Wendy Wu Tours has launched its first-ever annual report, The Journey Ahead, revealing how Australians are rethinking the way they explore the world.
“We are witnessing an exciting evolution in Australian travel,” Wendy Wu Tours Australia managing director Simon Bell said. “The report captures the latest trends in travel preferences, highlighting a growing shift towards immersive, meaningful, and slow-paced experiences across Asia and beyond.
“Whether it’s exploring Asia for the first time or revisiting a favourite destination, like Japan, Australians are redefining what it means to travel with intention. This report provides an invaluable snapshot of where Australians are headed and the experiences they truly value.”
The Journey Ahead offers in-depth insights into the travel trends set to shape 2026, highlighting how Australians approach travel. Launched at a media lunch at Japanese restaurant Sake in The Rocks, Sydney, the report also challenges common perceptions about Asia.
While concerns around cost, cultural differences, geopolitical tensions and pollution often hold travellers back, those who take the leap are discovering a different reality.
“The old assumptions that Asia is dirty, grimy, unsafe, hard to get around … those misconceptions have been turned on their head, from the report findings,” Bell said.
Nearly half of travellers are pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of locals (49%), affordability (47%), and stunning landscapes (43%), the report reveals.
Japan remains Australia’s No.1 travel destination, attracting over one million visitors between July 2024 and June 2025, the Japanese National Tourism Organization recently reported. Repeat travellers are increasingly exploring beyond Tokyo and Kyoto, seeking scenic towns and immersive experiences, reflecting broader trends highlighted in the report.
“It’s not a cheap destination,” Bell said. “(But it’s a) really great value destination now, because of the Yen, because of what you get for your money.”
Australians are also increasingly embracing slower travel and choosing depth over speed, with overcrowding, tourist levies, local protests, environmental impact, and a desire to explore undiscovered locations driving this behaviour.
Once thought of as a niche way of travelling, solo travel continues to pick up pace, with 73 per cent of Australians considering exploring alone. Travellers are drawn to freedom, personal growth, and cultural immersion, with guided tours providing reassurance and companionship for those navigating new destinations. Food and market explorations (55%), cultural experiences (50%), off-the-beaten-path experiences (41%) and adventure activities (38%) top the list of solo travel motivations.
“It was something that we were seeing in our own booking patterns about, more and more solo customers booking, particularly after the pandemic,” Bell said. “I loved seeing the customer testimonial that came back about this particular thing, about how they felt so emboldened.
“They achieved something by being able to go and do it on their own and come back having a sense of, ‘I didn’t have anything to fear by doing that’.”
Spending quality time with loved ones is becoming a top priority for Australians, with multi-generational trips on the rise, key motivators include spending quality time together (66%) and making shared memories (57%).
“This is somewhat similar to (the rise in) solo travelling,” Bell said. “The pandemic has changed people with multi-generation travel… families that are wanting shared experiences, so having such an amazing time overseas, and wanting to share that time with their family. Not just mum and dad and the kids. It can be grandma, grandpa and their sons and daughters, and then their sons and daughters. So all three generations of family going away together and having that shared experience.”
The report highlights a generational shift, with over-55s increasingly investing in meaningful travel experiences as Australians move away from ‘tick-box tourism’, instead favouring longer stays, small group tours, cultural immersion, and off-peak travel.
“Over 55s are really redefining holidays, investing in those immersive experiences,” he said. “They’re looking for smaller groups these days.”
Bell added that over-55s are “favouring quality over quantity”, wanting to travel in smaller groups, travel in less busy times, stay longer, have less impact, and travel to lesser known destinations. That includes new destinations in China, such as the mega-city of Chongqing and the breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage landscapes of Wulong, a side of China rarely experienced by Australian travellers.
The audience heard that Wendy Wu herself is spearheading these new destinations, choosing and refining tours, much as she did for the rest of China when she launched the brand more than two decades ago.
Turn-offs
But crowds and tourist levies which top the list of travel turn-offs (74%), so slower, more immersive journeys are key. Small group tours are a favourite, giving the chance to meet like-minded travellers (94%), while tapping into expert-led experiences without the stress of planning (75%). For many, travel is also about self-discovery (85%) and diving into local culture without compromise (93%).
The overall takeaway, “slow travel is in, fast travel, tickbox is out”. See the full report HERE.
Top findings
Popular destinations for 2026 include Japan, China, Vietnam, India, South America, South Korea, Africa and the Middle East.
Japan remains Australia’s number one travel destination, driven by a growing appetite for deeper, more meaningful experiences.
Solo travel is on the rise, with 73% of Australians considering exploring alone, drawn by freedom, personal growth, and cultural immersion.
Multi-generational trips are increasingly popular, with families across all states embracing meaningful travel.
AloJapan.com