Travel and Tourism at a Turning Point: Principles for Transformative Growth
At a glance
- Report identifies environmental impact, workforce shortages, and post-disruption effects as primary challenges threatening sustainable sector expansion.
- Collaborative action among governments, businesses, and communities framed as essential to deliver inclusive and sustainable tourism growth.
What the report covers
Published by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Kearney, this white paper examines the travel and tourism sector's growth prospects and sustainability challenges through 2034. It assesses how emerging technologies, shifting traveller profiles, and stakeholder collaboration can drive transformative growth while addressing environmental, social, and workforce tensions. The report targets industry leaders and policymakers navigating the sector's pivotal transition.
Key findings
The report projects the travel and tourism sector will achieve 30 billion tourist visits and contribute $16 trillion to global GDP by 2034, positioning the industry as representing over 11% of the world economy. This growth trajectory underscores tourism's expanding role in fostering cultural exchange and social connection globally.
Despite positive growth forecasts, the sector confronts substantial headwinds. The report identifies environmental impacts, acute workforce shortages, and lingering disruptions from recent global crises as critical tension points undermining the sustainability and inclusivity of tourism expansion.
The report emphasises that realising transformative growth requires collaborative action spanning governments, businesses, and communities. Strategic interventions must leverage emerging technologies and adapt to evolving traveller preferences while addressing identified structural challenges.
Guiding principles and strategic frameworks are positioned as essential mechanisms for navigating the sector's turning point. The report signals that innovative partnerships and proactive strategies will determine whether tourism achieves sustainable, inclusive growth or remains constrained by unresolved systemic issues.
Why it matters
DMOs & destinations
The report provides strategic frameworks for destination management organisations to align with emerging traveller expectations and sustainability imperatives. DMOs must navigate workforce challenges and environmental concerns whilst capitalising on projected growth to $16 trillion by 2034, requiring collaborative community engagement and technology adoption.
Hotels & hospitality
Hospitality operators face critical workforce shortages and sustainability pressures outlined as sector-wide challenges. The report emphasises that transformative growth depends on innovative partnerships and operational adaptation, signalling that competitive advantage accrues to businesses implementing sustainable practices and collaborative stakeholder models.
Travel tech & distribution
Technology companies are positioned as enablers of transformative growth within a sector projected to reach 30 billion visits by 2034. The report highlights emerging technologies and evolving traveller profiles as key opportunities, requiring distribution platforms to innovate solutions addressing sustainability, inclusivity, and operational efficiency.
Methodology and limits
This brief is based solely on the publicly available report summary and metadata, as the full document text could not be retrieved. The projections cited (30 billion visits, $16 trillion GDP contribution by 2034) are stated as forecasts within the WEF/Kearney framework. No primary data, survey methodology, or sample details are available from the accessible summary. Readers should consult the full report for detailed analytical support.
This brief is based on the publicly available summary of the report only (the full document is gated or was not reachable).
Official source
The report is © World Economic Forum. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel — it quotes only figures published in the source and never reproduces the document.
Check the official statistics on Pulse
Related reports
The Global Risks Report 2026, the 21st edition of the World Economic Forum's annual assessment, presents findings from the Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) conducted among over 1,300 global experts.
The World Economic Forum white paper argues that travel and tourism must transition from fragmented to integrated ecosystem operations for sustainable, inclusive prosperity.
The World Economic Forum and Kearney present four plausible scenarios for global travel through 2030, shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, economic volatility, technological disruption and sustainability pressures.
The World Economic Forum's January 2025 briefing paper examines the travel and tourism sector's transformation post-pandemic, forecasting 7% annual spending growth through 2034.