The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today unveiled its latest Economic Impact Research (EIR): Global Trends Report, highlighting how investment and policy support are key drivers of growth in the global Travel & Tourism sector.
The research, sponsored by Chase Travel, Lead Research Partner, shows that global Travel & Tourism investment exceeded $1 trillion in 2025, growing by 8.5% year-on-year, as the whole sector outperformed the wider global economy and contributed a record $11.6 trillion to world GDP. The findings reinforce the importance of sustained capital investment in driving job creation, destination development, connectivity, and long-term economic growth.
WTTC’s latest data highlights how major Travel & Tourism investment markets are helping shape the sector’s next phase of growth. The United States, China, India, and Saudi Arabia together accounted for almost half of all global Travel & Tourism capital investment in 2025, contributing nearly $500 billion. Each market is expanding investment pipelines through a combination of infrastructure development, supportive government policies, and growing private sector confidence.
From China’s ambition to become a global tourism powerhouse, backed by successive Five-Year Plans and a projected Travel & Tourism investment pipeline expected to reach $402 billion by 2036, to India’s rapidly expanding connectivity, destination development programmes and open investment environment, strategic investment is helping shape some of the world’s most dynamic tourism markets.
In the United States, major infrastructure investment, strong domestic demand and a pipeline of global events including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics are expected to support continued expansion. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is driving one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism investment programmes, supported by large-scale destination projects, investor-friendly reforms and substantial public and private sector capital commitments.
Together, these four nations illustrate how long-term investment strategies are strengthening competitiveness, attracting visitors, and creating the foundations for future Travel & Tourism success.
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC, said: “The message from this research is clear: investment and growth go hand in hand. The destinations and economies making long-term commitments to Travel & Tourism today are positioning themselves to capture tomorrow’s jobs, visitor spending, and economic opportunities. Travel & Tourism has once again proven its resilience and its ability to outperform the wider economy. As governments and investors look for engines of sustainable growth, our sector continues to deliver returns through employment, infrastructure development, and prosperity for communities around the world.”
Success Stories Show What’s Possible
WTTC’s report demonstrates that countries treating Travel & Tourism as a strategic economic priority are already seeing measurable returns. Spain has emerged as one of Europe’s standout success stories, with Travel & Tourism contributing 15.3% of national GDP, generating $130 billion in international visitor spending and supporting one in every seven jobs. The report attributes this success to sustained government action, including €3.4 billion in EU recovery funding for tourism sustainability, digitalisation and infrastructure, policies to diversify tourism across seasons and destinations, and the implementation of the Spain Tourism Strategy 2030, a cross-government roadmap designed to strengthen the sector’s long-term competitiveness.
Beyond Spain, the report highlights a number of standout Travel & Tourism economies from across the globe. Over the next decade, Indonesia is forecast to become one of the world’s fastest-growing outbound travel markets and the Netherlands is expected to record Europe’s strongest growth in Travel & Tourism capital investment, while Rwanda continues to establish itself as one of Africa’s fastest-growing leisure tourism economies.
Other examples highlighted in the report include Germany, home to Europe’s largest Travel & Tourism sector; Malta, which recorded the fastest post-pandemic tourism recovery in the EU; Singapore, one of the world’s leading business travel destinations; and Thailand, which is expected to see some of the strongest visitor spending growth in Southeast Asia.
Unlocking the Next Wave of Travel & Tourism Growth
As Travel & Tourism is forecast to contribute $17.1 trillion to the global economy by 2036 and support almost 89 million additional jobs, WTTC believes governments have a significant opportunity to harness the sector’s momentum through policies that facilitate travel, support business confidence, and prioritise Travel & Tourism as a strategic economic driver. Combined with continued infrastructure development, these measures can help destinations attract more visitors, expand employment opportunities, and generate sustainable prosperity.
The report concludes that while geopolitical uncertainty and economic headwinds will continue to shape the global landscape, the long-term outlook for Travel & Tourism remains exceptionally strong. With demand continuing to grow, governments increasingly recognising the sector as a strategic economic driver, and investment accelerating across key markets, WTTC believes the next decade presents a significant opportunity to create jobs and strengthen economies through Travel & Tourism.
