The Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2026 points to a sector that has largely moved beyond recovery, with a record 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals in 2025. Tourism assets, connectivity and visitor capacity continue to strengthen across much of the world. But the conditions for success are changing. Affordability pressures, investment gaps, workforce constraints and sustainability challenges are increasingly shaping the sector’s future.

Tourism development conditions are at their strongest since the pandemic: Between 2024 and 2026, 92% of the 110 ranked economies improved their TTDI score, and average scores rose by 2.1%, the fastest pace of improvement since 2019. The strongest gains were in cultural attractions, tourism infrastructure and services, and air connectivity, reflecting stronger assets and systems that underpin tourism growth.

Advanced economies continue to set the pace: Japan leads the TTDI rankings, while advanced economies account for nine of the top 10 positions, with China the sole exception. European economies hold six places in the top 10, underlining Europe and Eurasia’s position as the highest-performing region overall. The top 10 are Japan, the United States, Spain, Australia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Switzerland and Italy.

Asia-Pacific and emerging tourism economies are gaining ground: The largest emerging tourism economies have improved their TTDI scores more than twice as fast as the top 20 since 2019, benefiting from competitive prices, rich natural assets and more sustainable tourism patterns. Asia-Pacific is driving much of this momentum, accounting for seven of the 10 fastest-improving performers, while Albania was the most improved economy overall between 2024 and 2026.

Affordability is one of tourism’s biggest constraints, while investment and workforce gaps persist: Travel and tourism-related prices have risen faster than inflation in many economies, contributing to a decline in price competitiveness in three-quarters of TTDI-ranked economies between 2024 and 2026. Despite improvement, tourism investment has lagged behind activity since 2022, while workforce shortages and skills gaps risk constraining service quality and adaptation to digital and AI-driven change.

Tourism growth is not automatically translating into broader benefits: While travel activity and visitor spending continue to grow, the economic and social value generated by tourism weakened between 2024 and 2026, with pressures linked to crowding and visitor concentration remaining above pre-pandemic levels. As a result, managing growth is equally as important as generating it, requiring destinations to share tourism’s benefits more widely while limiting pressure on communities, infrastructure and natural assets.

Resilience is becoming a competitive advantage: Climate, economic and geopolitical risks are increasing the importance of resilience. Recent events, including disruptions to international aviation networks following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and the heatwaves and wildfires in Europe and North America, illustrate how quickly tourism systems can come under pressure. What singles out successful destinations is not only the strength of their tourism assets, but their ability to adapt and continue functioning during times of uncertainty.