Speaking at the UNWTO World Conference on Smart Destinations in Oviedo, Spain, Mastercard executive vice president enterprise partnerships Hany Fam said with around a third of the world currently having no access to basic financial services, their hands are tied when it comes to travelling.
However, with banks increasingly penetrating the world’s poorest markets, so this will change and there will be a further explosion in travellers.
He added with governments increasingly unwilling to raise taxes to pay for infrastructure, so those feeling the crunch will need to become more adept at making do with what they have.
Fam said: "We have to find ways of optimising and value optimising what we have in place today.
"Creating a 5% shift in demand for airports away from peak time delays capital expenditure by two years."
Meanwhile Visit Norway director Bente Bratland Holm said the country was moving away from mindlessly growing visitor numbers and instead beginning to consider the kind of tourist they wanted to attract and how best to do so.
As a result, the country is working on creating 16 destinations that will be sustainable.
He added: "To this end, the politicians and people are working with the travel industry to predict and build the destinations together.
Amadeus head of destinations Brigitte Loehl agreed that numbers of travellers will only grow with the number of flights around the world set to double by 2030.
She said: "Imagine all those passengers flying into all those destinations like Barcelona. This will be an issue of sustainability."
INDRA director for smart communities and territories, global practice, Alberto Bernal said despite the issues it was causing, tourism does still break down barriers and remains important.
But he argued the solutions will only be found once destinations consider the big picture, adding: "It is also very important to approach tourism in a holistic fashion."
