Cannes_2026_WEDNESDAY_ISSUE_DIGITAL

G lobal travel demand is proving more resilient than the headlines might suggest, but beneath the headline passenger numbers, significant shifts are reshaping where people travel, how they travel and how the industry should respond. That was the central message fromMarina Giuliano, Vice President Brands, Retailers and Media, Amadeus, in yesterday’s ‘Travel outlook: Beyond the headlines’ workshop. “The data shows that travel is often more resilient than the headlines suggest,” said Giuliano. International departures increased by 1% in the first half of 2026 despite declines in Africa and the Middle East, with global growth expected to strengthen to around 4% in the second half. Europe is forecast to lead that growth at 5%, followed by Asia Pacific at 3%, while the Americas, Africa and Middle East are each expected to grow by around 2%. But the growth picture is far from uniform. Changing route networks are reshaping the role of major transfer hubs, while emerging source markets are creating new passenger flows. Italy and Spain are forecast to grow by 7% in the second half of 2026, Travel outlook: Beyond the headlines In yesterday afternoon’s workshop – ‘Travel outlook: Beyond the headlines’ – Marina Giuliano, Vice President Brands, Retailers and Media at Amadeus, explored the forces reshaping global mobility, from changing traveller behaviour and route recovery to emerging demand hotspots. while Poland, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brazil and Thailand are also showing strong momentum. “Growth is therefore varied and coming from a wider and more diverse set of markets,” Giuliano said. “Understanding the composition and direction of that growth will be as important as measuring its scale.” For brands and operators, she suggested, this means asking whether “yesterday’s key locations will still be the same as tomorrow’s” and whether “yesterday’s key travellers will still be tomorrow’s key travellers”. Traveller behaviour is changing too. Travellers are becoming “more experience-driven, value-conscious and selective”, exploring destinations beyond traditional hotspots and travelling more flexibly throughout the year. Authentic experiences are increasingly important, from live music and sporting events to destinations associated with popular culture. Amadeus’ Travel Dreams research reinforces the shift towards personalisation. Some 74% of travellers surveyed said personalisation is important, while a quarter want to build their own trip from a menu of options rather than choose a standard package. “The behaviour, not the product, is the point,” said Giuliano. Travellers are willing to spend when an offer “saves them time, feels chosen for them, or fits the moment they are in”. Geopolitical disruption adds another layer of complexity. Changes to air routes can redirect passengers through alternative hubs, alter airline capacity and change the nationality and destination mix. “Headline passenger numbers are therefore not enough,” Giuliano stressed. Businesses should monitor booking data, route changes, airline capacity, transfer patterns and nationality trends to anticipate shifts before they become visible in traditional indicators. Booking data, she noted, provides “a near-real-time window into future passenger flows”. For travel retailers, the opportunity is to translate those signals into faster decisions around inventory, staffing, assortment and promotions. Looking ahead, premium and affluent travellers – particularly from Asia Pacific – represent an important opportunity, alongside transfer traffic, which now accounts for more than one-third of international departures. The challenge is agility: “The competitive advantage will come from closing the gap between identifying a demand shift and responding operationally.” For travel retail, the message is clear: understanding not simply howmany people are travelling, but who they are, where they are going and what matters to them, will be increasingly important in turning resilient global mobility into sustainable commercial growth. In yesterday afternoon’s ‘Travel outlook: Beyond the headlines’ workshop – moderated by Lucia Ranz, Conference Project Manager, TFWA – Marina Giuliano, Vice President Brands, Retailers and Media, Amadeus, explored the forces reshaping global mobility, from changing traveller behaviour and route recovery to emerging demand hotspots. Scan the QR code to share your feedback on yesterday’s ‘Travel outlook: Beyond the headlines’ workshop. The survey only takes a fewminutes to complete. Wednesday 30 September 2026 8 T F W A D A I L Y