INTERNATIONAL TOURISM
FORECAST INBOUND INTERNATIONAL TOURIST GROWTH BY REGION, 2025-26
In spite of global economic uncertainty and ongoing geopolitical tension, international tourism continues to flourish, with international arrivals forecast to grow by over 8% in 2025 and a further 7.4% in 2026. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for inbound tourist arrivals at a forecast 11% in 2025 and is expected to exceed 2019 levels, indicating a full recovery for the region. Inbound travel to China has been especially strong recently, reflecting strategic policy reforms and infrastructure investment such as easing visa regulations, increasing air connectivity, and upgrading accommodations. Travel to Europe has also started 2025 strongly, with growth not only in traditional Southern European destinations, but also destinations in Central and Eastern Europe. In contrast, inbound travel to North America is expected to decline. Recent data has demonstrated that sentiment headwinds are negatively impacting the U.S. tourism sector. Travel from Canada to the U.S. has experienced a significant decline through 2025 so far. A strong U.S. dollar has had a compounding impact. Stronger inbound tourism growth is expected to return in 2026. This underlying level of growth is expected to push global international tourist expenditure to new record levels of US$2.1 trillion (according to WTTC) in 2025, exceeding the current peak of US$1.9 trillion in 2019. The world’s premier retail streets are key beneficiaries of this expenditure, not only as tourists seek new and iconic shopping experiences whilst on their travels, but also as international tourists, especially those travelling long-haul, tend to be less price-sensitive and more experience-driven consumers.
2025
Global
2026
Oceania
North America
Middle East
Europe
Central & South America
Asia & the Pacific
Africa
-5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
Source: Tourism Economics
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CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD
MAIN STREETS ACROSS THE WORLD 2025
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