Published on Tuesday (3 November), the WTM Global Travel Report, produced with Tourism Economics, predicts a new record of 1.57 billion international arrivals, up by 2% year-on-year, with short- and medium-haul travel up by 3% at the expense of inter-regional travel.

The Middle East is the only region to show a fall in arrivals, with Africa and Oceania both up by 8% and Europe by 5%. The report says growth is expected to accelerate in 2027, with international arrivals up by 8% as disruption eases.

Long-haul travel, the segment hit hardest in 2026, will rebound by 11%, the report predicts, while the Middle East “is set to recover strongly” albeit “to levels below 2025 peaks”.

The Middle East is predicted to be the strongest growth region until 2032, averaging 19% a year, with all other regions seeing only single-figure growth, headed by Asia at 7%.

Growth in tourism will be fuelled by more people travelling more often. The report predicts outbound nights per person will increase by 41% between now and 2032 compared with 13% for domestic nights as incomes rise.

The research found travel spend is polarising, with travellers economising on some elements of the trip but “splurging” on others. Only 20% of travellers said they were "budget only", while 56% classed themselves as premium and budget travellers.

Another key statistic highlighted is that 36% of travellers said they trusted AI to complete a booking and a quarter used it to plan trips. Among 18-34 year olds, 54% said they would trust AI to book, compared with only 18% of those aged 55-plus.

Tourism Economics concludes agentic booking has become mainstream, citing Google’s launch of hotel booking in AI Mode in August 2026, with partners including Booking.com, Expedia, Hilton, Marriott and IHG.

“Travellers search, compare and pay without leaving the chat, while the hotel or OTA remains the seller. Flights are set to follow,” it predicts.