Gitnux/Report 2026

Tourism Industry Statistics

328Statistics
121Sources
13Sections
1Visuals
51mRead
Tourism Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The tourism industry at a glance

Tourism reached a record US$11.6 trillion in global GDP contribution in 2025, equal to 9.8% of the world economy, but 2026 growth is slowing amid geopolitical and cost pressures.

$11.6T[84]
Global GDP contribution, 2025
366M[114]
Global jobs supported, 2025
3.1B[18]
EU accommodation nights, 2025
81%[84]
Top 20 share of tourism GDP, 2024
Market size
WTTC estimates that Travel & Tourism contributed US$11.6 trillion to global GDP in 2025, representing 9.8% of the world economy. The sector supported 366 million jobs worldwide in the same year.[84][114]
Forecast & CAGR
WTTC forecasts global Travel & Tourism GDP contribution of US$16.5 trillion by 2035, implying a 3.5% CAGR from 2025 to 2035. UN Tourism’s latest forecast expects international tourist arrivals to grow by only 1%–2% in 2026 after a 4% increase in 2025.[84][115]
Market share & regions
Europe recorded 3.1 billion nights in tourist accommodation in 2025, with Spain, Italy, France and Germany accounting for 61.7% of the EU total. In global tourism GDP, the 20 most powerful economies represented 81% of the sector’s 2024 total.[18][84]
Segmentation
In the EU in 2025, hotels and similar accommodation generated 1.9 billion nights, or 63% of the total; holiday dwellings and other short-stay accommodation generated 743 million nights, or 24%; and campsites generated 413 million, or 13%. International and domestic guests represented approximately 49% and 51% of EU tourism nights, respectively.[18]
Key players & concentration
Tourism remains geographically concentrated: the top 20 economies accounted for 81% of global Travel & Tourism GDP in 2024. In the EU accommodation market, four countries—Spain, Italy, France and Germany—accounted for 61.7% of nights in 2025.[84][18]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Demand remains resilient, but UN Tourism identifies volatile oil prices, inflation, weak output, and high transport and accommodation costs as the main challenges facing international tourism in 2026. Climate, geopolitical and infrastructure pressures are also increasing in highly visited destinations; in Croatia, 55% of annual tourism nights occurred in July and August 2025.[115][18]
Consumer behavior & competition
EU tourism demand is almost evenly split between domestic and international visitors, with domestic guests accounting for 51% of accommodation nights in 2025. Online short-term rentals represented 951.6 million guest nights in the EU in 2025, intensifying competition with hotels and other traditional accommodation providers.[18][116]
Regulation
The EU Short-Term Rental Regulation began applying in 2026 and establishes a framework for host registration, platform verification of registration numbers, and monthly data sharing with public authorities. The rules are intended to improve tourism-market transparency and help destinations manage housing and overtourism pressures.[116][69]
Latest news
UN Tourism reported that international arrivals increased 0.4% in the first half of 2026 to an estimated 690 million, with Europe up 3% and the Middle East down 22%. It revised its full-year 2026 global arrivals forecast to 1%–2%, below the January forecast of 3%–4%.[115]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Tourism Industry

The leading companies in the tourism industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Royal Caribbean Group leads Gitnux's 2026 tourism ranking with an Overall score of 9.5, with $17.9 billion revenue and operating margin 27.4% reported for 2025. Hilton is the highest-ranked hotel lodging franchisor at 9.3, with approximately 182,000 people at leased and managed hotels and offices in 2025.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in cruise vacations

    Royal Caribbean Group

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.5 · Cruise vacations

    Why we picked it: It operates global cruise vacations and private destinations, supported by 27.4% operating margin in 2025.

    See in ranking ↓Visit royalcaribbeangroup.com ↗

  2. Leader in hotel lodging

    Hilton

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.3 · Hotel lodging

    Why we picked it: It runs global hotel and lodging franchises, with about 182,000 employees at leased and managed hotels and offices in 2025.

    See in ranking ↓Visit hilton.com ↗

  3. Leader in air passenger transport

    United Airlines Holdings

    US

    Ranked #5 · 8.6 · Air passenger transport

    Why we picked it: It delivers global passenger air transport, with $53.4 billion operating revenue from passengers in 2025.

    See in ranking ↓Visit united.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the tourism industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Royal Caribbean Group

Cruise vacations · US

9.5
2

Hilton

Hotel lodging · US

9.3
3

Marriott International

Hotel lodging · US

8.8
4

Carnival Corporation

Cruise vacations · US

8.7
5

United Airlines Holdings

Air passenger transport · US

8.6
6

InterContinental Hotels Group

Global hotels and lodging franchises · GB

8.5
7

Delta Air Lines

Global passenger air transport and travel services · US

8.4
8

TUI Group

Integrated tour operations, hotels, cruises and airlines · DE

8.2
9

Air France-KLM

International passenger airlines and travel transport · FR

8.0
10

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Global midscale and economy hotel franchises · US

8.0

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the tourism industry. In Tourism Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/tourism-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Projection

Global international tourist arrivals

Global international tourist arrivals grew from 409 million arrivals in 2020 to 1,523 million arrivals in 2025.

409 million arrivals
Start
+30.08%
CAGR · 5y
1,523 million arrivals
Projected
20202025
source-verifiedpre-webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Airports and airlines prioritize technology adoption: 54% of airports had biometric border control in 2025, and 63% of airlines used AI for operational decision-making in 2025.

AI in the tourism industry

  • 8% of airlines primarily used AI to support strategic decision-making in 2024.[1]
  • 74% of airlines primarily used AI for internal or operational efficiencies in 2024.[1]
  • 6% of airlines reported not using AI technologies or services in 2024.[1]
  • 63% of airlines used AI for operational decision-making in 2025.[1]
  • 42% of airlines were organizing data for AI in 2024, up from 28% training AI on collected data in 2023.[1]
  • 49% of airlines identified data integration and consistency as the main barrier to scaling AI in 2025.[1]

Automation in the tourism industry

  • 54% of airports had biometric border control in 2025.[1]
  • 77% of airports used self-service kiosks in 2025.[1]
  • 99% of airport managers said they were adopting new technology to bridge staffing gaps.[2]
  • 50% of hotels said they were adopting new technology to bridge staffing gaps.[2]
  • 74% of airport respondents expected automation to improve the guest experience and financial performance.[2]
  • 23% of air passengers used kiosks for bag drop in 2023.[1]

Digital Transformation in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 69% of lodging-technology survey respondents identified integrating new technology with legacy systems as a moderate or major 2024 industry challenge.[3]
  • 80% of travel and hospitality respondents reported siloed, transactional, or consultative relationships between business and information-technology teams.[4]
  • 47% of hotels in Andalusia rated their infrastructure capacity for digital transformation as high or very high in the study period.[5]
  • 59% of active travel and hospitality respondents were at the piloting or deploying stage of AI adoption in Adobe’s global research.[4]

Technology Adoption in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 49% of global travel programs planned to increase technology investment for 2025, based on a GBTA poll of travel-industry professionals.[6]
  • 14% of travel buyers said they were already using AI in their travel programs in the October 2024 GBTA poll.[6]
  • 89% of travel and hospitality executives expected generative AI to have a meaningful business impact within three years.[7]
  • 83% of travel and hospitality executives said they increased AI budgets in 2024, according to the Skift-AWS industry survey.[7]

Cloud Computing in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 69% of hospitality respondents used a hybrid-cloud deployment model globally in 2023, compared with 31% using public cloud only.[8]
  • 79% of travel and tourism companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum reported cloud computing among technologies expected to be adopted.[9]
  • 67% of travel and hospitality companies were in advanced stages of cloud adoption globally in 2024, according to a survey of industry executives.[7]
  • 67% of travel and hospitality companies were in advanced stages of cloud adoption in the 2024 Skift-AWS industry survey.[7]
  • 29% of hospitality respondents reported full cloud maturity for critical applications and workloads globally, while 38% said they were well on the way in 2023.[8]

Big Data in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • More than eight in ten worldwide travel buyers considered data analytics extremely or very important to their travel programs in April 2025.[10]
  • 89% of travel and tourism companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum reported user and entity big-data analytics among technologies expected to be adopted.[9]
  • 62.8% of hotels in an Andalusian study rated their implementation of big-data tools as low or very low.[5]
  • 18.8% of hotels in an Andalusian study rated their implementation of big-data tools as high or very high.[5]

Blockchain in the tourism industry

  • 5 tourism sectors were represented in a European study of blockchain perceptions, trust, privacy, and security.[11]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Hotel data workflows remain fragmented: 41% of distribution teams still created reports by hand in 2025, while 27% of hotel operators used more than seven technology platforms in 2026.

Business intelligence in the tourism industry

  • 35% of hotel chief financial officers used business-intelligence data tools regularly in 2024.[12]
  • 41% of hotel distribution teams still created reports by hand in 2025.[13]
  • 12% of hotels used website-analytics tools such as Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics in 2025.[13]
  • 34% of hotel distribution professionals reviewed reports at least daily in 2025.[13]
  • 61% of hotel revenue-management leaders reviewed reports at least daily in 2025.[13]
  • 31% of hotel-group or management-company chief executives referred to business intelligence regularly in 2024.[12]

Data analytics in the tourism industry

  • 75% of travel buyers did not use artificial intelligence to collect, analyze or report travel data in 2025.[10]
  • 27.5% of European travel-agency, tour-operator and reservation-service companies analyzed big data internally or externally in 2020.[14]
  • 32.1% of European accommodation and food-service companies used cloud computing services in 2021, supporting tourism data storage and analysis.[14]
  • 49% of travel buyers valued help with effective data visualization in 2025.[10]
  • More than 80% of travel buyers considered data analytics extremely or very important in 2025.[10]
  • 13% of surveyed tourism enterprises reported using big data in 2023.[14]

Data Quality in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 47% of business leaders were fully confident in their organizations’ data accuracy in 2025, across the broader business sample reported by Salesforce.[15]
  • 15% of hotel owners and operators were very confident in the accuracy and timeliness of their operational data in 2026.[6]
  • 27% of hotel operators spent more than 11 hours per week consolidating or reconciling data in 2026.[6]
  • 69% of travel and hospitality companies training AI models wasted resources on bad data in 2025, according to a Salesforce survey of business leaders.[15]
  • 27% of hotel operators used more than seven technology platforms in 2026, increasing the risk of fragmented and inconsistent operational data.[6]

Data Governance in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Only 11% of hotel owners and operators reported a fully integrated technology stack in 2026, indicating limited enterprise-wide data integration.[6]
  • 91% of hotel owners and operators still relied on some manual reporting within automated workflows in 2026, highlighting incomplete process standardization.[6]
  • 51% of hoteliers said regulation helped their commercial goals in 2025, while 20% said it hindered them, in a survey covering hotel distribution professionals.[13]
  • 97% of travel and hospitality business leaders said a strong data foundation was the most critical factor for AI deployment in 2025.[15]
  • 78% of travel and hospitality business leaders said data-governance policies varied across departments in 2025.[15]

KPIs in the tourism industry

  • 43.03 million occupied room nights were recorded by Dubai hotels in 2024.[16]
  • 82% was the 2024 average occupancy rate for Dubai standard hotel apartments.[16]
  • 3.7 nights was the average guest length of stay in Dubai hotels in 2024.[16]
  • 52.56% was Indonesia’s 2024 occupancy rate for star hotels.[17]
  • 66% was Malta’s hotel and similar-accommodation net occupancy rate of bed places in 2024.[18]
  • 76% was the 2024 average occupancy rate for Dubai five-star hotels.[16]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Demand and deal activity track each other: international arrivals were 100 million in the Middle East in 2025, while $8.6 billion of private-equity travel and hospitality deals occurred in the first half of 2026.

Growth in the tourism industry

  • 100 million international tourist arrivals were recorded in the Middle East in 2025, representing 7% of the global total.[19]
  • RMB4.3 billion of packaged-tour revenue was generated by Trip.com Group in 2024, up 38% from 2023.[20]
  • 218 million international tourist arrivals were recorded in the Americas in 2025, representing 14% of the global total.[19]
  • 20.3 million customers travelled with TUI in financial year 2024, up 6.8% from 19.0 million in 2023.[21]
  • 81 million international tourist arrivals were recorded in Africa in 2025, representing 5% of the global total.[19]
  • €1.3 billion of underlying EBIT was generated by TUI in financial year 2024, up 33% year on year.[21]

Differentiation in the tourism industry

  • 40% of consumers said bonuses or incentives for sustainable bookings would make them more likely to book through a loyalty program in 2024.[22]
  • 15% compound annual growth in loyalty membership was recorded across the six major U.S. hotel groups between 2014 and 2024.[23]
  • More than 50% of Accor hotel room nights were booked by loyalty members in 2025, compared with 44% before the pandemic.[24]
  • 28% of consumers said hotels with sustainability features would make them more likely to book through a loyalty program in 2024.[22]
  • 67% of global consumers were interested in vacation services that suggest itineraries based on interests and budget in 2025.[24]
  • 35% of global international travelers had taken a working vacation in 2025, rising to 45% among Millennial international travelers.[24]

Mergers and acquisitions in the tourism industry

  • 636 strategic deals represented 75% of travel, hospitality and leisure deal volume in 2025.[25]
  • $8.6 billion was the value of private-equity travel, leisure and hospitality deals in the first half of 2026, up 2.7% year on year.[25]
  • 774 hospitality and leisure deals worth $49.2 billion were recorded in 2025, according to KPMG's sector analysis.[25]
  • Approximately 73% of travel-sector M&A deal value was represented by the Americas in 2025.[26]
  • 160 travel-sector M&A transactions were announced globally in 2025, down about 8% from 174 in 2024.[26]
  • $53 billion of announced travel-sector M&A value was recorded globally in 2025, up 37% from $39 billion in 2024.[26]

Strategic partnerships in the tourism industry

  • More than 20 airline partners work with Tourism Australia across key international markets each year.[27]
  • More than 100% year-on-year growth in Chinese arrivals to Azerbaijan was recorded during the first 11 months of 2024 after tourism-board, airline and OTA cooperation.[28]
  • 27% of hotels and hospitality groups in an iSeatz analysis offered loyalty-integrated sustainability partnerships or initiatives in 2024.[22]
  • Approximately 200 tourism-industry partners work with Tourism Australia each year to promote Australia internationally.[27]
  • 170 destinations were covered by Qatar Airways' global network in its 2025 strategic alliance with Visit Maldives.[29]
  • 42,374 Chinese tourist arrivals were recorded in the Maldives during the first 11 months of 2024 after collaboration involving the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Azerbaijan Airlines and Trip.com was cited as a partnership model.[28]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce pressure is measurable in vacancies and retention: 86% of surveyed hotels said employee retention was a challenge in 2024, including 36% calling it extremely challenging.

Hiring in the tourism industry

  • 44% of vacancies at New Zealand tourism organisations were for entry-level roles in September 2024.[30]
  • 3.9% was Canada's tourism-sector job-vacancy rate in 2025, down from 4.2% in 2024.[31]
  • 169,873 tourism-related online job vacancies were advertised in Australia in 2024.[32]
  • 26% of surveyed U.S. hotels identified front-desk roles as difficult to fill at year-end 2024.[33]
  • 13% of surveyed U.S. hotels reported difficulty filling maintenance roles at year-end 2024.[33]

Employee retention in the tourism industry

  • 37% of surveyed hotels reported that 80% to 100% of their 2023 hires were still employed in 2024.[34]
  • 17% of surveyed hotels reported that 20% to 40% of their 2023 hires were still employed in 2024.[34]
  • 86% of surveyed hotels said employee retention was a challenge in 2024, including 36% calling it extremely challenging.[34]
  • 47% of surveyed U.S. hotels used higher wages as their leading strategy to attract and retain workers at year-end 2024.[33]
  • 64% of Canadian accommodation businesses surveyed had between one and 19 employees in 2024.[35]

Remote Work in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among travel buyers, 7% reported a full-time remote company policy for 2024, compared with 15% among travel suppliers and travel-management companies.[36]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 10.19% of paid days from home in 2026.[37]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 10.23% of paid days from home in 2024.[37]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 11.11% of paid days from home in 2025.[37]

Hybrid Work in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among business-travel professionals in North America, 51% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[38]
  • Among business-travel professionals in the Asia-Pacific region, 62% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[38]
  • Among business-travel professionals in Europe, 77% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[38]
  • Among travel suppliers and travel-management companies, 54% reported a hybrid company work policy for 2024.[36]
  • Among business-travel professionals in Latin America, 58% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[38]

Upskilling in the tourism industry

  • $40 million had been reinvested by the AHLA Foundation into the hotel industry since 1953 by 2024.[33]
  • 58% of Canadians who worked in tourism said they gained leadership and critical-thinking skills in 2024.[35]
  • 67% of Canadians who worked in tourism said their acquired skills helped them succeed in their careers in 2024.[35]
  • More than 2.1 million people were expected to work directly in U.S. hotels in 2024, supporting demand for workforce development.[33]
  • 41,000 people had been reached by AHLA Foundation workforce-development programs by 2024.[33]

Employee Engagement in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across New Zealand hospitality and tourism workplaces, 62% of employees with people-management responsibilities reported work engagement in 2025.[39]
  • Across IHG’s global hotel and corporate workforce, the 2024 employee-engagement score was 87%.[40]
  • Across Travel + Leisure Co.’s accommodation and hospitality workforce, the 2024 associate-engagement survey received 16,405 completions, representing 86% of associates.[41]
  • Across New Zealand tourism businesses, 60% of employees reported work engagement in 2025.[39]
  • Across New Zealand hospitality and tourism workplaces, 67% of employees in very small organizations reported work engagement in 2025.[39]

DEI in the tourism industry

  • 10% of Canada's food-and-beverage tourism workforce were temporary international workers in the 2021 census.[35]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Channel behavior shows elevated sensitivity to outcomes: 95% of hotel guests were likely to share a bad experience, and intermediary-acquired customers spent 4.1% less per stay.

Customer experience in the tourism industry

  • 80% of surveyed travelers said their most fulfilling recent trip included novel or surprising experiences.[42]
  • 95% of hotel guests surveyed were likely to share a bad experience, compared with 87% likely to share a good experience.[33]
  • 70% of travel calls lasting longer than 15 seconds were answered by a person in 2026.[43]
  • 64% of callers to travel businesses reached a person in the 2026 travel lead benchmark dataset.[43]
  • 95% of surveyed travelers said they would reduce discretionary spending elsewhere to save for their next vacation.[42]

Customer retention in the tourism industry

  • 89.4% of surveyed international tourists in Bangkok had visited the destination before.[44]
  • Wyndham members accounted for more than 37% of check-ins globally and more than 50% in the United States in 2024.[45]
  • Intermediary-acquired hotel customers spent 4.1% less per stay than customers acquired through brand-owned channels.[46]
  • IHG reported that more than 60% of room nights were booked by loyalty members in 2024.[40]
  • 43.6% of surveyed Sri Lanka visitors said they would definitely return, while 37.3% said they probably would.[47]

Customer acquisition in the tourism industry

  • 44% of calls from digital marketing were leads in Invoca’s 2026 travel dataset.[43]
  • 50% was the phone-lead rate for ChatGPT-referred travel calls in Invoca’s 2026 dataset.[43]
  • 47% was the phone-lead rate for Google Business Profile referrals to travel businesses in 2026.[43]
  • 32% was the OTA booking share for large international hotel chains in the 2024 State of Distribution report.[48]
  • 18% of travelers who started hotel research on an OTA ultimately booked directly with the hotel in 2026 research.[49]

Customer loyalty in the tourism industry

  • IHG One Rewards enrolments increased 13% year over year in 2024.[40]
  • 14.5% was the year-over-year growth in loyalty membership across five leading hotel brand families in 2024.[50]
  • 2.5 percentage points was the increase in total hotel occupancy attributable to loyalty-member bookings in CBRE Japan’s analysis.[51]
  • Wyndham Rewards membership grew 8% in 2024.[45]
  • 11% was the increase in hotel loyalty-program members among five public hotel companies analyzed by CBRE Japan.[51]

Lead generation in the tourism industry

  • 88% of travel advisors identified word-of-mouth referrals as a lead-generation source in the 2025 distribution outlook.[52]
  • 51% of travel advisors identified social media as a lead-generation source in 2025.[52]
  • 15% of travel advisors identified private organizations or clubs as a lead-generation source in 2025.[52]
  • 21% of travel advisors identified consumer events as a lead-generation source in 2025.[52]
  • 4% of travel advisors identified television or radio marketing as a lead-generation source in 2025.[52]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Brand and media measurement remains central: $9.86 billion was expected to be spent on travel media in the United States in 2024, with 28.9% rating Facebook as effective in 2024.

Marketing in the tourism industry

  • 33.6% of U.S. travelers rated websites reached through search engines and email equally as effective travel-marketing methods in 2024.[53]
  • 483 U.S. travel and tourism marketing professionals participated in the 2024 travel-marketing landscape survey.[38]
  • 28.9% of U.S. travelers rated Facebook as an effective method for being reached by travel marketers in 2024.[53]
  • 87% of U.S. travelers were excited about taking leisure travel during the following 12 months in 2024.[53]
  • $9.86 billion was expected to be spent on travel media in the United States in 2024.[54]

Digital marketing in the tourism industry

  • 28% of destination marketing organizations used TikTok in 2026.[6]
  • 45% of destination marketing organizations used display advertising in 2026.[6]
  • 71,992 book-direct searches were recorded by Visit Mobile in fiscal year 2024.[55]
  • 342,138 search impressions were generated by Visit Mobile’s digital campaigns in fiscal year 2024.[55]
  • 41% of destinations increased digital-advertising investment in 2026.[6]

Branding in the tourism industry

  • Around 70% of IHG room nights in the United States and Americas were generated by loyalty members in 2024.[40]
  • 145 million members were enrolled in IHG One Rewards in 2024.[40]
  • 675 million members were enrolled across five leading hotel-brand loyalty families in 2024.[56]
  • 50% was the median share of wallet captured by lodging brands in 2024.[22]
  • 64% of hotel-loyalty-program members belonged to Hilton Honors in late 2024.[55]

Social media in the tourism industry

  • 58% of destination marketing organizations used social-media engagement and follower counts as success metrics in 2024.[57]
  • 71.3% of destination marketing organizations identified Pinterest as the least effective social platform in 2024.[57]
  • 66% of Gen Z U.S. leisure travelers were influenced by social media when selecting a destination or travel provider in late 2024.[55]
  • 26% of Boomer U.S. leisure travelers were influenced by social media when selecting a destination or travel provider in late 2024.[55]
  • 22.2% of destination marketing organizations ranked Instagram as their most effective social platform for promoting tourism in 2024.[57]

Influencer Marketing in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 92% of European travel and hospitality brands work with micro-creators, defined as influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers, in research conducted across seven markets in 2025.[58]
  • 91% of hospitality brands include some form of influencer marketing in their brand strategy, based on a 2026 hospitality-sector survey.[59]
  • More than 6.5 million influencer posts about the travel industry were published globally in 2023, generating an average engagement rate of 2.4%.[60]
  • 92% of destination marketing organizations and tourism boards globally increased or maintained influencer-marketing budgets in 2026.[61]
  • 72% of European travel and hospitality brands plan to expand their creator pool, according to research conducted across seven European markets in 2025.[58]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Automation investment is planned alongside staffing constraints: 50.8% of tourism operators planned to invest in operational-process automation during 2026.

Process optimization in the tourism industry

  • 50.8% of tourism operators planned to invest in operational-process automation during 2026.[62]
  • 67% of mid-size hotel chains implemented two to four new technology systems during the three years preceding 2024.[13]
  • 73.3% of large hotel chains implemented two to four new technology systems during the three years preceding 2024.[13]
  • 42% of independent hotels implemented at least one new technology system during the three years preceding 2024.[13]

Operational efficiency in the tourism industry

  • 90% of hotel-operations respondents said artificial intelligence made routine work faster in 2026.[33]
  • 3.1% was the first-half 2026 decline in hours per occupied room at full-service hotels using Actabl’s Hotel Effectiveness tool.[33]
  • 38% of hotel-operations respondents said operational efficiency was where artificial intelligence created the most value in 2026.[33]
  • 3.5% was the first-half 2026 decline in hours per occupied room at select-service hotels using Actabl’s Hotel Effectiveness tool.[33]

Quality management in the tourism industry

  • 28% of U.S. hotel guests ranked cellphone charging stations among their three most important hotel technologies in 2024.[33]
  • 21% of U.S. hotel guests ranked room automation among their three most important hotel technologies in 2024.[33]
  • 6.07% was hotel employee turnover in June 2024, according to Actabl data analyzed by HotelData.com.[33]
  • 40% of U.S. hotel guests ranked keyless entry or mobile check-in and checkout among their three most important hotel technologies in 2024.[33]
  • 5.35% was hotel employee turnover in June 2026, according to Actabl data analyzed by HotelData.com.[33]

Supply chain in the tourism industry

  • 46.0% of agritourism respondents across three Indonesian regions said suppliers contributed to inclusive practices in 2025.[63]
  • 80.91% of hotels in a 2024 hospitality distribution survey used channel-management systems.[48]
  • 84% of New Zealand tourism operators always or usually sourced local products in 2024.[64]
  • 33% of New Zealand tourism operators usually engaged with their local community in 2024.[64]
  • 90% of hotels in a 2024 hospitality distribution survey used property-management systems.[48]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 14% of travel supplier and TMC professionals whose companies were not adding staff expected to outsource more work to third parties in 2025.[36]
  • Six in 10 travel buyers worldwide relied on their travel management company for sourcing support in 2025.[10]
  • 54% of organizations across North America and EMEA outsourced some or all hotel RFP activities to travel management companies or consultants in 2026.[36]
  • Around three in 10 travel buyers worldwide engaged external consultants for travel-supplier sourcing in 2025.[10]
  • 9% of North American travel buyers and 13% of European travel buyers whose programs were not adding staff expected to outsource more work to third parties in 2025.[36]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Occupancy and pricing pressure show in operating economics: U.S. hotel occupancy was 63.01% in 2024, while U.S. hotel EBITDA per available room was $51.88 in 2024.

Pricing strategy in the tourism industry

  • 63.01% was the U.S. hotel occupancy rate in 2024, according to Oxford Economics and STR.[33]
  • 56% of U.S. travelers booked directly with hotels in the first quarter of 2024, according to Skift Research.[7]
  • 65% of global consumers agreed hotels should be allowed to raise prices during busy periods in 2024, according to a SiteMinder survey.[65]
  • €651 was the average expenditure per EU trip when rented houses or apartments were the main accommodation in 2024.[18]
  • €785 was the average expenditure per EU trip when hotels were the main accommodation in 2024.[18]

Cost reduction in the tourism industry

  • 43% of U.S. hotel operators identified insurance premiums as a financial pressure in 2026.[33]
  • 4.8% was the increase in U.S. hotel salaries, wages and employee benefits in 2024.[66]
  • 71% of U.S. hotel operators identified the cost of goods and supplies as a financial pressure in 2026.[33]
  • 22.1% more compensation dollars were paid at the typical U.S. hotel in 2024 than in 2019.[66]
  • 54% of U.S. hotels offered flexible scheduling to recruit and retain employees in 2026.[33]

Profitability in the tourism industry

  • $51.88 was U.S. hotel EBITDA per available room in 2024, up 2.5% from 2023.[67]
  • 26.8% was the EBITDA margin for Boston full-service hotels in 2024.[68]
  • $72.44 was U.S. hotel labor cost per available room in 2024, up 11.2% from 2023.[67]
  • 2.9% was the decline in Boston full-service hotel gross operating profit per key from 2023 to 2024.[68]
  • $41,658 was gross operating profit per key for Boston full-service hotels in 2024.[68]

Financial planning in the tourism industry

  • $131 billion was the approximate U.S. hotel wages and benefits bill projected for 2026.[33]
  • $29.55 billion was U.S. federal tax revenue generated by hotels in 2024.[33]
  • $747.17 billion was U.S. hotel guest spending in 2024 across lodging, transportation, food, beverages, retail and other expenses.[33]
  • $128 billion was paid in wages and benefits by U.S. hotels in 2025.[33]
  • $777.25 billion was projected U.S. hotel guest spending for 2025, covering lodging, transportation, food, beverages, retail and other expenses.[33]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Product development in the tourism industry

  • 222 destination-management organisations across the 27 EU Member States and Montenegro responded to a 2024 survey on tourism initiatives and product development.[69]
  • 37% of destination-management organisations saw significant potential for artificial intelligence in personalised tourism marketing content in 2024.[70]
  • 78% of global destination-management organisations were investing in cooperative campaigns with tourism-industry partners in the 2024 destination-marketing survey.[70]
  • 46% of destination-management organisations cited cost sharing as a motivation for cooperative tourism campaigns in 2024.[70]
  • 38% of destination-management organisations saw significant potential for artificial intelligence in tourism data analysis and interpretation in 2024.[70]

Product lifecycle in the tourism industry

  • The Grand Canyon National Park lifecycle study covered 1919–2023, using cumulative visitors, annual arrivals and annual tourism growth rates.[71]
  • A Spanish lodging-survival study covered 6,494 hotels across 97 tourist destinations from 2005 to 2011.[72]
  • Barbados tourism arrivals from 1957 to 2002 were analysed using quarterly observations to test the destination lifecycle model.[72]
  • The Lancaster County lifecycle study examined tourism trends during the 1980s and 1990s using tourism-business surveys, focus groups and other data.[73]
  • A 2017 study used tourism data from 1995–2017 and earlier UNWTO compendiums from 1984–1994 to examine destination lifecycles.[74]

After-sales in the tourism industry

  • 15% of leisure lodging guests reported complaints in 2026, compared with 14% in 2025.[75]
  • Tripadvisor and Booking.com shared the highest reported online-travel-agency ACSI score at 77 in 2026.[75]
  • Lodging guests who complained recorded an ACSI satisfaction score of 72 among business travellers in 2026.[75]
  • 14,910 completed customer surveys were used in the 2026 ACSI Travel Study covering airlines, lodging, car rentals, rideshare and online travel agencies.[75]
  • Online travel agencies achieved an ACSI customer-satisfaction score of 76 in 2026, up 1% from the previous year.[75]

Value proposition in the tourism industry

  • 67% of surveyed Caribbean tourists were willing to pay extra for accommodation in a tourism activity or package.[76]
  • 82% of travellers were open to booking through non-travel loyalty programmes such as credit-card or retail schemes in Expedia Group’s 2025 survey.[77]
  • 15.5% of respondents in the 2025 Caribbean tourism survey selected scenic views as a feature influencing willingness to pay more for accommodation.[78]
  • 62% of surveyed Caribbean tourists were willing to pay more for customised tourism packages.[76]
  • 68% of global consumers aimed to book international travel in Expedia Group’s 2025 survey, up 19% from 2022.[77]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Operational sustainability is becoming a measurement topic: 98% of hotels surveyed globally had implemented alternatives to single-use plastic water bottles in 2024.

Sustainability in the tourism industry

  • Four in five hotels surveyed had water-efficient toilets installed across at least three-quarters of the property in 2024.[79]
  • 59% of U.S. hotel properties reported having an on-site sustainability team in 2024.[79]
  • 69% of global travelers said in 2025 that they wanted to leave destinations better than when they arrived.[80]
  • 98% of hotels surveyed globally had implemented alternatives to single-use plastic water bottles in 2024.[79]
  • 75% of hotels surveyed had energy-reduction action plans in 2024.[79]

ESG in the tourism industry

  • 69.4 was Hilton Worldwide’s average ESG score for 2019–2024 in a tourism-company comparison.[81]
  • 59.5 was TUI Group’s average ESG score for 2019–2024 in a tourism-company comparison.[81]
  • 70.0 was InterContinental Hotels Group’s average ESG score for 2019–2024 in a tourism-company comparison.[81]
  • 74.1 was Marriott International’s average ESG score for 2019–2024 in a tourism-company comparison.[81]
  • 66.0 was Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ average ESG score for 2019–2024 in a tourism-company comparison.[81]

CSR in the tourism industry

  • 23.2% was the reported year-over-year increase in travel and hospitality’s global GDP contribution in 2023 in a CSR-focused industry study.[82]
  • 330 million jobs were supported worldwide by travel and hospitality in 2023 in a CSR-focused industry study.[82]
  • 99 publicly listed travel and hospitality firms across 25 countries were examined in a 2015–2022 study of governance-aligned CSR and SDG adoption.[82]

Circular economy in the tourism industry

  • Around 70% of hospitality emissions come from producing, transporting and disposing of goods and services used by hotels, according to a 2026 circular-tourism report.[83]
  • Approximately 260 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were attributed to accommodation globally in 2023 in a circular-tourism report.[83]

Carbon footprint in the tourism industry

  • 15% was the reduction in Travel & Tourism’s emissions intensity between 2019 and 2024.[84]
  • 7.3% of global greenhouse-gas emissions came from Travel & Tourism in 2024.[84]
  • 0.8675 gigajoules per square meter was Hilton’s total energy consumption intensity in 2024 for operated properties.[85]
  • 13,977,937 megawatt-hours was Hilton’s 2024 energy consumption across franchised hotels.[85]
  • Travel & Tourism’s greenhouse-gas emissions share fell from 8.3% in 2019 to 7.3% in 2024.[84]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Global supply breadth is large: Booking.com offered accommodation reservation services in more than 40 languages at December 31, 2025, and had 4.4 million properties offered.

Globalization in the tourism industry

  • $445 was the average international tourism export revenue per arrival in landlocked developing countries in 2024.[100]
  • 8,447 properties operated in 140 countries and territories in Hilton’s portfolio at December 31, 2024.[98]
  • 9,300+ properties formed Marriott’s global portfolio in 2024.[101]
  • 4.4 million properties were offered through Booking.com in more than 220 countries and territories at December 31, 2025.[102]
  • 1.4% was landlocked developing countries’ share of international tourism export revenues in 2024.[100]

Cultural adaptation in the tourism industry

  • 3.9 million homes, apartments and other unique places to stay were listed on Booking.com at December 31, 2025.[102]
  • 971 Hilton properties operated in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at December 31, 2024.[103]
  • Booking.com offered accommodation reservation services in more than 40 languages at December 31, 2025.[102]
  • 18 of Hilton’s 24 brands were represented across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2024.[103]
  • 12 Hilton brands were represented across Asia Pacific in 2024.[103]

Supplier management in the tourism industry

  • Nearly 19,000 properties were served by Hilton Supply Management’s supplier network in 2024.[85]
  • 3,500+ Tier 1 suppliers worked with Hilton Supply Management in 2024.[85]
  • 13% of Hilton’s EcoVadis-rated suppliers were engaged in corrective actions in 2024.[85]
  • 100% of Hilton supplier contracts include the company’s Responsible Sourcing Policy, according to its 2024 GRI disclosure.[85]
  • 145+ countries and territories were covered by Hilton Supply Management sourcing in 2024.[85]

Stakeholder management in the tourism industry

  • 40% of people working for Hilton in the United States were covered by collective bargaining agreements at December 31, 2024.[85]
  • 418,000 associates made up Marriott’s global workforce in 2024.[101]
  • 44% of Marriott’s global managers were women in 2024.[101]
  • 211 million Hilton Honors members represented 66% of Hilton’s total occupancy in 2024.[98]
  • 6,000+ Marriott associates from 99 countries had joined the company’s associate resource groups by 2024.[104]

Distribution channels in the tourism industry

  • 208.8 million nights were spent in EU short-term rental accommodation booked through online platforms in the second quarter of 2024.[18]
  • 44.1 million platform-booked guest nights were recorded in Andalucía, Spain, in 2024.[18]
  • 144.3 million guest nights were booked through online platforms in the EU during the first quarter of 2026.[18]
  • 1,797,849,818 nights were arranged through internet bookings for EU trips of at least one night in 2025.[18]
  • 854.1 million guest nights were booked through major online collaborative-economy platforms in the EU in 2024.[18]

16 Statistics

Regional markets

Tourism economics vary by market scale: Spain had 93.8 million international tourists in 2024 and tourism activity valued at 12.6% of GDP.

The tourism industry in South Korea

  • 264.9 billion Korean won was recorded as South Korea’s tourism expenditure in 2024.[105]
  • 2.87 million South Korean outbound travelers were recorded in 2024.[105]
  • 16.37 million inbound tourists visited South Korea in 2024.[105]
  • 164.5 billion Korean won was recorded as South Korea’s tourism revenue in 2024.[105]
  • 491 international conferences were held in South Korea in 2025.[105]

The tourism industry in Iceland

  • 8.7% of Iceland’s GDP came from tourism in 2024.[106]
  • 870 billion Icelandic krona was Iceland’s total tourism consumption in 2024.[106]
  • 321 billion Icelandic krona was spent on domestic tourism in Iceland in 2024.[106]
  • 519 billion Icelandic krona was spent by inbound tourists in Iceland in 2024.[106]
  • 31.8 million working hours in Iceland were directly generated by tourism in 2024.[106]

The tourism industry in Spain

  • 126.282 billion euros was spent by international tourists in Spain during 2024.[107]
  • 200.699 billion euros was the value of Spain’s tourism activity in 2024, equal to 12.6% of GDP.[108]
  • 12.3% of total employment in Spain was represented by characteristic tourism industries in 2024.[108]
  • More than 2.7 million jobs were generated by Spain’s characteristic tourism industries in 2024.[108]
  • 93.8 million international tourists visited Spain in 2024.[109]

The tourism industry in Caribbean

  • 11.4% of Caribbean GDP came from tourism in 2023.[110]
  • 1.54 million jobs were supported by tourism in 12 World Bank member Caribbean countries in 2023.[110]
  • 35.0 million international tourist arrivals were estimated for the Caribbean in 2025.[111]
  • 15.1% of Caribbean employment was attributable to tourism in 2023.[110]
  • 34.2 million international tourist arrivals were recorded in the Caribbean in 2024.[111]

The tourism industry in Puerto Rico

  • 7.5 million non-resident visitors came to Puerto Rico in 2024, while residents generated an additional 4.2 million visitors.[112]
  • $18 billion was the total economic impact of tourism in Puerto Rico in 2024, including direct, indirect and induced effects.[112]
  • $7.6 billion was spent by non-resident visitors in Puerto Rico in 2024, an increase of 15% from the previous year.[112]
  • $11.6 billion in direct tourism spending was generated in Puerto Rico in 2024, including $11.5 billion in visitor spending and $0.1 billion in cruise-related spending.[112]
  • 91,000 direct tourism jobs were supported in Puerto Rico in 2024, representing approximately 9.6% of total employment.[112]

The tourism industry in Italy

  • 32,493 hotels and 232,376 similar accommodation establishments operated in Italy in 2024.[113]
  • 466.2 million overnight stays were recorded in Italian accommodation establishments in 2024, up 4.2% from 2023.[113]
  • 54.5% of overnight stays in Italy were generated by non-residents in 2024.[113]
  • 403,000 people worked in Italy’s core tourism activities in 2024, up 4.8% from 385,000 in 2023.[113]
  • 42.7 million overnight stays were recorded in Rome in 2024, making it Italy’s leading municipality for tourist accommodation demand.[113]

Key questions about the tourism industry

What is the current market size for global tourism GDP contribution?
WTTC estimates Travel & Tourism contributed US$11.6 trillion to global GDP in 2025.
How fast is tourism expected to grow in 2026?
UN Tourism expects international tourist arrivals to grow by only 1%–2% in 2026 after a 4% increase in 2025.
Which companies lead the tourism industry?
Royal Caribbean Group leads Gitnux's 2026 tourism ranking with an Overall score of 9.5, with $17.9 billion revenue and operating margin 27.4% reported for 2025. Hilton is the highest-ranked hotel lodging franchisor at 9.3, with approximately 182,000 people at leased and managed hotels and offices in 2025.
Which technology shifts matter most for planning and operations?
In 2025, 63% of airlines used AI for operational decision-making, while 49% of airlines cited data integration and consistency as a main barrier to scaling AI.
How concentrated is tourism economic value across countries?
The top 20 economies represented 81% of tourism GDP in 2024.
What regulation change affects short-term rentals in the EU in 2026?
The EU Short-Term Rental Regulation began applying in 2026, including host registration, platform verification of registration numbers, and monthly data sharing.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Tourism Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/tourism-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Tourism Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/tourism-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Tourism Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/tourism-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

121 sources cited across this report

  1. sita.aero
  2. deloitte.com
  3. hospitalitytech.com
  4. business.adobe.com
  5. doi.org
  6. hospitalitynet.org
  7. skift.com
  8. tcs.com
  9. oecd-ilibrary.org
  10. bcdtravel.com
  11. iris.unina.it
  12. academy.hsmai.org
  13. stateofdistribution.com
  14. monitor-industrial-ecosystems.ec.europa.eu
  15. salesforce.com
  16. dubaidet.gov.ae
  17. bps.go.id
  18. ec.europa.eu
  19. pre-webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com
  20. financialfilings.com
  21. tuigroup.com
  22. iseatz.com
  23. research.skift.com
  24. assets.group.accor.com
  25. kpmg.com
  26. mckinsey.com
  27. tourism.australia.com
  28. tourismboard.az
  29. corporate.visitmaldives.com
  30. tia.shuat.plasticstudio.co
  31. media.hotelscanada.ca
  32. tra.gov.au
  33. ahla.com
  34. 92986.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net
  35. tourismhr.ca
  36. gbta.org
  37. fred.stlouisfed.org
  38. thinkdigital.travel
  39. mbie.govt.nz
  40. ihgplc.com
  41. travelandleisureco.com
  42. tripadvisor.com
  43. invoca.com
  44. euraseans.com
  45. investor.wyndhamhotels.com
  46. journals.sagepub.com
  47. research.dulajmendis.com
  48. cdn.ymaws.com
  49. siteminder.com
  50. pacedimensions.com
  51. cbre.co.jp
  52. cdn.travelmarketreport.com
  53. milespartnership.com
  54. weareother.ca
  55. assets.simpleviewinc.com
  56. cbre.ca
  57. advancetravelandtourism.com
  58. netinfluencer.com
  59. kaminsight.com
  60. media.sproutsocial.com
  61. stellerforbusiness.com
  62. chekin.com
  63. frontiersin.org
  64. sustainabletourism.nz
  65. statista.com
  66. cbre.com
  67. costar.com
  68. wronkaltd.com
  69. transport.ec.europa.eu
  70. tourismandsocietytt.com
  71. dlyj.ac.cn
  72. sciencedirect.com
  73. tandfonline.com
  74. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  75. theacsi.com
  76. competecaribbean.org
  77. ir.expediagroup.com
  78. caribbean.unfpa.org
  79. responsiblestay.org
  80. news.booking.com
  81. mdpi.com
  82. onlinelibrary.wiley.com
  83. circulareconomy.europa.eu
  84. wttc.org
  85. travelwithpurpose.hilton.com
  86. cms.law
  87. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
  88. msci.com
  89. assets.kpmg.com
  90. vikingcloud.com
  91. tourism.jp
  92. humansecurity.com
  93. spectrum.com
  94. oracle.com
  95. tiak.org
  96. f24.com
  97. hhd.psu.edu
  98. ir.hilton.com
  99. sec.gov
  100. tourism-villages.unwto.org
  101. serve360.marriott.com
  102. bookingholdings.com
  103. stories.hilton.com
  104. life.marriott.com
  105. mcst.go.kr
  106. statice.is
  107. lamoncloa.gob.es
  108. ine.es
  109. mintur.gob.es
  110. documents1.worldbank.org
  111. onecaribbean.org
  112. discoverpuertorico.com
  113. istat.it
  114. pf.global
  115. untourism.int
  116. single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu
  117. s2.q4cdn.com
  118. echanges.dila.gouv.fr
  119. iea.org
  120. iata.org
  121. eur-lex.europa.eu