The Top Celebrity-Approved Holiday Spots of 2026

Sicily is the most popular destination among A-list stars this summer. A new study by casino.com reveals which holiday spots are drawing the most famous faces, and whether regular travellers can afford to follow them there.

The research looked at 15 destinations where celebrities have been publicly spotted between 2024 and 2026. It measured how often each place appeared in Instagram posts and how many people searched for it every month. The report also considered the number of hotels and fine dining restaurants available, plus how much a typical day there actually costs. These numbers were combined into one score to rank the most celebrity-approved vacation spots that are accessible for everyday travellers, too.

Two Identical Cliffs Define the Whole Ranking

The 15-destination field splits into three clear tiers, and the gaps marking those splits are identical. The steepest drop in the entire study is 15 points, and it happens twice. The first separates the elite three (Sicily at 100, Ibiza at 86, and the Dominican Republic at 76) from the rest of the pack, with a 15-point fall to Amalfi Coast (61). The second isolates the bottom two destinations entirely: Skiathos (2) and Saline Beach (1) sit 15 points below Ischia (17), the next lowest spot. Everywhere else in the ranking, the gap between neighbouring destinations never exceeds 8 points.

1. Sicily, Italy

Sicily is the most popular celebrity destination of 2026. The Italian island features in over 18 million Instagram photos and is looked up by 8 million vacationers every month. The reason Sicily is trending so much right now is that it's the same island where Dua Lipa and Callum Turner just spent their honeymoon. Plus, it turns out it's quite affordable for regular travellers as well, at $370 per day, costing roughly half what visitors spend in Ibiza.

• Celebrities spotted: Dua Lipa, Callum Turner
• Instagram hashtags: 18.6 million
• Monthly searches: 8.4 million
• Fine dining restaurants: 1,403
• Hotels: 2,975
• Average daily cost: $370

2. Ibiza, Spain

Ibiza comes in second, attracting more famous faces than any other destination. Kendall Jenner, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Naomi Campbell have all been spotted on the island, making it the most popular celebrity gathering spot in Europe. Ibiza stays one of the trendiest getaways among everyday travellers, too, with 20+ million hashtags on Instagram alone. The only trade-off here is price: at $767 per day, Ibiza is one of the most expensive spots.

Turks and Caicos Islands records the highest search volume of any destination in the entire study at 21.5 million monthly searches, more than double Sicily's 8.4 million. Yet it finishes just 7th overall with a score of 43. The reason comes down to weighting. Instagram Hashtags carry the heaviest influence on the final score at 30%, and Turks and Caicos has just 1.3 million, the lowest hashtag count of any destination in the top 10, a fraction of Sicily's 18.6 million. High search interest alone isn't enough to crack the top tier if the single most heavily weighted metric doesn't follow.

3. Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is also among the star favourites. Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, and Vin Diesel have all made it a regular stop, and because of that, the island is now attracting regular tourists too. Over 20 million people look up travel info on the Dominican Republic every month, and many of them are likely surprised to find that staying there costs only around $440 a day. On top of that, with 3.5K+ hotels across the country, finding a place to stay is much easier than in Ibiza.

The Dominican Republic's third-place finish comes from a different combination than the destinations above it. It offers 3,661 hotels, the most of any destination in the entire study and nearly five times Ibiza's 765. Its search volume of 20.5 million is the second-highest recorded, just behind Turks and Caicos, and its $442 average daily price is barely more than half of Ibiza's $767. The Dominican Republic isn't winning on glamour or exclusivity. It's winning on sheer accessibility: plenty of places to stay, huge search interest, and a price point regular travellers can actually manage.

4. Amalfi Coast, Italy

The Amalfi Coast ranks fourth as another trending celebrity vacation spot. The Italian destination gets looked up over 10 million times by regular travellers who want to follow in the footsteps of Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, and Alex Rodriguez. One of the main draws of Amalfi is hotel rates that average $210 per night, among the lowest. Plus, it's also home to nearly 1,400 top-tier restaurants that offer world-famous Italian cuisine.

5. Tulum, Mexico

Tulum rounds out the top five celebrity-approved vacation spots. The destination is having its Instagram moment this summer, with visitors sharing over 9 million photos from this coastal town. Rachel Zoe and Joan Smalls have both been spotted there, as the getaway has built a strong wellness and luxury reputation lately. On top of that, Tulum can also be a great pick for foodies, as it offers over 1K fine-dining options serving delicious Mexican meals.

Skiathos Is the Priciest Destination Nobody's Booking

Skiathos, Greece records the highest average daily price of any destination in the study at $1,083, nearly three times Sicily's $370 and even higher than last-placed Saline Beach's $855. Despite that price tag, Skiathos finishes second-to-last overall with a score of just 2. Its Instagram hashtag count (601K) is the second-lowest in the entire study, and its search volume (2.67 million) sits well below the leaders. Being expensive doesn't automatically mean being celebrity-approved. Without the online visibility to match the price, Skiathos ends up near the bottom of the ranking despite costing more than anywhere else studied.

If you want to visit Sicily or Lake Como without the summer crowds, May, June, and September are the sweet spots. July and August are peak seasons across both: beaches get packed, prices go up, and temperatures regularly hit 95°F. September is actually ideal for Sicily: the sea is still warm, the crowds have thinned, and it's harvest season in the wine regions. Lake Como is just an hour by train from Milan, so it's easy to add to a broader Italy trip without building a separate itinerary around it. For Sicily, flying into Palermo or Catania both work; the island has direct connections from most major European cities.

Jack Garry, Casino.com's Lead Analyst

The countdown above covers the top 10, but the underlying study measured 15 destinations in total. Here's how the remaining five stack up, from Byron Bay just outside the top 10 down to Saline Beach at the very bottom.

 Worth noting: Saline Beach finishes last despite having a recognisable celebrity roster (Natalie Portman, Heidi Klum, and Tom Kaulitz), pulled down by the lowest hashtag count (117K) and lowest search volume (4,640) of any destination in the entire study.

You can access the complete research findings here.