It’s been an interesting year in travel.
At SkyClub, we’ve been arranging First and Business Class journeys for years, so we tend to notice when travel patterns start to shift.
With the peak summer travel season at an end, we took a look at where our clients have been flying so far in 2026 and compared it with the same period last year. The result? Some familiar favourites are still firmly on the map, while a few destinations have made a noticeable move up the rankings. So, here’s a little SkyClub snapshot of where the world is taking our clients right now.
Our top 10 destinations so far in 2026
| Position | Destination |
| 1 | New York |
| 2 | Sydney |
| 3 | Dubai |
| 3 | Los Angeles |
| 5 | Auckland |
| 6 | Miami |
| 7 | Bangkok |
| 8 | Tokyo |
| 9 | Cape Town |
| 10 | Melbourne |
New York is still number one
Some things don’t change.
New York continues to sit at the top of our destination chart, just as it did when we looked at the same period last year.
And there’s plenty going on in the US this year. The 2026 FIFA World Cup brought matches to 11 US host cities, including New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles and Miami – three destinations that all feature in our top 10. FIFA’s tournament also expanded to 48 teams and 104 matches across Canada, Mexico and the US.
So while we can’t attribute individual SkyClub bookings to the World Cup, its impact on travel demand has certainly made 2026 an interesting year for North America.
Tokyo is having a moment
One of the more noticeable changes in our chart is Tokyo.
It has moved from outside our top 10 last year to number eight in 2026. That puts Japan firmly back among the destinations we’re seeing most frequently.
And Tokyo isn’t alone in gaining ground. Bangkok has also moved up the table, suggesting that long-haul travel to Asia remains very much part of the picture for our clients.
Cape Town makes a big move
Our other standout is Cape Town.
It has jumped from well outside last year’s top 10 to number nine this year, one of the biggest upward moves among our leading destinations.
It’s a good reminder that premium travel isn’t just about the traditional London–New York–Dubai routes. Clients are continuing to look further afield, particularly for long-haul leisure trips where comfort can make a real difference.
Dubai: still a favourite, but an unusual year
Dubai remains firmly in our top four, but its position is particularly interesting when compared with last year.
The Gulf has experienced a very different travel environment in 2026, with conflict and associated airspace restrictions causing significant disruption to flights across the region. UK government travel advice has continued to warn that regional tensions can lead to flight cancellations and airspace closures.
That doesn’t tell us why an individual SkyClub client chose to travel but it does provide some useful context for a year in which demand around the region has been anything but predictable.
Australia isn’t going anywhere
If there’s one thing our destination chart makes clear, it’s that Australia remains a SkyClub favourite.
Sydney is still sitting comfortably at number two, while Auckland is number five and Melbourne has made it into the top 10.
For a business specialising in long-haul premium travel, that’s hardly a surprise. Australia is exactly the sort of journey where the difference between a standard long-haul flight and a well-planned premium-cabin itinerary can really be felt.
And with multiple possible routes, stopovers and connections, it’s also a destination where having someone work through the options can be particularly useful.
A few other things caught our eye
Miami continues to be remarkably consistent. It has moved up to number six this year, maintaining its place among our most popular US destinations.
Los Angeles is still a heavyweight. It shares third place with Dubai, keeping three US destinations in our top six.
Auckland continues to punch above its weight. It remains one of our most popular destinations despite being one of the world’s longer journeys from the UK.
And perhaps the most interesting thing of all is that the top 10 isn’t dominated by just one type of trip. There’s business travel, visiting friends and family, long-haul holidays, stopovers and plenty of people simply deciding that if they’re going to spend 20-plus hours travelling, they might as well do it comfortably.
The world is still moving
Travel patterns change every year, sometimes gradually, sometimes because something completely unexpected happens.
2026 has already brought us a World Cup, disruption across the Middle East, changing airline networks and plenty of new premium-cabin options to consider.
But the underlying picture from our bookings is remarkably familiar: New York, Australia, the US and Asia continue to feature heavily, while destinations such as Tokyo and Cape Town are making their presence felt.
For now, that’s SkyClub’s 2026 travel snapshot, based on where our clients are actually flying, rather than what the latest travel trend says they should be doing.
And if there’s one thing we’ve learned from watching premium travel over the years, it’s that the next interesting trend is usually just around the corner.
Written by the SkyClub Travel Specialists
SkyClub has been helping premium leisure and corporate travellers book business and first-class flights worldwide for over 30 years, managing thousands of itineraries annually. Our team combines real-world experience, airline expertise and industry insights to provide accurate, actionable advice for long-haul, multi-stop and luxury travel. SkyClub have a 5-star Trustpilot rating with thousands of positive reviews and bookings are ATOL, ABTA and IATA protected.
All content is reviewed for accuracy, updated regularly and based on verified booking data and customer experiences. SkyClub is a registered travel consultancy dedicated to trusted, seamless and informed travel planning.
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