Part of this shift is thanks to destinations’ efforts, industry stakeholders said during an executive panel at Phocuswright Europe 2026. Croatia is a standout example.
“Croatia’s tourism, in particular, like the tourist board, is trying to flatten the season. So we are trying to expand the season with the very reason to remove the big overcrowding during July and in August,” said Ante Dagelić, VP of AI at Travelier.
If there is interest and a reason to go, connection patterns form, according to Dagelić. However, some destinations may not be interested in increasing visitor numbers, especially during the off season.
Moderator Rod Cuthbert, board member of Veltra Corp. and founder of Viator, brought up his experience with locals on Corfu, who balked at the mention of making the island a year-round destination.
“It’s up to the local communities to actually first of all see if this is something that is going to benefit the community in general, have the offer be there and then us, as OTAs, are coming there more as a sensor of the demand,” Dagelić said.
State-owned Paradores de Turismo, which dates back to 1928 and operates hotels in historic sites, uses its network to offer “a different way to discover Spain,” according to president and CEO Raquel Sanchez.
“It’s a public company, and the properties [are] from the state, and it’s a motivation for us to invest in our heritage ... we return this benefit of the public investment to the citizens,” she said.
“It’s a good way to democratize the culture, the gastronomy, the art.”
When it comes to changing traveler behavior, Julie Cheetham, CEO of Travalyst, said it’s all about available information.
“We’ve seen that you can change traveler behavior by getting the right information to them in the right format at the time of decision making,” she said, noting that artificial intelligence is helping to communicate details about slower, multimodal travel.
Olivier Ponti, director of market intelligence and insights at Amadeus, echoed the importance of data when collaborating with destinations.
“It’s essential that the travel industry, the local authorities and the inhabitants are aligned on what should happen next for the destination—I believe that data plays a key role in striking the right balance,” he said.
See below for the full discussion.
Shifting demand patterns in travel
Tags:Phocuswright Europe 2026 Ante Dagelić, Travelier Olivier Ponti, Amadeus artificial intelligence
