New research by Club Med shows nearly 90 per cent of luxury travellers say they’re done posting holiday pics.
Club Med’s new research shows 87 per cent of Australians are posting to social media less frequently, or not at all when on holiday.
Club Med General Manager Pacific Michelle Davies says that’s a reflection of holidays increasingly becoming less about status and more about emotional connection, and it’ll continue well into 2026.
“Australians aren’t holidaying for social validation anymore. They want to be present – to rest, reset and feel enriched.
“Social media behaviour often reflects how we value experiences, so this shift away from posting holiday photos suggests that where and why we travel will no longer be defined by the content we can create, but by the emotional enrichment a destination offers.”
She says when travellers stop documenting every moment, they’re prioritising giving their full attention to the people around them.
“We expect in 2026 a further appreciation for true connection with loved ones. The future of travel won’t live on our feeds – it will live in how it makes us feel.”
The research also found 68 per cent of Australians said they’re less focused on material objects and prefer enjoying new experiences together.
Davies says this is underpinned by the growth in demand it has seen for multigenerational holidays, with a 30 per cent surge in bookings for 2026.
“As the pace of life is seemingly becoming busier and busier for young families, we’ve seen a significant shift in their travel preferences.
“In a world that’s always on, a luxury holiday is now so much more than white glove service and is defined by the chance to digitally disconnect, enjoy unstructured free time, and reconnect with loved ones in a meaningful way.”
Late last year, Davies sat down with Karryon to talk about its new dual-hotel concept and plans for 2026.
The concept combines a beach resort on South Africa’s Dolphin Coast, just north of Durban, with Mpilo safari lodge, a private safari lodge in Zululand on an 18,000-hectare reserve – home to the Big Five.
The safari lodge, which opens in July 2026, will only have 75 safari lodge tents, and Davies says that means it’s “organically limiting the number of guests around the wildlife at any one time”.
Guests can be surfing one day, and on safari the next, and she says this new concept, of having such vastly different experiences at dual properties, is something it’s now exploring in other areas.
“The success of this, even before it has opened, has been incredible and so we’re exploring other options, but we want to make sure it’s going to add real value, so it needs to allow families to experience an entirely new world. It has to be really intentional and add real value.”
Other properties the luxury hotelier has in the pipeline include:
- Club Med Mont Tremblant, northwest of Montréal will open in 2028
- Club Med Musandam in Oman will open in 2028
- Club Med Borneo opens in Q4 2026
For more information, visit Club Med.
