Saniya Zanpure

Global travel performance accelerated entering the final quarter of 2025, growing 3% year-on-year. The surge was driven by two major trends: a spike in car-rental demand, and the continued lead of the Asia-Pacific region.

The 2026 World Cup promises a $30.5 billion economic boost, yet it faces significant headwinds from a tourism sector currently contracting, with inbound volumes down and continued political and trade tensions.

Live Tourism and emerging markets are defining the next phase of global travel growth, requiring the industry to shift focus from traditional seasonality to high-value event cycles and dispersed travel models.

The $92 billion car rental sector is leveraging its high consolidation to win the digital distribution war, generating 59% of all online bookings through direct channels.

The global car rental sector is a resilient $92 billion market, driven by leisure travel, with the Americas being the largest market. The sector is rapidly digitizing with 74% of bookings online, with direct bookings driving as much traction as intermediaries.

Global travel maintains resilience at 1% annual growth, but operators must abandon traditional seasonality models and leverage flexible pricing to capture demand that is now more evenly distributed throughout the year.

Despite strong demand and hiring momentum, travel is stuck in a cycle of churn — with pay gaps, skills shortages, and weak career pathways making talent the sector’s biggest growth challenge.

The global cruise sector is led by a highly concentrated group of four companies that control 79% of the market.

The U.S. travel sector is slowing down due to a drop in international visitors, especially from Canada, while Canada's industry is surging because of a boom in domestic tourism.

The global cruise industry generated $71 billion in revenues in 2024 and is projected for strong growth, with a forecasted growth rate of 5% year-on-year, to reach $78 billion by 2026.