ITB Berlin and IPK International: Stable international travel, holidays dominate | News
Shortly before the start of ITB Berlin from March 3 to 5, 2026, the international travel industry sends a clear signal: year-on-year, international travel worldwide will increase by four percent in 2025.
The latest findings from IPK International’s World Travel Monitor® confirm the continued upward trend of recent years, with increases back in the single digits. Strong international tourism growth rates are once again approaching pre-pandemic levels.
Stable demand from Europe – different trends in North and South America
In 2025, there were regional differences in international travel. Outbound travel in Europe increased by four percent, in line with the global average. North America, on the other hand, recorded a slight decline: year-on-year travel was minus one percent. Despite this slight decline, the US remained the country with the highest level of international travel worldwide – ahead of Germany and Britain. At five percent, international travel from Asia showed moderate, slightly above-average growth. The South American market was particularly dynamic, with outbound traffic increasing by 11 percent, the strongest growth of any region. This was mainly caused by a significant increase in intracontinental travel.
High satisfaction in Arabic destinations
As part of the World Travel Monitor® and to establish IPK’s Destination Performance Index (DPI), travel satisfaction, advice and return intention are surveyed and analyzed for all international leisure travel worldwide. The winners in 2025 were again Dubai, ahead of Abu Dhabi, the Bahamas and Brazil. In Dubai, the categories of service, accommodation and weather received the highest ratings. Sustainability received the most negative ratings in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Switzerland leads the European rankings, just ahead of Austria. Both destinations achieved above-average results in the field of landscape and nature.
Holidays dominate – MICE is making a strong recovery
Nearly three-quarters of all international trips worldwide by 2025 were leisure trips: this segment grew by four percent, in line with the global average. Sun and beach holidays remained at the top of the list, which is also reflected in the most popular destinations: Spain again recorded the most international trips in 2025. In addition, tours and nature holidays achieved above-average growth, while event and wellness trips fell slightly. At six percent, business travel grew above average in 2025 and returned to 2019 levels for the first time. MICE traffic in particular grew strongly, by eight percent.
Increase in travel time and expenses
By 2025, the average duration of international travel will have increased slightly to currently around nine nights. This was mainly due to the high share of air travel and the recovery of long-distance travel. What was also striking was the above-average growth in train traffic.
Spending per trip also showed an above-average increase in 2025, with a year-on-year increase of five percent. The majority of this concerned housing. On average, transportation accounted for about a quarter of travel spending, while significantly smaller amounts were spent on food and activities at destinations.
Also positive prospects for 2026
There are many indications that demand for international travel will remain largely unchanged in 2026. Available data suggests that basic travel behavior will remain broadly stable and growth rates will return to pre-pandemic levels. Nevertheless, issues such as overtourism and lack of sustainability continue to worry travelers and open up new possibilities for destinations both small and large.
Against the backdrop of dynamic developments in America, ITB continues to expand its international presence. With the new ITB Americas, which will take place for the first time in Guadalajara, Mexico from November 10 to 12 this year, the ITB brand is setting up a B2B trade fair for the entire American continent – from North America, Central America, Latin America to the Caribbean. In doing so, ITB is capitalizing on the region’s growing importance in the global travel industry, while reiterating its claim as the world’s leading platform for the international travel industry.
At the ITB Berlin Convention 2026 from March 3 to 5, trade visitors will gain practical insights into the future of tourism. With the slogan ‘Leading Tourism into Balance’, the emphasis will be on harmonizing growth, innovation and sustainability. On 17 theme tracks and on four live stages, experts from companies such as Airbnb, Expedia, Phocuswright, Google, Booking.com, G Adventures, Microsoft, TUI and many more will present current trends, digital innovations and sustainable strategies for the industry.
Online accreditation for press representatives and bloggers/creators
You can now register online here. Take the accreditation guidelines into account. Once your application has been processed and approved, you will receive an email with a PDF containing your accreditation, press badge and a personal QR code. Show this QR code at the entrance. Your ticket is not transferable. You can register and obtain accreditation online 24 hours a day for the entire duration of the event.
About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention and ITB 360°
ITB Berlin 2026 will take place from Tuesday 3 to Thursday 5 March as a B2B event. Since 1966, ITB Berlin has been the leading trade fair for the global travel industry. In 2026 it will celebrate its 60th anniversary under the motto “Discover the stories behind 60 years of heritage.” In parallel, the ITB Berlin Convention will take place under the theme ‘Leading Tourism into Balance’, bringing together 400 top speakers from business, science and politics on four stages and across 17 thematic tracks to explore the key challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the industry. At ITB Berlin 2025, 5,800 exhibitors from more than 170 countries and territories showed their products and services to almost 100,000 visitors. With ITB 360°, the 365-day global innovation center ITB Berlin now offers the global tourism community year-round insights in the form of specialist articles, podcasts and other innovative formats.
Additional information is available at www.itb.com and via ITB News & Insights & Social Media.
