The Economic Forum, estimates that by 2034, the contribution of tourism and world GDP trips will reach the 16 billion dollars and will mean more than 11 % of the global economy. However, the sector faces complex challenges, such as the tension between visitors and residents, possible global disruptions and its impact on nature. The World Economic Forum report, “Travel and Tourism at a turning point: principles for transformative growth”, identifies the trends, challenges and opportunities that will mark the course of the sector in the coming years.
According to this analysis, this growth will require an investment of great magnitude in infrastructure, it is estimated that it will be necessary to build about 7 Millions of new hotel rooms and starting 15 millions of additional flights perñeither. In additiontos, beto indispensable to allocate resources to roads, airport networks, land transport, energyYoAS renewable, technologyYoDigital and TrainingeitherN personnel, to sustain the growing demand.
Challenges and opportunities
Residents of emblematic cities from different countries have starred in protests against the massification of tourism, in which they have shown their dissatisfaction with the mass increase of visitors. In response, many cities have implemented entry rates and access restrictions on emblematic places to better manage tourism.
However, despite the tensions and threats derived from massification and environmental impact, tourism remains essential for the global economy, not only supports numerous companies and communities, but also plays a fundamental role in the labor market, in 2024 it contributed approximately ((Link: External ||| https: //www.worldbank.org/en/topic/competiveness/brief/tourism-and-compeitiveness “>)
In addition, according to the report data, not all destinations suffer from that saturation; Many remain underutilized and could benefit from a tourist growth aligned with sustainability and local development.
The report indicates that Asia emerges as the most dynamic tourist economy on the planet; His direct contribution to the regional tourist GDP could exceed 7 % in 2034. India and China are emerging as the true engines of this growth, since it is expected that, in 2030, more than 25 represents % of all outgoing international trips in the world. Other emerging economies also highlight, such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia or Saudi Arabia, which are aggressively investing in infrastructure, destinations and connectivity to capture part of this millionaire flow of travelers.
According to the World Economic Forum report, sustainable tourism is only possible if both visitors and local communities are considered. It is not about limiting trips, but about rethinking the model so that the benefit is mutual. The key is to diversify experiences, decentralize tourism and open opportunities in less visited regions, thus favoring local development and investment.
Environmental impact
As the global demand diversifies, the so -called specialized segments such as ecotourism or sports tourism grow. For example, ecotourism experiences a rise close to 14 % annual, while sports tourism is already projected as a 1.7 industry billion deitherLares by 2032. These niches represent a formidable veineitherMica, but alsoandn forces to rethink the regulatory structures and the sustainability of the Turrender entrepreneurshipYoStico.
And precisely that is where, in the opinion of the World Economic Forum, the great challenge of the sector lies: the environmental impact. Today, travel and tourism generate about 8 % of global emissions of co₂and without mitigation measureseithern that figure couldYoto rise to 15 % in 2034. To this is added the growing pressureeithern on natural resources: it is projected that the waste generated by tourists will be able toYoto reach 205 millions of tons toñOr, what represents the 7 % of waste seitherGlobal Lidos.
It is evident that transforming projected growth in the report, in sustainable and responsible progress will require deep rethinking. The sector must boost a reinvestment in clean energy, efficient transport, sustainable infrastructure and regenerative tourism practices. Likewise, the public-private alliances that manage to reconcile economic profitability with the protection of the environment will be fundamental.
For one of these paths, tourism can become an even more powerful lever for global economic recovery and a decisive catalyst for employment and development. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the sector is expanding at a 1.5 -time rhythm higher than the global economy. But at the same time, it compromises the climate and environmental future if it is not properly managed.
Sustainable transformation and innovation
Various destinations have managed to reinvent their tourist model towards more sustainable proposals. For example, in Costa Rica, it has opted for ecotourism, integrating natural reserves and educational experiences for visitors. Iceland, on the other hand, limits access to certain sensitive areas and promotes renewable energy as a main source of supply.
Technology is also transforming the way tourism is traveled and managed. Digital tools allow monitoring visitor flows, optimizing routes and reducing the environmental impact. Mobile applications facilitate access to information on sustainable practices, ecological routes and responsible accommodation. In addition, Big Data and artificial intelligence are helping to provide trends and needs, facilitating informed decision making by authorities and companies.
The construction of tourist accommodations has a great environmental impact. The certification of sustainable hotels, the use of renewable energy, the reduction of plastics and the supply of proximity products are part of the strategies that are adopting the hotels and hostels committed to sustainability.
In some cases collaborative alliances are already being promoted between energy and hotel companies to implement measures that facilitate more sustainable management of hotel centers. This is the case of the agreement achieved by Naturgy energy with Abba Hotels in 2022, for the acquisition of energy from renewable sources, with the objective, in the medium and long term of approaching a balance between the energy consumed and compensated energy.
In short, in the opinion of the Economic Forum, tourism is at a turning point. If international policies manage to square the equation between economic growth, investment, innovation and sustainability, the 30 000 million planned trips couldYoto become not only an extraordinary figure, but a unique opportunity to redefine a Tur modelYobalanced and regenerative sticus. Without that strategy turnandGico, the carbon footprint, the degradationeitherN of ecosystems and the increase in waste threatens to convert that quantitative boom into a qualitative global scale problem.