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ITB Berlin 2026: Balancing ambient technology with off-grid experiences

ITB Berlin 2026, Messe Berlin GmbH, Germany

Germany – Day two of ITB Berlin 2026 explored how AI is reshaping travel, with operators urged to embrace agentic AI as experts predict that within 12 to 18 months, traditional booking filters may become obsolete. In a keynote entitled Smart Destinations Reloaded, experts also spoke about the potential of ambient intelligence (digital technology that blends invisibly into everyday environments), autonomous hospitality and hybrid metaverse experiences in defining the next generation of tech-enhanced travel.

Over-tourism also continues to be a crucial issue for the industry. In a fireside chat entitled The Painful Transition from Destination to Living Space Management, Vicki Miller, CEO of VisitScotland, used Scotland as a case study for balancing visitor flows year-round through local collaboration and community-led strategies. VisitScotland’s framework rests on four pillars: spread of visitors, spending, sustainability and satisfaction, prioritising higher-value, lower-volume tourism that benefits both communities and visitors.

Later, in a panel on longevity experiences, experts highlighted opportunities in rhythm-aware programming and chronotype-based tours and hotel stays for health-conscious consumers. Operators were encouraged to embed gadgets such as red light therapy and cryotherapy as add-ons, taking advantage of consumers’ more open-minded attitudes while travelling. A strong theme emerged around returning to nature (a topic we have explored in our Masculinity Reset Retreats and Digital Detox Destinations reports), encouraging operators to offer in-depth tours that allow guests to connect with the inner self through yoga, breath work, meditation, sound and smell to reduce stress.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming Country Wellness Clubs report, further exploring how health-focused countryside and ranch retreats are shaping the next generation of short stays for burnt out inner-city dwellers.

Strategic opportunity

Adopt agentic AI and smart destination tools now, using traveller data to enable real-time personalisation and craft experiences that genuinely engage and satisfy individual desires

Retail Week x The Grocer: UK retail’s regional, immersive and fan-led future

Holland & Barrett Experience Store, Cardiff, UK

UK – At the Business Design Centre in London, industry professionals gathered for this year’s edition of Live: Retail Week x The Grocer, an event aimed at exploring the future of retail through the lenses of innovation and transformation. The programme brought together talks, workshops and panels focused on the technologies, digital strategies and consumer trends shaping the industry’s next chapter.

: Sarah Boyd, UK managing director at global beauty retailer Sephora, spoke about the brand’s push beyond the capital. ‘While London is the largest part of the market, there are huge cities across the nation that are really important to the economy,’ she said.

Having first expanded beyond London with a Manchester opening in May 2024, Sephora has continued to scale its UK footprint, most recently opening in Northern Ireland in February 2026. Using the Belfast store as an example, Boyd explained that the opening had driven increased online shopping across the region, highlighting how physical presence can act as a catalyst for digital growth through heightened brand awareness.

: The evolving role of the store was also explored in a panel featuring Harj Josson, UK and Ireland retail director at health and wellness retailer Holland & Barrett, who emphasised the importance of brand-first, immersive retail experiences.

Pointing to the company’s Experience Store in Cardiff, which opened in March 2025, Josson argued that the future of physical retail lies in holistic, service-led environments. Alongside its core product range, the store offers health checks and blood testing via a partnership with health and toxicology company Randox, enabling customers to identify issues such as high cholesterol. As Health & Wellness continues to rise as a consumer priority, this shift signals how retailers are expanding from transactional spaces into preventative, advisory and care-orientated destinations.

: Community and loyalty were further examined in a workshop led by Dennis Claus, vice-president of strategy EMEA at Apply Digital, who shared findings from the company’s white paper, The Fandom Advantage, which revealed a notable gap between sports and brand fandom. While 71% of respondents identified as fans of at least one sports team or organisation, only 53% said the same of brands.

Claus encouraged retailers to invest in long-term digital ecosystems that support community, content, commerce and care, fostering deeper emotional connections – an approach that echoes insights from our Sports Community Hubs report.

Strategic opportunity

Use regionally relevant stores, pop-ups or service-led spaces to build awareness, community and long-term loyalty, treating physical retail touchpoints as growth engines to drive consumer engagement

Stat: America enters its unretirement era

Photography by Mart Production

US – The dream of retirement is slipping out of reach as rising living costs push older Americans back into the workforce. A new survey from AARP finds that one in 10 retirees have returned to work, while 7% have ‘unretired’ in the past six months alone – more than double the typical rate.

According to AARP, 38m Americans aged 55 and older are currently in or seeking work – more than 2.5 times the figure 40 years ago – accounting for nearly a quarter of the labour force.

While purpose and longevity play a role, four in 10 adults over 50 say they are working or job hunting simply to afford everyday expenses. Social Security now replaces less than half of average wages, and more than one in five households over 65 rely on it for over 90% of income.

We first explored the concept of ‘worktirement’ in our Gen X Now and Next report, anticipating a near future in which older adults will move into part-time or flexible work for both financial and social reasons, driven by longer, healthier lives and ongoing economic uncertainty.

Strategic opportunity

As Gen X near retirement, design flexible ‘worktirement’ pathways that retain expertise through part-time, project-based and mentoring roles, enabling businesses to preserve institutional knowledge while supporting older employees’ financial security and evolving lifestyles