by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Thu October 29, 2026
October brought plenty of news about destinations worldwide, from U.S. cities that excel in accessibility to new data on global security, sargassum in Mexico and more.
One such highlight was Expedia’s list of the ten top-trending destinations for 2027. Can you guess the three most popular destinations? Read on to find out!
News From The United States
View of St. Louis and the historic Gateway Arch in Missouri. (Photo Credit: Faina Gurevich / Adode Stock)
In the United States, travel headlines focused on the rising cost of travel and how it’s affecting the national tourism economy.
Newly released information from early October shows that this summer, the number of international visitors to the U.S. dropped significantly, despite the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In June, international visitation dropped a moderate 2% from last year (which also declined), but fell more sharply in July and August, down 7% and 11%, respectively.
What’s causing this years-long trend? Geoff Freeman, CEO of the US Travel Association, told journalists the declines were partly due to “travel costs, tariffs and trade disputes, and false rumors about the US among foreign travelers.”
International visitors to the U.S. dropped by 11 million in 2025; this year, that number is expected to drop to 13 million, representing a 20% decline from pre-pandemic numbers, which the United States has since failed to reach post-pandemic.
The U.S.’s struggles to welcome international visitors aren’t the only sign that the domestic industry is beset by challenges this year: Universal’s theme park revenue is down 4.4%.
The reason? “Macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds,” along with the fact that Universal’s competitors were quicker to notice Americans’ tighter budgets and offer more attractive deals and packages to capture more visitors.
In some better news about the U.S., WalletHub’s new study released a list ofthe best (and worst) cities in the country for people with disabilitiesto visit and live. The study compared more than 180 cities across 33 criteria, including the quality of public hospitals and wheelchair accessibility.
The results? The three best cities are St. Louis, Missouri, Minneapolis, Minnesota and Columbus, Ohio. The three worst? Montgomery, Alabama, South Burlington, Vermont and Juneau, Alaska.
Impacting Travel: Global Security, War, Water Levels & More
(Photo Credit: Bert Archer)
A lot is affecting travel in destinations around the world this October, from low water levels along the Danube and the Rhine in Europe to escalations in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran impacting travel in the Middle East.
Let’s get into it.
First, the Maldives has postponed a confusing and controversial tax on overseas tour operators and travel agencies to April 1. Expected to take effect October 1, the 17% tax confused agencies, which wondered how and why they would need to charge their clients.
In early October, deadly attacks on the Riyadh airportthat left hundreds injured and killed at least one American led the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia to discourage Americans from visiting the airport out of caution for future attacks. Airports across the Middle East have become easy targets during the escalation of the war in the Middle East this year.
Travelers are being warned ofa new online scamthat encourages them to register for ETIAS, Europe’s future online travel authorization, which is not yet in effect. The scam, which uses over 100 websites to offer fake ETIAS registration, exposes sensitive traveler information and charges a fee that isn’t legitimate.
When ETIAS launches, the only official website will be from the European Union and will be clearly designated as such.
Global Guardian’s2027 Global Risk Map shows travelers which destinations are expected to be safest next year and which ones you may want to avoid because of global security risks. Jamaica, Hungary and South Korea offer decreased risk, while Cuba and several countries across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, are experiencing higher risk due to proximity to or participation in the war.
In mid-October, the autumn rains seem to have done little to improve river cruising along the Rhine and Danube, despite hopes that cooler temperatures and more rainfall could help the months-long low river water levels. November might be the first month we could see sustained improvements in river water levels throughout Europe.
Insider Headlines: Trending Destinations, New Investments
Pink Beach in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock / jon_chica)
We reported major updates on several countries and regions this October, including how Indonesia is expected to take the place of Thailand as Southeast Asia’s most popular destination. This year, Thailand recorded its first tourism decline in a decade, while Indonesia’s travel offerings, market and popularity are all on the rise.
Expedia’s latest release on which destinations are trending in search interest for next year might be a bit surprising. The top three destinations with the most search interest are South Lake Tahoe, Hyogo, Japan and Punta del Este, Uruguay. Read the full story to see the top ten.
Heading to the Caribbean, we reported on major news from the Caribbean Tourism Organization. The organization elected Charles “Max” Fernandez, Tourism Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, as its new chair. After his election, his twin-island nation was selected to host the 2027 State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC), the CTO's major event.
SOTIC 2026 just occurred in October; read about what was discussed here.
Heading to Europe, the World Travel & Tourism Council’s previous conference host country, Malta, received a $2 billion commitment to invest in Malta’s travel and tourism industry. Tourism employs one in five on the Mediterranean island, and accounts for nearly 20% of its GDP.
One European destination has begun leading the way in off-season tourism growth. Sunny Spain has reported that 47% of its tourism now occurs off-season, away from the June through August peak. International visitors, particularly from Argentina, Poland and Brazil, are leading the way in off-season travel, particularly seeking family, culture and active wellness-centered experiences.
Lastly, after a record sargassum season in Mexico and elsewhere in the Caribbean, Mexico’s local and federal governments have begun preparing for next year's sargassum response, with new partnerships providing more technology, stronger federal-local coordination and more, as scientists predict a record 80-ton sargassum surge in 2027.
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