by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:40 AM ET, Wed August 5, 2026
Global travel and tourism investment reached over $1 trillion last year, according to the new Economic Impact Research (EIR): Global Trends Report from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), outperforming the wider global economy.
The new research showed that the industry’s investment into its future grew 8.5% from 2024, contributing a record $11.6 trillion to the world’s gross domestic product. Nearly half of that $1 trillion investment was located in the United States, China, India and Saudi Arabia, which are major players in the global tourism economy.
“The message from this research is clear: investment and growth go hand in hand,” said Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC. “The destinations and economies making long-term commitments to Travel & Tourism today are positioning themselves to capture tomorrow's jobs, visitor spending, and economic opportunities.
“Travel & Tourism has once again proven its resilience and its ability to outperform the wider economy. As governments and investors look for engines of sustainable growth, our sector continues to deliver returns through employment, infrastructure development, and prosperity for communities around the world."
These countries were analyzed to understand what’s happening there, as countries develop long-term travel and tourism development goals and begin putting them into practice.
For example, the United States remained the world’s largest travel market last year, increasing its investments by 10% to reach $245 billion, as the world’s second-largest investor in travel.
WTTC predicts that the nation’s travel and tourism investment will increase to $380 billion by 2036, representing a compound annual growth rate of 3.7% from 2026 to 2036, buoyed by major global events and a mature travel industry.
China, a major competitor for the United States’ status as the world’s biggest travel market, is expected to exceed the United States’ travel investment by 2036, reaching $402 billion. For now, it invested $175 billion in 2025, with its national Five-Year Plan marking China as a major tourism powerhouse.
Additionally, the report identifies nations that have stood out amongst their peers in 2025, such as Germany, which is Europe’s strongest tourism economy, bolstered by a strong domestic travel industry and business travel economy, and Rwanda, which is one of the fastest-growing leisure tourism economies, with a compound annual growth rate of over 11% between 2023 and 2026.
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