After years of focusing on recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global tourism industry is entering a new phase: managing its own growth. Although international travel is still bouncing back, the sector contributed a record $11.6 trillion to the global GDP in 2025, accounting for almost 9.8% of the global economy. However, it is facing mounting challenges ranging from overcrowding and climate issues to labour shortages, digital transformation and geopolitical uncertainty.
Against this backdrop, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has identified eight key areas on which it wants governments, businesses and investors to focus in the coming years. These priorities range from innovation and sustainability to resilience and investment.
8 global priorities, approved by our Executive Committee, to unlock growth and drive transformation across Travel & Tourism.
— WTTC (@WTTC) June 4, 2026
The result of months of consultation and more than 200 interviews with WTTC members, CEOs and industry leaders worldwide.
🌍 Safe and seamless journeys… pic.twitter.com/lA4RucyceO
These priorities emerged from several months of research and consultation involving over 200 CEOs and senior industry leaders from across the sector.
The findings were presented at the WTTC’s recent Executive Committee meeting in Egypt on 4 June 2026. The new roadmap outlines what the travel and tourism (T&T) sector believes is needed to maintain its growth trajectory, address future challenges and guide decision-making and investment across the industry.
According to the WTTC, these priorities aim to remove barriers to tourism, such as visa restrictions, infrastructure gaps, limited connectivity and labour shortages. They will also help governments and investors identify the most effective use of their funds, e.g. airports, digital tools, sustainability and destination development. Growing tensions between tourists and local communities, which have resulted in disputes in cities such as Barcelona and Amsterdam, are also a key concern driving the agenda. The broader ambition is to drive meaningful transformation across the sector.
The eight strategic priorities are:
1. Enabling safe and seamless journeys through digital standards and biometrics – an area where fragmented implementation is already causing real disruptions. The EU’s new Entry Exit System (EES), for example, has led to such long queues at airports that Wizz Air has recently advised British passengers to arrive three hours before their flights at certain European airports, including Lisbon.
2. Strengthening destination stewardship and addressing overcrowding and unmanaged tourism.
3. Advancing climate and environmental sustainability initiatives.
4. Harnessing emerging technologies, including AI and robotics – a priority which raises questions about the potential impact on the sector’s 330 million workers.
5. Enhancing crisis preparedness, management and recovery.
6. Expanding global connectivity and developing new travel corridors.
7. Supporting workforce development, talent retention, and mobility.
8. Promoting policies that drive investment and new growth opportunities.
These priorities will be integrated into a wider action plan, supported by a set of strategic enablers, including research and data, policy advocacy, partnerships, and a digital agenda, designed to translate objectives into concrete, measurable results. Whether they translate into binding commitments will depend largely on how governments choose to respond.
“These priorities reflect the breadth, diversity and expertise of our membership. Representing every segment of Travel and Tourism, including airports, airlines, hotels, cruises, car companies, technology enterprises and destinations among others; they are a statement of what the sector believes is needed to unlock growth, resilience and opportunity,” said Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of WTTC.
The framework is also intended to reinforce WTTC’s role as the voice of the global private travel and tourism sector by bringing together companies from different industries to address shared challenges and shape the future of travel. Through its Together in Travel Initiative, the organisation will also work with more than 4,000 SMEs, thereby expanding the agenda’s scope and reach beyond corporate membership.
