The desire to travel is greater than ever; in 2025, international tourism saw more visitors than ever before. While some destinations are celebrating record numbers, others are falling behind. The latest OECD data shows the winners and losers of the global travel boom.
The world is on the move again, and more than ever before. International tourism reached a new record high in 2025. According to the latest report, “OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026,” a total of approximately 847 million international arrivals were recorded in the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development - an increase of 3.4 percent over the previous year.
The OECD figures show a booming travel market, but they also make it clear that the increase is unevenly distributed. While some destinations are celebrating record numbers, growth elsewhere is significantly more subdued.
This growth is particularly evident in many European travel destinations. Compared to 2019, the year before the crisis, Spain, France, Greece, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Slovenia, and Luxembourg, among others, have seen significant increases in the number of international visitors. However, Japan leads the way in global economic development, having posted the strongest growth among OECD countries since 2019.
This trend is continuing even in the short term; Compared to the previous year, Finland, South Korea, Japan, and Norway, in particular, posted strong growth. In addition to improved international connectivity, attractive prices also play a role, for example, through favorable exchange rates or temporarily weaker local currencies, which make travel more affordable for international guests.
Germany's growth is nearly at the previous year's level, placing it slightly below the global growth trend. Nevertheless, the region has stable tourism infrastructure that continues to ensure steady demand.
Tourism is one of Austria's most important economic sectors. According to preliminary data from the OECD, the sector contributed about 4.4 percent to gross domestic product in 2025, matching the previous year's level.
By international standards, Switzerland is a stable destination, though one with less dynamic growth. Since 2019, international arrivals have increased slightly, but remain only moderately above pre-crisis levels. Even compared to the previous year, growth is lower than the OECD average.
Despite the generally positive trend, not all destinations are benefiting equally from the global travel boom. In the U.S., international arrivals have recently declined noticeably. Ireland and Canada also saw slight declines compared with the previous year and, in some cases, are still below 2019 levels.
Go to the report
In its report “OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026,” the OECD analyzes current trends in tourism across 53 OECD and partner countries. In addition to figures on the industry’s economic significance, the study focuses primarily on future-oriented topics, ranging from sustainable growth and crisis resilience to addressing the consequences of climate change and extreme weather events. It also uses international examples to illustrate how destinations and tourism companies are responding to these changing demands.
