WTTC 2025 Global Trends Report

Public First has worked with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) to bring its latest Economic Impact Research to life in a new interactive report. The Global Trends Report explores the Travel & Tourism sector’s performance in 2025, its outlook for 2026, and the opportunities and challenges that will shape growth over the decade ahead.

Drawing on WTTC data and research from Oxford Economics, the report finds that Travel & Tourism contributed a record US$11.6 trillion to global GDP in 2025, supported 366 million jobs worldwide, and continued to grow faster than the wider global economy:

• In 2025, Travel & Tourism accounted for 9.8% of the global economy and grew by 4.1%, compared with growth of 2.8% across the wider economy.
• The sector supported almost one in nine jobs worldwide and accounted for one in every three new jobs created during the post-pandemic period.
• International arrivals reached a record 1.54 billion, equivalent to 4.2 million people crossing an international border every day, while international visitor spending rose to US$2 trillion, surpassing its pre-pandemic peak for the first time.
• Asia-Pacific was the fastest-growing region in 2025, with its Travel & Tourism economy expanding by 8.1% to reach US$3.3 trillion.
• Travel & Tourism is forecast to contribute US$12 trillion to the global economy in 2026 and US$17.1 trillion by 2036, supporting almost 89 million additional jobs over the decade.
• Global Travel & Tourism investment exceeded US$1 trillion in 2025. The United States, China, India and Saudi Arabia together accounted for almost half of this investment.
• The report examines the forces shaping the sector’s next chapter, including the economic opportunity created by the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Spain’s tourism-led growth, the Middle East’s resilience, standout destination performance, and the role of investment and supportive government policy.

Explore the full interactive report here.