We still like to travel—despite Greta Thunberg’s protestations. In the first three months of 2026, more than 300 million of us packed our swimwear or skis and headed for the airport or train station, an increase of 6 million on 2025. International tourist numbers grew by 2% in the first quarter according to the UN’s Tourism Barometer. Europe, the world’s most popular travel destination, saw a 4% increase.
“What’s not going to change is the desire to travel,” Glenn Fogel, the chief executive of Booking Holdings told me when asked about the future of the sector. Booking owns booking.com, the world’s largest online travel agency, as well as smaller brands including Priceline and Open Table. It is number 169 on the Fortune 500 index.
