Tripadvisor Names 20 Fastest-Rising Travel Destinations for 2026

other · 2026-10-06

Tripadvisor has unveiled its Travelers' Choice Best of the Best ranking for 2026, showcasing 20 trending locations as determined by user feedback. Less than 1% of Tripadvisor's 8 million listings achieve this prestigious recognition. Leading the ranking is Madeira, followed by Tbilisi, Chicago, Quy Nhon, Puerto Escondido, Milan, Glasgow, Abu Dhabi, Recife, San Carlos de Bariloche, Vienna, Menorca, Taghazout, Bordeaux, Cali, Okinawa City, Bentota, Halifax, Dominica, and Big Sky. Significant upcoming events include the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, the Winter Olympics in Milan, the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, and the new Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi. Enhanced access through new flights to Puerto Escondido and Recife makes these destinations even more appealing.

Key facts

Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Best of the Best ranking for 2026 lists 20 trending destinations based on a year of review volume and ratings.
Under 1% of Tripadvisor's roughly 8 million listings earn a Best of the Best title in a given cycle.
Madeira tops the 2026 trending destinations list, followed by Tbilisi, Chicago, Quy Nhon, Puerto Escondido, Milan, Glasgow, Abu Dhabi, Recife, San Carlos de Bariloche, Vienna, Menorca, Taghazout, Bordeaux, Cali, Okinawa City, Bentota, Halifax, Dominica, and Big Sky.
Chicago gets the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park and a centennial year for Route 66 in 2026.
Milan co-hosts the 2026 Winter Olympics with Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy's first Winter Games since Turin in 2006.
Vienna hosts the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in 2026.
Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island adds a Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim and the Zayed National Museum to a cultural district anchored by the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
American Airlines has added direct service to Puerto Escondido, Recife now has nonstop flights from Portugal and Spain, and Dominica retains its seasonal links to the northeastern U.S.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

Tripadvisor
American Airlines
Barack Obama Presidential Center
Field Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
Zayed National Museum
Foster + Partners
Save The Waves Coalition
World Surfing Reserve
UNESCO
Art Foundation Anagi
Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts
The Telegraph Hotel
Six Senses
Salone del Mobile
Duomo di Milano
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Arthouse hotel
Glasgow Subway
Hunterian
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
University of Glasgow
Hydro
King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
Barrowland Ballroom
Mackintosh at the Willow
Scotland Street School
Queen's Cross Church
Glasgow School of Art
Riverside Museum
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Ferrari World
Warner Bros. World
Yas Marina Circuit
Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Kahal Zur Israel
Nahuel Huapi National Park
Patagonia
Vienna State Opera
Musikverein
Vienna Philharmonic
Vienna Boys' Choir
Schönbrunn Palace
Hofburg
Austrian National Library
Sisi Museum
Café Central
Café Sacher
MuseumsQuartier
Leopold Museum
MUMOK
Kunsthistorisches Museum
Camí de Cavalls
Naveta des Tudons
Mahón-Menorca
Xoriguer
Al Massira Airport
La Cité du Vin
Marché des Capucins
Mundial de Salsa
Feria de Cali
Festival de Música del Pacífico Petronio Álvarez
Kadena Air Base
Shuri Castle
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
Lunuganga
Brief Garden
Galle Fort
Yala National Park
Queen's Marque
Muir hotel
Halifax Transit
Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Halifax Citadel
Halifax Jazz Festival
Morne Trois Pitons National Park
Waitukubuli National Trail
Douglas-Charles Airport
Montage Big Sky
One&Only Moonlight Basin
Kirkliff Observatory
Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport
Yellowstone National Park

Locations

Madeira
Portugal
Lisbon
Morocco
Funchal
Porto Moniz
Pico Ruivo
Monte
Tbilisi
Georgia
Mtkvari River
Abanotubani
Narikala Fortress
Rike Park
Dry Bridge Market
Davit Gareja
Kakheti
Chicago
United States
Jackson Park
Adams Street
Michigan Avenue
Chicago River
Quy Nhon
Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City
Nha Trang
Da Nang
Nhon Ly peninsula
Ky Co
Eo Gio
Ghenh Rang
Thap Doi
Banh It
Duong Long
Puerto Escondido
Mexico
Oaxaca
Zicatela Beach
Carrizalillo
La Punta
Manialtepec Lagoon
Milan
Italy
Cortina d'Ampezzo
San Siro
Porta Romana
Porta Nuova
Quadrilatero della Moda
Via Montenapoleone
Navigli
Glasgow
Scotland
United Kingdom
Edinburgh
West End
Sauchiehall Street
River Clyde
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
Saadiyat Island
Yas Island
Dubai
Recife
Brazil
Pernambuco
Rio de Janeiro
Salvador
Recife Antigo
Rua do Bom Jesus
Olinda
Boa Viagem
Porto de Galinhas
San Carlos de Bariloche
Argentina
Rio Negro
Lake Nahuel Huapi
Cerro Catedral
Mitre
Victoria Island
Arrayanes forest
Seven Lakes Route
San Martin de los Andes
Villa La Angostura
El Calafate
Torres del Paine
Chile
Vienna
Austria
Menorca
Spain
Mallorca
Ibiza
Cala Macarella
Cala Turqueta
Ciutadella
Mahón
Taghazout
Agadir
Anchor Point
Killer Point
Boilers
Devil's Rock
Tamraght
Taghazout Bay
Paradise Valley
High Atlas
Souss
Marrakech
Bordeaux
France
Garonne
Miroir d'Eau
Place de la Bourse
Port of the Moon
Médoc
Saint-Émilion
Pomerol
Sauternes
Saint-Pierre
Saint-Michel
Arcachon
Paris
Cali
Colombia
Santiago de Cali
San Antonio
Zona Rosa
Granada
Farallones de Cali
Cristo Rey
Palmira
Chocó
Cauca
Valle del Cauca
Okinawa City
Japan
Tokyo
Osaka
Naha
Kyoto
Nara
Koza
Misato
Gate 2 Street
Maeda Point
Onna
Blue Cave
Motobu
Bentota
Sri Lanka
Colombo
Bentota River
Kosgoda
Dedduwa Lake
Galle
Halifax
Canada
Nova Scotia
Dartmouth
Fairview Lawn
Narrows
Digby
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Lesser Antilles
Boiling Lake
Valley of Desolation
Trafalgar Falls
Middleham Falls
Roseau
Champagne Reef
Big Sky
Montana
Lone Peak
Andesite
Madison
Spanish Peaks
Gallatin
West Yellowstone
Old Faithful

Sources

Quartz — 2026-10-06