainforest, snorkel among vibrant coral in the largest reef on Earth, and relax under swaying palms on Four Mile Beach. For the ultimate wellness reboot, stay at Silky Oaks Lodge, voted Australia’s best hotel for 2025 in Condé Nast’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
Three other culture-packed destinations from the Asia-Pacific region also scored spots on Booking.com’s global trending destinations list for 2026. First up is Mũi Né, a sun-soaked beach resort town in southeastern Vietnam and one of Australia’s top choices for Christmas travel this summer. Then there’s Guangzhou, a sprawling port city just northwest of Hong Kong. We’re already ahead of the trend: travel to China surged in 2024-25, making it Australia’s fifth-most visited country. This is largely thanks to relaxed visa rules that have just been extended for another year. Rounding out the APAC entries is Kochi, a historic port city along India’s Malabar Coast. You can check out the full list below.
These are the top 10 trending destinations for 2026
- Mũi Né, Vietnam
- Bilbao, Spain
- Barranquilla, Colombia
- Philadelphia, USA
- Guangzhou, China
- Sal, Cape Verde
- Manaus, Brazil
- Munster, Germany
- Kochi, India
- Port Douglas, Australia