As world journey rebounds, the quickest development is going on past the same old tourism heavyweights – from Ethiopia to Bhutan.
Greater than 1.5 billion worldwide vacationers travelled overseas in 2025, setting the stage for a record-breaking 2026. In response to the newest World Tourism Barometer revealed by UN Tourism, worldwide arrivals grew 4% globally, starting to match the pre-pandemic development common of round 5% per 12 months between 2009 and 2019.
Whereas Europe remained the world’s most visited area, welcoming almost 800 million arrivals and posting a strong 6% development over 2024, the locations recording the quickest development weren’t the same old headliners. Brazil noticed arrivals surge by 37%, Egypt by 20%, Ethiopia by 15% and Bhutan by 30%. Even the Seychelles, a tiny archipelago off East Africa, recorded a 13% improve.
“These nations fall right into a rising class of high-identity, rising locations which might be now not area of interest however not but saturated,” stated Steven Vigor, CEO of journey advisory agency Revigorate. “Extra travellers at the moment are drawn to distinctive tradition, landscapes and the probabilities of discovery, so nations with a robust id and first rate entry are clear winners.”
To grasp what’s driving this shift – and the way locations are managing the inflow whereas staying aware of overtourism – we spoke with tourism authorities and business operators throughout a number of of the fastest-growing nations.
Egypt
With a 20% leap in worldwide arrivals over 2025, Egypt emerged as one of many strongest performers within the Center East, a area that has seen among the world’s quickest post-pandemic tourism development. In response to tour operators, the largest driver has been the long-awaited opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum close to the Pyramids of Giza.
