International tourism at 0.4% growth in H1 2026 as the Middle East conflict, costs burden momentum
International tourist arrivals are now expected to grow by 1% to 2% globally in 2026, down from UN Tourism’s January forecast of 3% to 4%. However, the latest report finds that this will depend on the conflict’s actual duration and its effect on oil prices and overall inflation.
Intl. tourism up 5% in H1 2025 despite global challenges; traveller confidence on rise: UN Tourism
The arrivals were 33 million more than in the same period of 2024. The growth is about 4% above pre-pandemic levels. Some of the highest growth rates among large destinations in H1 2025 were recorded by Japan and Vietnam (+21%), the Republic of Korea (+15%), Morocco (+19%), among others.
