Global travel could hit record levels despite wars and rising fuel costs

Global travel is predicted to hit record highs in 2026, despite the wars in Iran and Ukraine, high fuel costs and an ongoing cost of living crisis. That's according to the World Travel Market Global Report, which says total visitor spending is expected to rise by 9% to $7.8 trillion. We'll Oxford Economics says developing economies are expected to boost the number of people taking trips abroad. Developing economies, the average disposable incomes are increasing. be right That does mean that globally there are additional households entering that pool of would-be travellers. And we see in our data that India and China alone combined, back. we expect them to generate another 24 million households over the next six years. that will enter that travel market pool. They will have sufficient income for travel. They are helping you know the industry to grow. Another key growth trend identified in the report is the rise of the luxury sector, and here Africa is reporting strong regional growth. Particularly, the continent offers many diverse, once-in-a-lifetime safari experiences. We're definitely seeing travellers increasing, coming to the continent, the desirability of the destination. But what's interesting is the trend of the different type of traveller. So we have the ultra-luxury traveller. That has actually been the fastest-growing market we're seeing. Increases of more than 10 or 15 percent in the traveler numbers, but also in their spend and their desire for it to be a much more experiential, unique based experience. Unsurprisingly, the one region of the world that experienced a significant downturn in international travel during 2026 was the Middle East.