Strategic Intelligence: Geopolitics in Travel & Tourism (2025)
Summary
The effects of geopolitics can leave a destination in a state of disrepair, with seemingly no end to the suffering being experienced. However, by increasing tourism, the economy can benefit directly and the destination will be more likely to receive investment from foreign sources. Tourism has allowed destinations to bounce back quickly, especially following geopolitical incidents.
Scope
- This report analyzes the key theme of geopolitics in the travel and tourism sector.
- This report provides an insight into key trends, challenges, and recommendations, as well as providing concrete case studies to help the reader see examples of geopolitics in action.
- Understand the impact of geopolitics on the tourism industry, using case studies to help you understand how you can adapt and understand this theme.
- Assess the strategies that companies are adopting to succeed in the travel and tourism space amid the impacts of geopolitics.
- Discover companies that are leading in the space.
- Analyze real-world trends created by analyzing how geopolitics is affecting the travel & tourism sector.
- GlobalData’s thematic research ecosystem is a single, integrated global research platform that provides an easy-to-use framework for tracking all themes across all companies in all sectors. It has a proven track record of identifying the important themes early, enabling companies to make the right investments ahead of the competition, and secure that all-important competitive advantage.
- Executive Summary
- Players
- Thematic Briefing
- Trends
- Trends contributing to geopolitics
- Negative destination trends
- Unintended opportunities
- Niche tourism trends
- Industry Analysis
- Consumer sentiment analysis
- Impacts
- Volatility in visitor flows due to diplomatic tensions
- Visa restrictions and retaliatory policies
- Currency fluctuations from trade wars
- Reduced aviation connectivity
- The shift in global tourist flows to ‘neutral’ destinations
- Diminished foreign direct investment in tourism infrastructure
- Challenges
- Navigating sanctions and blacklists
- Price instability from tariff-imposed goods
- Over-reliance on politically sensitive source markets
- Difficulty forecasting demand amid political noise
- Undermining of global brand trust
- Delays in cross-border infrastructure development
- Recommendations
- Engage in proactive public diplomacy through tourism
- Monitor and model tariff-related cost implications
- Invest in domestic and regional tourism resilience
- Leverage digital and decentralized marketing channels
- Encourage bilateral tourism diplomacy despite trade friction
- Develop local supply chains to reduce tariff exposure
- Country risk analysis
- Yemen
- Syria
- Iran
- Venezuela
- Malawi
- Case studies
- The 2025 US tariff surge and its ripple effects on global travel and hospitality
- Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and tourism as soft power
- India–Pakistan tourism under bilateral tensions
- UAE–Qatar diplomatic crisis and airspace closure
- Japan-South Korea trade and travel dispute
- Timeline
- Signals
- M&A trends
- Company filing trends
- Social media trends
- Sustainable tourism
- Museums
- Artificial intelligence
- Value Chain
- Challenges
- Trade wars
- Nuclear weapons
- Land disputes
- Cyberattacks
- Military tensions
- Domestic disputes
- Migration
- Globalization
- Media platforms
- Nationalist movements
- Terrorism and conflict
- Outcomes
- Hindrance of tourism development
- Visa restrictions on global travel
- Border closures
- Whitewashing
- Destruction of attractions
- Xenophobia
- Increased fear over safety and security
- Drivers
- Tourism and events used to increase political power
- Regional integration
- Dark tourism
- Cultural and heritage tourism
- Companies
- Public companies
- Private companies
- Sector Scorecards
- Airlines sector scorecard
- Who’s who
- Thematic screen
- Valuation screen
- Risk screen
- Travel intermediaries sector scorecard
- Who’s who
- Thematic screen
- Valuation screen
- Risk screen
- Glossary
- Further Reading
- GlobalData reports
- Our Thematic Research Methodology
- About GlobalData
- Contact Us
- List of Tables
- Table 1: Trends contributing to geopolitics
- Table 2: Negative destination trends
- Table 3: Unintended opportunities
- Table 4: Niche tourism trends
- Table 5: M&A trends
- Table 6: Public companies
- Table 7: Private companies
- Table 8: Glossary
- Table 9: GlobalData reports
- List of Figures
- Figure 1: Who are the leading players in the geopolitics theme, and where do they sit in the value chain?
- Figure 2: Which factors help you decide where to go on holiday?
- Figure 3: Yemen has the highest total index score globally
- Figure 4: Syria has the second-highest total index score globally
- Figure 5: Iran has the third-highest total index score globally
- Figure 6: Venezuela has the fourth-highest total index score globally
- Figure 7: Malawi has the fifth-highest total index score globally
- Figure 8: The geopolitics story
- Figure 9: Geopolitics mentions peaked in 2020
- Figure 10: Trendline chart
- Figure 11: The geopolitics value chain
- Figure 12: Who does what in the airlines space?
- Figure 13: Thematic screen - Airlines sector scorecard
- Figure 14: Valuation screen - Airlines sector scorecard
- Figure 15: Risk screen - Airlines sector scorecard
- Figure 16: Who does what in the travel intermediaries space?
- Figure 17: Thematic screen - Travel intermediaries sector scorecard
- Figure 18: Valuation screen - Travel intermediaries sector scorecard
- Figure 19: Risk screen - Travel intermediaries sector scorecard
- Figure 20: Our five-step approach for generating a sector scorecard
Research Assistance
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