Global tourism export revenues hit a historic high of USD 2.2 trillion in 2025, reflecting the sector’s strong recovery, rising international travel demand, and its growing contribution to global economic growth.
According to untourism, monthly data show strong visitor spending throughout 2025, with preliminary estimates pointing at USD 1.9 trillion in international tourism receipts globally, a 5% increase from 2024.
Total export revenues from tourism (including receipts and passenger transport) are estimated at USD 2.2 trillion in 2025 based on available data. Other key takeaways include:
International tourism receipts saw extraordinary growth in 2025 following an already strong 2024, with many destinations posting a higher increase in receipts than arrivals.
Destinations reporting solid growth in receipts during the first ten to twelve months of 2025 were Morocco (+19%), the Republic of Korea (+18%), Egypt (+17%), Mongolia (+15%), Japan (+14%), Latvia (+11%) and Mauritius (+10%), all calculated in local currencies.
Among the world’s top tourism earners, the United Kingdom and France (both +9%), as well as Spain (+7%) and Türkiye (+6%), saw solid growth in the first ten to twelve months of 2025 compared to the same months of 2024.
READ: News: Foreign Visits to U.S. Drop 6% in 2025 Despite 6.7% Rise in Global Tourism Spending
Data on international tourism expenditure reflects the same trend of strong demand, especially among large source markets such as the United States (+8%), France (+4%), as well as Spain (+16%) and the Republic of Korea (+10%).
Outlook for 2026: continued growth amid a challenging environment
International tourism is expected to grow 3% to 4% in 2026 compared to 2025, assuming that Asia and the Pacific continues to recover, global economic conditions remain favorable and geopolitical conflicts do not escalate. Uncertainty from current geopolitical tensions and conflicts pose an increasing risk for tourism in 2026.
UN Tourism’s prospects for 2026 reflect a normalization of growth rates after a strong rebound in international arrivals in 2023 (+34%) and 2024 (+11%) and a 4% increase in 2025.
This positive outlook is confirmed by the latest UN Tourism Confidence Index and survey among the Panel of Experts. 58% of experts foresee better or much better performance in 2026 than in 2025, while 31% expect similar results and 11% worse.
Survey respondents pointed to economic factors, high travel costs, and geopolitical risks as the main challenges international tourism could face in 2026. These factors were viewed as the most relevant by about half of all experts.
While headline inflation has receded globally in 2025, inflation in tourism-related services remains elevated by historical standards. Against this backdrop, tourists are expected to continue to seek value for money according to the Panel of Experts.
While positive prospects for the global economy and lower oil prices could favour tourism performance in 2026, uncertainty derived from geopolitical risks and ongoing conflicts, trade tensions and extreme weather events could weigh on traveller confidence.
International tourism in 2026 will be driven by solid consumer demand, enhanced air connectivity and growing outbound travel from emerging markets. Major international events such as the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics (Italy) and the FIFA World Cup 2026 (Canada, United States and Mexico) will also contribute to international travel.
