by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 9:15 AM ET, Tue September 29, 2026
Casablanca has emerged as one of the fastest-growing destinations for Canadians in 2026, while Delhi has overtaken Tokyo as the most popular international destination, according to new booking data from FlightHub.
The online travel agency’s third annual Unveiled report examines booking and search data from October 2025 through August 2026, compared with the same period a year earlier.
The findings point to significant growth in several international destinations, changing generational travel patterns and increased demand surrounding major sporting events.
"2026 has been a transformative year for travel, with major events both at home and internationally," says Henri Chelhot, CEO of FlightHub.
"This year's data gives us a unique snapshot of how Canadians travelled during the year, and we'll be watching to see whether these patterns continue into 2027."
Round Up the Usual Suspects
Casablanca, Morocco recorded the largest increase highlighted in the report, with bookings climbing 250% year over year.
Liberia, Costa Rica followed with a 145% increase, while bookings to Aruba rose 118% and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic increased 109%. Hanoi, Vietnam was up 98%.
Las Vegas, meanwhile, showed signs of stabilizing after FlightHub recorded a 40% decline last year. Bookings increased 1.3% in 2026.
When it comes to overall international popularity, Delhi moved up one position to take the top spot from Tokyo, which fell to second.
London, Cancún and Paris rounded out the top five, followed by Manila, Lisbon, Puerto Vallarta, Hong Kong and Rome.
Within Canada, Toronto, Vancouver, Montréal and Calgary remained the four most popular inbound destinations, in that order.
Game On
FlightHub also examined the effect of major sporting events on travel.
Canadian host cities recorded increased travel during this spring's soccer tournament, with Vancouver up 34% compared with the previous year and Toronto up 18%.
Several U.S. host cities also saw increases, including Kansas City at 165%, Boston at 78% and the New York/New Jersey area at 24%.
However, Canadian tournament travel was predominantly domestic, according to FlightHub, with travellers largely moving between Canadian cities rather than crossing the U.S. border. The company also found no significant booking spikes tied to individual matches, with travel building more steadily throughout the tournament.
Other major sporting events produced mixed results.
Montréal recorded a 32% year-over-year increase in travel around the Canadian Grand Prix, while the Las Vegas Grand Prix saw a 22% decrease. Travel connected to the Winter Olympics in Milan/Cortina increased 243% compared with the previous year.
Generation Next
FlightHub's data also points to a shift in the generational makeup of travellers.
Gen Z gained 3.1 percentage points of share in Canada and 4.2 percentage points in the U.S., the largest increase among the generations examined.
Millennials declined 0.7 percentage points in Canada and 0.5 points in the U.S. Gen X fell 0.8 points in Canada and 1.9 points in the U.S., while Boomers declined 1.4 and 1.7 points, respectively.
"What makes Unveiled valuable is the bigger picture that emerges when we look at these trends together," said Ayoub Hissar, Director of Communications at FlightHub.
"Where travellers are going is only part of the story. What influences their decisions and how those behaviours change over time can tell us a lot about what travellers are looking for."
Canada-U.S. Travel Interest Shifts
Search interest in travel between Canada and the United States increased in both directions, although FlightHub found a significant difference in the pace of growth.
U.S. search interest in travel to Canada increased 16% year over year, compared with a two percent increase in Canadian searches for U.S. travel.
Toronto was the most-searched Canadian destination among U.S. travellers, followed by Vancouver, Calgary, Montréal and Edmonton. Search interest in both Toronto and Vancouver increased approximately 20%.
Among Canadians searching for U.S. destinations, New York ranked first, followed by Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Washington, D.C. showed notable growth, with Canadian search interest increasing almost 23% year over year.
The Québec Way
FlightHub also identified differences between travellers in Québec and those elsewhere in Canada.
Québec travellers averaged trips of approximately 11 days, compared with seven days for travellers in the rest of Canada. They were also more likely to travel during July and December, a pattern FlightHub said is driven in part by Québec's Construction Holidays.
"It's been another busy year for FlightHub and the overall travel sector, and Unveiled really showcases some interesting trends," said Ayoub Hissar, Director of Communications at FlightHub.
"It will be fascinating to look back at this data in 12 months' time to see if it is a marked change."
The Unveiled report is based on FlightHub booking, search and pricing data from October 2025 through August 2026, compared with the equivalent period a year earlier. The findings include activity from FlightHub's Canadian and U.S. customers.
Destination popularity and travel-interest rankings are based on searches, while other rankings and trends are based on completed bookings.
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