The survey by TUI Musement conducted across Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom reveals 48% of Gen Z travellers (born between 1997 and 2012) get holiday ideas from TikTok, which they rate as a higher source of authority than their own contacts (ranked at 43%).

The same figure and over four in ten travellers (43%) said that seeing a viral post or video had incited them to make a reservation or participate in an activity. Millennials were in fact even more likely (52%) to make an internet inspo booking than Gen Z (50%).

Among people who follow content creators, 43% said influencers had affected their travel decisions, while over a quarter (27%) said they had altered their planned destination based on influencer commentary.

Noting the impact of short form video clips, Mirco Fiumene, Managing Director Experiences & CMO, TUI Musement, said: “A single image or video can now inspire travel, and we have steadily increased our focus on how we can best reach and engage our audience through platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.”

@isabellamjohn go and see the world!!!! #travel #indonesia #eastjava #travelinspo #adventure ♬ Save My Soul – noahrinker

Another notable aspect of how online posts are changing engagement with travel is that consumers themselves are becoming inspired (or feeling pressured) to create content themselves, with more than a third (37%) telling TUI Musement they feel compelled to present their vacations on their social media accounts as more exciting than they actually were. Gen Z are even more likely to succumb that expectation with 45% of the younger generation flexing a perfectly curated version of their holiday on their internet profile.

While some research shows travellers are increasingly choosing off-the-beaten path locations and smaller towns in order to be the first on the scene, to avoid crowds, or to show off a never-before-seen place, others appear to be torn between well-known sights and novelty. 39% said they had visited a well-known tourist location just to show they were present there, and 37% said they would prioritise Instagram-famous destinations rather than seek out under-the-radar spots.

One perhaps unexpected finding of the survey is that, despite the growing popularity and acceptance of social media, person-to-person relationships, rather than life as lived via a screen, are still important. Nearly one in five respondents (18%) told TUI they would consider an obsession with photos and social media to be a red flag when choosing a travel companion.

Overall, TUI interprets the survey results as confirmation that social media has “transformed the way people discover, plan and share travel, while the activities, tours and moments experienced at a destination remain what connects travellers authentically with each place.”

L’article Nearly half of Gen Z travellers turn to TikTok for travel inspiration, study finds est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Canada is the biggest source of international visitors to New York, but Canadian visitor numbers fell by 26% in 2025, while spending by Canadians declined by 28%. To address this, the New York Department of Economic Development has announced that businesses across the state are now offering special deals from the end of summer through to winter2026 in a “NY loves Canada” tourism drive.

Lasting through August and September, and in some cases until December, the campaign brings together discounts and promotional offers from participating businesses, including accommodation providers in iconic destinations such as Niagara Falls, the Thousand Islands region, the mountain scenery of the Adirondacks and the Big Apple itself.

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It comes alongside New York City’s own “Northern Neighbour Deal”, a programme of discounts on the city’s attractions, hotels, restaurants and Broadway tickets.

Commenting on the promotion, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “Canada is a strategic and vital ally to New York, and the state’s tourism businesses are feeling the impact of fewer visitors traveling to our communities.”

Hochul continued: “Our message is one of love: New York loves Canada, despite whatever headwinds may challenge our fellowship. This new program is our invitation to Canadian travelers. New York and Canada are neighbors by geographic destiny, but we are friends by choice, and we want our Canadian companions to know that they are welcome in New York State.”

The fall in Canadian visitor numbers comes amid an ongoing period of animosity between Canada and the United States, following a series of remarks repeatedly made by President Donald Trump, threatening Canada with trade tariffs and suggesting it could become the 51st US state. In retaliation, Canadians stayed away from the US in their droves, with visitor numbers falling for several consecutive months after Trump’s election and airlines even adjusting schedules to cater to the shift in demand.

Canadians are not the only ones showing their distaste for Trumpian politics, in a tourism phenomenon so pronounced that it has earned its own moniker: the Trump Slump. Despite this, New York overall enjoyed an increase in total visitation, albeit a modest 1.1%, reaching 321 million visitors. International tourism**, however,** fell by 6%, and the Canadians who are no longer popping over the border into western and northern areas have made their absence felt, contributing $480 million less to New York’s economy.

L’article New York offers discounts to bring back Canadian tourists after 26% drop est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

But the balance of European tourism may be shifting.

A major study by Deloitte and Google forecasts that Spain will overtake France by 2040, receiving around 110 million international tourists a year compared with 105 million in France.

The difference may appear relatively small, but the forecast points to a larger transformation of global tourism. International travel is expected to expand from around 1.5 billion trips in 2019 to 2.4 billion by 2040, while the traditional dominance of a handful of countries gradually gives way to a more diversified tourism map.

For Spain, however, the most striking point is that a forecast once looking relatively distant is beginning to appear increasingly plausible.

In 2025, Spain welcomed a record 96.8 million international tourists, up 3.2% from the previous year. As Travel Tomorrow reported in July, the country is now on course to approach or potentially surpass the symbolic threshold of 100 million visitors in 2026.

If that happens, Spain could effectively reach within the next year a level that leaves it only around 10 million visitors short of Deloitte and Google’s projection for 2040.

A global tourism market heading towards 2.4 billion trips

The Deloitte and Google research looks at how international travel has evolved over several decades and models how demographic, economic and geopolitical changes could reshape the sector up to 2040.

Between 1975 and 2019, global international arrivals roughly doubled every 15 years, eventually reaching almost 1.5 billion before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted that trajectory.

The long-term growth story is nevertheless expected to continue. By 2040, the study anticipates around 2.4 billion international trips globally.

Europe will remain the largest destination region, capturing 38% of the additional international arrivals generated between 2019 and 2040. That represents more than 362 million incremental tourists. Asia-Pacific follows with more than 278 million additional visitors.

The five leading destinations accounted for around 30% of global arrivals in 2019. By 2040, Deloitte and Google expect their combined share to fall to approximately 20%, even though most of today’s tourism giants will remain near the top.

Spain, France, the United States and China are all expected to retain positions in the global top five. Mexico is projected to rise to fifth place, pushing Italy into sixth, while destinations such as Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates could enter the top 15.

The Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, the emerging tourism markets of the Middle East and the Caribbean are collectively expected to account for around 45% of international travellers.

Spain is already closing the gap

France remains number one today and its latest figures underline the scale of that achievement.

As Travel Tomorrow reported earlier this year, France welcomed 102 million international visitors in 2025, compared with 100 million in 2024. Those travellers generated 743 million overnight stays, while international tourism receipts reached a record €77.5 billion, an increase of 9% year-on-year.

France therefore still welcomed around five million more international visitors than Spain in 2025.

Spain earned €134.7 billion from international tourists in 2025, up 6.8% from €126.3 billion in 2024, according to official Spanish figures. That means Spain generated considerably more international visitor spending despite receiving fewer tourists.

El turismo internacional se mantiene como un motor clave de nuestra economía.

En el primer semestre, España recibió la visita de 46,6 M de turistas internacionales (+4,6% que en 2025), quienes realizaron un gasto de más de 63.800 M € (+7%).

https://t.co/B5b9o5WET0 pic.twitter.com/vbimq9mKNZ

— Ministerio de Industria y Turismo (@minturgob) August 3, 2026

Part of the difference comes from length of stay. International visitors to Spain tend to remain longer than those travelling to France, allowing accommodation, restaurants, attractions and other tourism businesses to capture more spending per trip.

The comparison also highlights one of the increasingly important questions facing mature tourism destinations: is success best measured by the number of people who cross the border, or by the economic, social and environmental value generated by each visitor?

France itself is increasingly emphasising the latter. Its tourism authorities aim to increase international tourism receipts to €100 billion by 2030 while positioning the country as a leading sustainable destination, rather than simply focusing on maintaining the highest arrival figures. Spain is moving in a similar direction.

From record arrivals to ‘calm growth’

Spain’s rise has been driven by a combination of factors that are difficult for competitors to replicate: an enormous tourism infrastructure, strong aviation connectivity, beaches and islands, major cultural cities, a broad hotel supply and a climate that allows tourism to operate throughout much of the year.

Its tourism geography is also remarkably diverse. Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Valencia and Málaga compete alongside the Canary and Balearic Islands, the Mediterranean coast, northern Spain, historic inland cities and increasingly popular rural and nature destinations.

Changing travel patterns are helping too. Shoulder-season tourism is growing, while warmer temperatures and changing traveller preferences are making spring, autumn and even winter increasingly attractive periods for visiting southern Europe.

But Spain’s government has begun signalling that it does not want the next chapter of tourism growth simply to be a race towards ever greater numbers.

Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu has described the preferred model as “calm growth”, with authorities seeking to spread visitors geographically and seasonally rather than concentrating ever larger numbers in the country’s established hotspots.

As Travel Tomorrow reported when looking at Spain’s prospects of reaching 100 million visitors in 2026, the government has been promoting inland destinations, gastronomy, nature, cultural tourism and travel outside the traditional summer peak.

This year’s total solar eclipse has provided one example of how a major event can redirect international visitors towards rural and lesser-known parts of the country.

Yet if Deloitte and Google are right and Spain eventually reaches 110 million annual visitors, redistribution will become more than a marketing objective. It will be an economic and political necessity.

The overtourism paradox

Spain’s rise to the top of world tourism would represent an extraordinary commercial success. But it would also sharpen one of the country’s most difficult debates.

Anti-overtourism demonstrations have become a recurring feature in Barcelona, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands and other heavily visited destinations. Protesters have focused on housing shortages, short-term holiday rentals, congestion, pressure on public services, water use and the perception that local communities increasingly bear the costs of a tourism industry whose benefits are unevenly distributed.

The Spanish authorities have responded with measures at national, regional and municipal level.

The government has ordered tens of thousands of properties that failed to meet requirements for tourist and seasonal accommodation to be removed from the relevant rental register. Barcelona intends to end licences for around 10,000 tourist apartments by 2028, effectively eliminating the city’s legal short-term apartment stock under the current system.

Cruise tourism has also come under greater scrutiny. Barcelona has already reduced the number of terminals used by cruise ships in its central port area, while other cities are examining ways to manage passenger flows.

In the Balearic Islands, tighter restrictions have targeted alcohol-fuelled tourism and party boats, while Málaga has launched campaigns asking visitors to respect local residents, keep noise down and behave appropriately in public spaces.

These interventions show the contradiction at the heart of the 2040 forecast.

For national tourism accounts, another 10 or 15 million tourists represent billions of euros in additional economic activity. At neighbourhood level, however, the same growth may translate into additional pressure on rents, transport systems, beaches, historic centres and natural resources.

Spain therefore faces the challenge of becoming the world’s most visited country without allowing the volume of tourism to undermine the very qualities that make people want to visit.

France is unlikely to surrender its crown quietly

It would also be premature to regard Spain’s takeover as inevitable.

Forecasts extending to 2040 inevitably depend on assumptions about economic growth, population, aviation, climate change, geopolitics, disposable income and the expansion of the global middle class.

France also possesses formidable structural advantages.

Paris remains one of the world’s most powerful destination brands, but French tourism extends far beyond the capital. The Alps, Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, wine regions, villages, gastronomy, cultural heritage and extensive rail network give the country an extraordinarily broad tourism offer.

France is also attempting to distribute tourism more evenly through wine tourism, agritourism, memorial tourism, nature tourism and lesser-known regional destinations.

After receiving 102 million international tourists in 2025, it needs only modest growth to reach Deloitte and Google’s 105 million forecast for 2040. Spain, by contrast, would need to accommodate around 13 million more international arrivals than in 2025 to reach 110 million.

In numerical terms, neither projection looks particularly radical. The real question is what happens between those figures.

Being number one may no longer be the most important target

For decades, tourism rankings have rewarded volume. The country receiving the largest number of international arrivals takes the crown, generating headlines and political prestige.

But the Spain-France comparison increasingly exposes the limitations of that metric. Spain already generates substantially more international tourism expenditure than France despite welcoming fewer visitors. Both countries are simultaneously trying to increase tourism revenues while reducing congestion, spreading demand into different regions and seasons, and mitigating the impact on residents.

The global tourism industry itself is changing. By 2040, hundreds of millions of additional people are expected to travel internationally, fuelled particularly by the expansion of middle classes in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.

That creates an enormous economic opportunity for Europe. It also means that destinations already dealing with overtourism cannot simply assume that absorbing more visitors is the objective.

Spain may indeed overtake France and become the world’s most visited country by 2040. At its current rate of growth, it could even happen considerably sooner.

But the more consequential test will not be whether Spain reaches 110 million tourists, or whether France manages to remain ahead.

It will be whether Europe’s two tourism superpowers can demonstrate that record demand can coexist with affordable housing, liveable cities, protected natural resources and communities that continue to see tourism as an asset rather than a burden.

By 2040, that may be a far more meaningful measure of tourism leadership than the number at the top of an arrivals table.

L’article Spain to overtake France as world’s most visited country by 2040, study predicts  est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The phenomenon, first reported by Travel Tomorrow in 2024, has now reached the stage where nearly half of the destinations trending among Gen Z for autumn 2026 are small towns rather than major cities, figures from the global booking platform show.

What’s more, nearly two-thirds (63%) of Gen Z travellers said that “being one of the first people they know to visit a place feels like a status symbol,” and over 50% avoid tourist destinations because they’re too crowded to enjoy, the platform says.

Indeed, the trend is so marked that Airbnb has started tailoring promotions around it. This autumn sees the launch of a “have u considered?” campaign that aims to reframe “under-the-radar” American towns as “must-visit destinations”, with the help of influencers from the worlds of art, comedy and music endorsing their favourite localities.

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Under-the-radar towns take centre stage

Hot Springs, Arkansas,  is one of the first small-town beneficiaries of the campaign, alongside Bemidji, Minnesota, on the southwest shore of Lake Bemidji, and nicknamed “The First City on the Mississippi.” The third town to get the “have u considered?” treatment is Gibsonton, Florida, known for its historic links to the performing arts and circus sector.

As holidaymakers increasingly extend their travel windows into the so-called “shoulder seasons”, the range of destinations they might choose is changing, as Ali Killam, editorial content lead at Airbnb, told Travel+Leisure.

Consumers are “increasingly taking more weekend adventures in the fall, whether that’s Gen Z chasing local lore, or a family packing the car for foliage and apple picking,” Killam said, adding: “We’re seeing travelers look beyond traditional fall destinations to explore places that feel more personal, quirky and unexpected.”

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Can popularity undermine the appeal?

Killam’s remarks also reflect the findings of Skift’s recent State of Travel 2026 report, indicating that consumers are increasingly seeking authenticity and cultural immersion over other travel priorities. In fact, the search for a unique experience is such a strong driver that any perception of overtourism or saturation is likely to drive those same Gen Z travellers away, meaning that the very inclusion of Hot Springs, Bemidji and Gibsonton on Airbnb’s “non-touristy” tourism map could ultimately tarnish their appeal.

L’article Nearly three quarters of Gen Z prefer small-town trips over big cities, Airbnb says est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Skift’s findings for Asia show that half (50%) of travellers are seeking cultural immersion, while just under a third (32%) can be categorised as adventure travellers, and 30% are driven by luxury experiences.

Cultural immersion also came out ahead of other travel priorities in the Middle East and North Africa, where it is a motivation for 42% of travellers, as well as in North America (39%) and Europe (36%).

As destinations around the world compete to boost tourist spending rather than sheer visitor numbers, the Skift report provides insight into the experiences that are most likely to make travellers part with their money, with the highest-ranked offerings blending culture, luxury, nature and wellness.

Food tops travel spending priorities

For 71% of respondents, food and gastronomic experiences were the most likely to feature in their spending. Some way behind were adventure and nature experiences at 48%, followed by arts, culture and history (42%). Live events and entertainment and health and wellness scored equally on the spending scale (36%), while sports attracted just 24%.

A feeling of genuineness and legitimacy is also becoming an important factor in any experience, Skift says, calling authenticity the new “North Star” of travel. The report notes that 43% of respondents said “experiences” are what they value most about travel. Perhaps ironically, perhaps understandably, that very search for authenticity comes at the same time as travellers are increasingly using AI and smart tools to shape their trips.

“Traveller behaviour is evolving, marked by rising demand for AI-driven personalisation and a shift toward more sustainable choices,” said Jean-Jacques Morin, group deputy CEO at Accor, commenting on the findings.

Social media reshapes travel discovery

Around 63% of travellers told Skift they now use social media as a source of travel inspiration. Over half (56%) get ideas for activities, experiences and places to eat from social media, while 45% now use it as a comparison tool for accommodation providers.

However, this can result in a vicious circle, with a race to find the latest hidden gem before it becomes saturated with visitors. Any perception that a destination is suffering from overtourism can be off-putting, Skift points out. “Social media has destabilised the discovery cycle,” the report says. “The same platforms that make an unknown destination famous in weeks also make it feel overexposed within months.”

L’article Cultural immersion emerges as leading travel priority, report finds est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

In what is being taken as a double endorsement, more than half (58%) of those planning a trip would be return visitors to Greece, having already been there at least once, while 42% would be first-time visitors. Andreas Fiorentinos, secretary general of the Greek National Tourism Organization, said the finding confirms Greece has “both the trust of those who have already visited it and the interest of new audiences.”

The variety of experiences on offer across the country emerged as travellers’ favourite aspect of Greece, cited by 83% of respondents. That was followed closely by the warmth of the local welcome (82%) and safety (77%). Tourist infrastructure (75%) and value for money (67%) were also perceived favourably.

A trend towards travel during Europe’s “shoulder seasons” also emerges from the results. Approximately 35% of people polled said they were planning to travel to Greece between September and November 2026, with as many as 23% preferring September. After a summer in which Europe has grappled with heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, travel consumers may well have cooler temperatures and fewer crowds in mind.

The findings are based on responses from 7,896 travellers aged 18 to 64 from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Greece’s popularity spans the region, with the highest intent to travel there among Romanians (45%), Italians (38%) and Swedes (37%).

Although the rankings of other countries in the survey have not been revealed by the Greek authorities, the figures reinforce previous reporting by the European Travel Commission (ETC), which found that Greece recorded stronger growth in visitor arrivals (+38.3%) than Italy and Malta in the first months of 2026.

The country may also have received a popularity boost in early summer after it unilaterally decided to waive new European Entry/Exit System requirements for British arrivals due to operational issues and delays seen across the bloc’s travel hubs.

In addition, Greece has introduced a so-called “door visa” for Turkish visitors, facilitating visas on arrival for Turkish travellers to 12 Greek islands (Chios, Kalymnos, Kastellorizo, Kos, Leros, Lesvos, Limnos, Patmos, Rhodes, Samos, Samothraki and Symi), all situated close to the Turkish coast. The policy has driven 25% growth in Turkish arrivals to the Hellenic Republic since 2024, Bank of Greece data shows

L’article Nearly one in three European travellers plans to visit Greece by May 2027 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Not all people are created equally when it comes to planning. Some are naturally born organisers, while others are too chaotic to successfully manage a flight reservation and hotel booking at once. Therefore, it goes without saying that when organising a group trip, some people tend to take the lead.

And while there’s nothing wrong with that, a survey by travel planning platform Klook published on 4 August 2026 shows that travel planning is the least appreciated task of all. After interrogating 2,725 people across ten countries on the subject, travel planning proved to be less appreciated than carrying grocery bags or opening doors.

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“Non-planners believe that organising a week-long group trip takes fewer than 10 hours. In reality, more than 7 in 10 planners insisted that they spend more than 10 hours organising a single trip. In fact, 45.9% spend up to 20 hours and 28.0% spend up to, and even more, than 40 hours!”, Klook explained in a press release.

The travel planner is the group’s operations manager, customer service desk, and crisis hotline all at once. Managing budgets (57.0%), coordinating schedules (53.8%), and comparing flights and accommodations (47.4%) proved to be some of the most stressful parts of the job. However, the emotional labor of the trip proved to be the hardest (61.3%), as minimising group drama, preventing conflicts, and keeping everyone happy are no easy tasks.

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Thank you contest

In order to thank all the rarely-appreciated travel planners for their efforts, Klook is now offering five of them the chance to win a free, all-in trip to Switzerland.

“We built Klook to make travel planning simpler, so travellers can spend less time on admin and more time on experiences. Now we’re taking that promise one step further with a fully-planned getaway for five travel planners who always get travel right for their friends and families. It’s their turn to take a vacation from planning vacations,” said Marcus Yong, VP of Global Marketing at Klook.

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Until 31 August 2026, Klook is thus launching a global search for five travel planners who are really good at doing their job and really tired from doing it. People can nominate a travel planner or themselves by telling Klook about a time they kept the whole trip together. What did they organise? What went hilariously wrong? And why do they deserve this getaway? A 60-second video showing them in action can be added for some bonus points.

They five winners will get treated to a 7-day hosted trip to Switzerland in December 2026 and will be allowed to bring a plus-one. Round-trip flights, premium accommodation, and curated activities will be covered, meaning their only job will be to turn up – and to share their journey on camera as part of Klook’s campaign.

L’article Klook offers five travel planners a free trip to Switzerland est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Rather than following bucket lists, “Tiny Tourists” look for small and local experiences. That could mean visiting a supermarket, taking public transport, going for a run or looking around a local pharmacy. Travellers could also explore residential streets, visit second-hand shops or pay more attention to details such as street signs and gardens. The report describes this as a desire to experience the everyday way of living somewhere and compare it with life at home.

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The idea comes at a time when many popular destinations are struggling with overtourism. Large numbers of visitors are often concentrated around the same attractions, neighbourhoods and viewpoints. Social media can add to that pressure when a particular beach, restaurant or street suddenly goes viral. Tiny Tourism turns that logic around by suggesting that a viral video can sometimes be an indication of where not to go.

Everyday activities can instead become part of the travel experience. A supermarket abroad can introduce visitors to unfamiliar products and flavours, while public transport shows how residents move around their city. Local markets and neighbourhood shops can offer another perspective on a destination. Instead of constantly looking for spectacular sights, the Tiny Tourist Report encourages travellers to focus on smaller details and observe everyday life.

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Brussels provides an interesting example of how the approach could work. Almost every visitor knows the Grand-Place, Manneken Pis and Atomium, but much of daily life takes place away from those famous sights. Tourism data published by visit.brussels shows how concentrated visitor movements can be. In a 2023 survey, 97% of respondents visited or planned to visit the Grand-Place and city centre, compared with 20% for Flagey and Châtelain and 13% for Saint-Gilles.

A Tiny Tourist could therefore take a tram out of the historic centre and spend time in Saint-Gilles. Around the Parvis de Saint-Gilles, visitors can find a local market, terraces and small shops, while simply walking through the neighbourhood reveals its Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture. The same approach could lead travellers to the Marolles, with its second-hand shops and flea market at Place du Jeu de Balle. Matongé and Saint-Boniface offer another side of Brussels through their grocery stores, cafés, restaurants and specialised shops.

If visitors spread their time across different neighbourhoods, Tiny Tourism could potentially help redistribute some of the pressure created by tourism. Instead of thousands of people following almost identical itineraries, travellers could spend more time in different parts of a destination. Their spending could also reach neighbourhood cafés, markets and independent businesses outside the main tourism areas. However, Tiny Tourism is a travel philosophy rather than a proven solution, and the report does not establish that it can reduce overtourism.

The approach also has limitations. If thousands of travellers begin searching for the same supposedly authentic neighbourhoods and hidden places, today’s quiet street could become tomorrow’s viral attraction. Residential neighbourhoods are places where people live and should not simply become new tourist attractions. At the same time, there is no reason visitors should feel guilty for seeing famous landmarks, many of which are popular because of their cultural and historical importance.

Tiny Tourism therefore does not have to replace traditional sightseeing. Travellers could visit the Grand-Place in the morning before spending the afternoon wandering around Saint-Gilles or browsing the Marolles. Rather than trying not to be tourists, visitors could simply distribute their time and attention differently. Tiny Tourism may not be the single answer to overtourism, but its focus on smaller places and everyday experiences offers a different way to think about how we travel.

L’article Could the ‘Tiny Tourist’ approach be the answer to overtourism? est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The latest figures reveal that global leisure travel spending hit $6.15TN in 2025, up 3.5% year-on-year and accounting for 80.5% of total global travel expenditure. Of this, Europe attracted $2TN, “equivalent to $1 in every $3 spent worldwide on leisure travel,” the WTTC said, highlighting the region’s enduring appeal as travellers embark on this year’s summer holidays.

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Southern Europe is largely driving the region’s success, as France, Spain, Italy, and Türkiye “remain among the most sought-after summer destinations globally, benefiting from strong international demand, diverse source markets, world-class tourism offerings and robust connectivity,” the WTTC statement noted.

That trend is likely to continue the WTTC predicts. Leisure spending growth was “resilient” across key destinations in 2025, with France expanding by 3.6%, and Spain by 2.6%. Italy is expected to build on its 2025 growth of 2.2% and move into the lead in 2026, with leisure spending forecast to rise by up to 4.7%.

Spain (+4.3%), Türkiye (+4.1%) and France (+2.6%) are projected to reinforce Southern Europe’s position as a powerhouse of global tourism demand, with part of the region’s strength coming from “demand redirected from other regions,” the WTTC said.

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The figures echo findings from the UN World Tourism Barometer earlier in 2026, which positioned Europe as the world’s largest destination region, recording 793 million international tourists and robust performance in Southern Mediterranean Europe (+3%) amid strong visitor spending receipts and export revenues, particularly in France (+9%), Spain (+7%), and Türkiye (+6%).

Notably, UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Alnuwais pointed out at the time, before the war in Iran, that demand remained high despite inflation and geopolitical uncertainty, with the positive trend expected to continue into 2026, as the “global economy is expected to remain steady and destinations still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels fully recover.”

While that prediction for the global economy may not have been entirely accurate, “Europe continues to set the pace for global leisure tourism,” said GloriaGuevara, WTTC President & CEO, commenting on the latest WTTC findings, which she said demonstrate the regional sector’s “strength, diversity and resilience.”She attributed the success of Spain, Italy, France, and Türkiye “to their unique visitor experiences, excellent connectivity and competitive tourism offerings.”

Guevara also called for destinations to “continue investing in infrastructure, connectivity and sustainable tourism management to support future growth and maintain their global competitiveness. The outlook for 2026 shows Europe is well positioned to continue leading global Travel & Tourism.”

L’article Europe dominates leisure travel capturing a third of global spending in 2025 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Virgin Galactic has so far sold over 50 tickets at $750,000 each for future suborbital tourist flights, taking over $50 million in bookings since March 2026 alone, the firm’s CEO, Michael Colglazier, told an earnings call.

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However, Colglazier said issues on the production line involving “hundreds of relatively small but important installation tasks” have pushed back testing and mean that the 60-to-90-minute, six-passenger trips to suborbital space will now not take place until February 2027.

After that though, the flight schedule is expected to ramp up to 10 flights a month by the end of the second quarter of the same year, when a second spaceship is due to come online.

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New Delta spacecraft

The two new Delta-class space vehicles will resemble the previous Unity iteration. The piloted craft will be carried to an altitude of around 15 km by a mothership before being released and using their own rocket engines to reach the edge of space. They will then return independently to Virgin Galactic’s hub, Spaceport America in New Mexico, where they will make an unpowered landing.

Despite the ongoing delays experienced by Virgin Galactic, the firm has so far flown at least 23 private passengers and tourists, out of a total of 32 people, into space on various crewed suborbital missions. However, operations aboard the VSS Unity spaceplane were suspended in 2024 to allow the company to focus on the higher-capacity Delta-class spacecraft.

The firm has been selling tickets in different priced tranches over time, with the latest price point per seat of $750,000 now sold out, Colglazier said, confirming that “we plan to open a new tranche of spaceflight expeditions this fall at higher price points.” In total, over 650 future astronauts currently hold reservations.

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Virgin Galactic targets positive cash flow

Virgin Galactic lost nearly $56 million in the second quarter of 2026, but chief financial officer Doug Ahrens is forecasting positive quarterly cash flow by 2027, thanks to the Delta programme’s targeted rate of 10 flights a month, which he said would be an “unprecedented achievement in human spaceflight.”

Ahrens emphasised on the earnings call that “Each new spaceship has the potential to generate over $1.4 billion of lifetime contribution margin.” And since rival Blue Origin has grounded its own New Shepard programme for two years to allow the Bezos-owned firm to focus on its lunar ambitions, Virgin Galactic is, for the moment, the sole player left in the potentially lucrative space tourism market.

L’article Virgin Galactic postpones space tourism flights until 2027 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.