Brian Jewell

On April 22, the second day of The Group Travel Leader’s OnSite FAM tour for student travel planners in Myrtle Beach, Tripadvisor released its list of America’s most sought-after summer destinations for 2026. Myrtle Beach won the top spot. Consider how many destinations in America Myrtle Beach had to beat out for this coveted ranking. TripAdvisor says it’s going to be a huge summer for the Grand Strand during America’s 250th anniversary celebration this year.

What does luxury travel mean in 2026? For most of your life, you have probably understood what people meant by luxury travel — alluring destinations, upscale hotels, fine food, exclusive experiences — and a rough sense of what this kind of trip should cost. But today, in a K-shaped economy after years of eye-popping inflation, it’s not unreasonable to wonder who can actually afford luxury travel anymore.

Stephen Ekstrom believes tourism education has a serious problem. Too often, tourism professionals sit through workshops, webinars and conference sessions that leave them with information — but no meaningful transformation. After years working in tourism sales and destination development, Stephen co-founded Learn Tourism, a nonprofit educational platform designed to make tourism education more engaging, accessible and transformational.