The World Economic Forum’s latest tourism index shows African markets making gains in cultural resources, digital readiness and tourism prioritisation as global travel conditions strengthen. North Africa, MENA, and Southern, Eastern and Western Africa stand out for different areas of tourism performance.
Bonface Orucho, bird story agency
African tourism markets are recording gains in cultural resources, digital readiness and tourism prioritisation as global travel conditions reach their strongest level since 2019.
The latest World Economic Forum index shows different parts of the continent strengthening different parts of their tourism economies, with MENA among the fastest-improving regions globally and Southern, Eastern and Western Africa showing strong tourism-related economic impact.
The 2026 Travel & Tourism Development Index found that 101 of 110 economies improved their scores between 2024 and 2026, with the average score rising 2.1%, the fastest pace of improvement since 2019.
“The latest Travel & Tourism Development Index shows that the enabling conditions for travel and tourism are at their strongest since the pandemic, with 92% of economies improving since 2024,” according to Ramya Krishnaswamy, Head of Experience Economy and Cities at the World Economic Forum.
Global gains were driven by stronger cultural resources, tourism infrastructure and services, air connectivity and business travel.
Japan retained the top position, followed by the United States, Spain, Australia and France, with advanced economies occupying nine of the top 10 positions.
Asia-Pacific recorded the strongest regional improvement, with its average score rising 3.6% between 2024 and 2026. MENA followed at 2.5%, ahead of Europe and Eurasia at 1.8% and the Americas at 1.6%.
African markets recorded their strongest gains in specific tourism development areas rather than across the continent as a whole. The WEF identifies ICT Readiness, Prioritization of Travel & Tourism and Cultural Resources among the areas where markets across the continent are making progress.
North Africa stands out in the cultural tourism data. Its Cultural Resources score increased 18% between 2024 and 2026, the second-largest subregional increase globally, after South-East Asia’s 26.5%.
The gain comes as demand for cultural and entertainment experiences grows, with online searches for attractions such as heritage sites, gastronomy, museums and festivals increasing about 15% over the same period.
Cultural Resources was also the fastest-improving pillar globally, rising 9.6% between 2024 and 2026. More than 95% of the 110 economies recorded an improvement.
The WEF link the increase partly to growing demand for cultural and entertainment experiences. Online demand for such attractions increased by about 15% between 2024 and 2026.
MENA’s overall 2.5% improvement was supported by gains in Cultural Resources, Tourist Services and Infrastructure and T&T Demand Sustainability. The region’s performance puts it among the fastest-improving tourism markets globally.
Digital readiness is another area of progress across African markets. Globally, ICT Readiness increased 3.2% between 2024 and 2026, with 91% of economies recording gains.
Emerging and developing economies recorded a 4.9% improvement in ICT Readiness, compared with 1.6% among advanced economies. The WEF measures the pillar through indicators including internet use, broadband access, mobile network coverage, digital payments and electricity reliability.
The shift matters for tourism businesses as digital platforms increasingly influence how travellers discover destinations, make bookings, pay for services and share experiences.
Tourism is also receiving greater policy attention. Government spending on travel and tourism as a share of total public spending has increased 7.6% since 2019, according to the WEF.
At subregional level, Southern, Eastern and Western Africa recorded relatively strong scores for T&T Socioeconomic Impact. The result comes despite continued weaknesses in areas including health and hygiene, tourism infrastructure, air transport and non-leisure resources.
The measure captures tourism’s contribution to employment and the wider economy. The WEF’s 2024 index found that the African region covered by its regional classification had the highest regional score on this measure.
The 2024 index had also found that tourism generated more than 21% more jobs for every direct tourism position in the region than the TTDI average. More than 43% of the tourism workforce was employed in segments classified as relatively high wage.
Natural resources provide another area of opportunity for African destinations. The global Natural Resources pillar increased 4.1% between 2024 and 2026, with 96% of economies improving their scores.
The WEF identifies nature-based tourism as a growth opportunity for emerging and developing economies because it can spread tourism activity beyond major urban centres and into rural areas.
The broader tourism market is expanding alongside these improvements. International tourist arrivals reached 1.5 billion in 2025, up 5% from 2024 and 4.4% above the 2019 level, with the strongest growth recorded in the Middle East and Africa.
Travel and tourism generated US$11.6 trillion in global economic contribution in 2025, up 4.1% year-on-year and 8.7% above 2019. The sector supported 366 million jobs worldwide.
Tourism infrastructure is also improving. Tourist Services and Infrastructure increased 9.2% globally between 2024 and 2026, while Air Transport Infrastructure rose 7.2%, with more than 90% of economies improving in both pillars.
Air capacity expanded at the same time, with available domestic and international airline seat kilometres increasing 18.7%. Airport connectivity increased 8.5% over the period.
The gains come alongside rising pressure on tourism businesses and destinations. Travel became less affordable in three out of four economies between 2024 and 2026, while tourism investment failed to keep pace with rising demand in several markets.
Labour shortages are emerging as a constraint on growth. The WEF found that benefits reaching local communities weakened during the period, showing that higher visitor numbers do not automatically translate into better livelihoods or higher-quality jobs.
Emerging tourism economies are nevertheless closing part of the gap with established markets. Since 2019, the largest emerging economies have improved their TTDI scores more than twice as fast as the Top 20 economies.
“Tourism is a major part of the global economy, and the TTDI makes clear that resilience is what keeps that value intact when conditions change,” according to Cara Morton, CEO Global Businesses and Operations at Zurich Insurance Group.
bird story agency
Useful link for editors:
https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Travel_and_Tourism_Development_Index_2026.pdf
