ITIC Global 2026 | Tourism trends
In this lively interactive session, Christopher Imbsen brought to life the facts and figures behind the travel and tourism sector. Marc Banting, COO of ITIC, was the moderator
The ITIJ team are reporting from ITIC Global in Istanbul this week (1–5 November 2026), sharing the discussions that take place at the conference. Read all reports.
Christopher Imbsen, SVP Advocacy and Research at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), began his session with an interactive quiz on the sector’s economic impact. Roughly half the audience correctly guessed its contribution to global GDP: US$11.6 trillion – that’s 9.8% of the world economy.
Japan was a popular choice for the country that saw the most new international arrivals in 2025, but in fact it was China, adding nine million.
Over the next decade, travel and tourism is forecast to grow 3.7% a year, outpacing the global economy. Most visitor spend is domestic, Imbsen said.
Describing the sector as “a global employment powerhouse”, Imbsen said it accounted for 366 million jobs in 2025 – almost one in nine worldwide.
Imbsen provided figures showing growth in every world region, led by Asia Pacific, which saw year-on-year GDP growth of 8.1% in 2025. There was “an uneven regional picture”, he said, with the Middle East going from 5.3% growth in 2025 to a forecast of -17.1% in 2026. Over the next 10 years, however, it is predicted to bounce back strongly.
Imbsen highlighted that international arrivals reached 1.54 billion in 2025, an increase on 2024 of 82 million travellers or – for perspective – a 3,000% increase on the 50 million arrivals in 1950. This could be “the age of travel”, he said, “because truly this is a revolution”.
Tracking travel and tourism’s environmental and social performance
“We need to know and to show what our impact is on people and planet,” said Imbsen, explaining that the WTTC had expanded its economic data to include a range of indicators measuring the sector’s social benefits and environmental footprint. Emissions are falling even while the sector grows, he highlighted. “That means we’re becoming less emissions intensive… 15% fewer GHG emissions are now produced per dollar that we generate.”
“We need to know and to show what our impact is on people and planet”
Imbsen pointed out that governments held many of the key levers enabling investment in the sector, such as fiscal policies and financial instruments. “The private sector needs commitment,” he said. “They need to know that where they’re investing their money is safe.”
Imbsen asked the audience what industry challenges kept them up at night. Often overlapping with a recent survey of WTTC members, answers included geopolitical tensions, inflation, mass tourism, and pollution.
“I think that we share many of the same things,” he concluded. “Let’s turn that shared understanding into action.”