“Portugal’s Travel & Tourism Sector Enters Golden Era.” “Travel & Tourism in Poland Set to Surpass Economic Records.” “France Set to Maintain Unmatched 2024 Growth in Travel & Tourism.” The World Travel and Tourism Council’s news and press release page is chock full of articles highlighting one fact: the world’s most visited destinations are overwhelmed with tourists, and the postpandemic tourism boom doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Global travel was already swelling in 2024, when international travel reached 99% of its prepandemic levels, according to UN Tourism’s World Tourism Barometer. In the first quarter of 2025, international tourist arrivals increased by 5% compared to the first quarter of 2024 and 3% compared to the first quarter of 2019.
