Marriott International Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) recently gathered industry experts to share booking trends for the upcoming holiday season and for a look ahead at 2026.
The panel included Martin Castaño, regional vice president of sales and distribution for CALA; Tom Kozlowski, United Airlines’ senior manager for CALA; Ivan Vukov, director of U.S. sales for Aeromexico; and Miles McMullin, managing partner of Skylark Travel Group.
Here’s a look at what these experts shared.
2025 Holiday Travel Trends
According to Castaño, interest in all-inclusive resorts during the 2025 holiday season has been high because “they offer something for everyone." However, he also said that Marriott is changing the way clients should think about an all-inclusive vacation.
Our vision is to embrace all-inclusive in a way that focuses on local communities, the environment and the culture in the place where we’re operating.
“When Marriott entered into the all-inclusive space, we wanted to do it differently,” Castaño said. “Our vision is to embrace all-inclusive in a way that focuses on local communities, the environment and the culture in the place where we’re operating.”
To do that, Marriott offers authentic off-site experiences and excursions to encourage guests to explore beyond the “resort bubble” and experience everything a destination has to offer.
Marriott is changing the way clients should think about an all-inclusive vacation.
Credit: 2025 Planet Hollywood Costa Rica, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive ResortAnother major draw for travelers to the region during the festive season is large-scale concerts and sporting events, which Castaño expects to continue next year, as well.
“The sports and entertainment segment has been especially strong in holiday seasons,” he said. “For Puerto Rico with Bad Bunny and Mexico and Argentina with Oasis. With the World Cup coming to three cities in Mexico next year [Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey], it’s a great opportunity for travelers to spend the holidays, enjoy the World Cup and then extend their stay at beach resorts in Mexico.”
Monterrey will host 2026 World Cup games at Stadium Estadio.
Credit: 2025 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)Improving Connectivity
United Airlines has responded to an uptick in premium leisure demand with more flights and more first-class seats. Additionally, United has focused on “ease of travel” across the Caribbean and Latin America.
“We’re making travel easier from U.S. cities where travel to the Caribbean and Latin America hasn't been easy, meaning long red-eye flights or multiple connections,” Kozlowski said. “A lot of our new services that started this year — or are starting this winter — lean into that, particularly from the West Coast.”
That includes newly launched flights from San Francisco to San Jose, Costa Rica, and expanded routes from Denver to Mexico and the Caribbean.
“Our West Coast customers now have really easy, one-stop access to all these regions,” Kozlowski said. “And as we look forward to 2026, we’ll continue to look for ways to make travel even easier.”
Skylark’s McMullin adds that interest is strong for places that haven't been overdeveloped — and in some cases, don’t offer full-service, luxury hotels — but says getting clients there has been a challenge.
“Places like Ecuador or Belize really get clients off the normal path,” he said. “And United now does a fabulous job capitalizing on that traveler interest and demand.”
Similarly, Aeromexico launched 30 new routes in 2025 and will continue to increase connectivity from the U.S. to Mexico — including Oaxaca, Los Cabos and Manzanillo — as well as Central America, South America and the Caribbean, with the Dominican Republic marking the airline's 100th destination overall.
Top Destinations for 2026
The panel recommended travel advisors pay attention to several key destinations across Latin America, but Castaño suggests keeping a particularly keen eye on the Dominican Republic.
“We’re growing very smartly [in Dominican Republic] with new luxury product,” he said. “We’re the first hotel chain coming in with the adults-only all-inclusive W Punta Cana [opened in April 2025] and the St. Regis Cap Cana Resort [opened in May 2025]. So, those are true luxury brands coming into this market and we're very proud and excited about it.”
St. Regis Cap Cana Resort is one of Marriott's luxury properties in the Dominican Republic.
Credit: 2025 St. Regis Cap Cana ResortThe recent openings in Mexico of Paraiso De La Bonita, a Luxury Collection Hotel; Clevia, San Miguel de Allende, Autograph Collection; and Siari, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Riviera Nayarit will also get clients’ attention. Marriott is also transforming its Hacienda Del Mar hotels and the Westin in Puerto Vallarta into all-inclusive properties.
“There's a lot of potential in Mexico,” Castaño said.
As for United’s Kozlowski, he recommends advisors capitalize on the "hidden gems" many travelers are looking for; destinations, he says, that allow them to go off the beaten path. Dominica, in particular, had previously been difficult to reach — but United now offers nonstop service from Newark to the island.
United offers nonstop service from Newark to the Caribbean island of Dominica.
Credit: 2025 Discover Dominica Authority“We’ve launched Puerto Escondido in Mexico … and we’re launching Tepic, Rivera Nayarit, [in December],” he said. “By leaning into some of those unique, small destinations, we can continue to help them grow.”
Despite a shift toward last-minute bookings — a holdover from the uncertainty of COVID-19-era travel — Skylark’s McMullin says the desire for off-the-beaten-path experiences is expected to remain strong for 2026 among clients trading tried-and-true destinations for something new.
“We’re seeing people start to be a little more adventurous,” he said. “They’re going to Buenos Aires, [Argentina], hopping over to Santiago, [Chile], to do the wine regions and then continuing on a larger Patagonia trip.”
