Knowledge documents
06 October 2025
Travel & Tourism 2035: Solving the Future Workforce Shortfall
Knowledge documents
06 October 2025
Adventure tourism
Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism
Cultural tourism
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The World Travel & Tourism Council's report reveals that the sector will support 91 million new jobs by 2035, but a shortfall of 43 million workers highlights the need for urgent workforce planning. Demographic and structural shifts challenge the sector's ability to capitalize on its growth potential.
Travel And Tour World
Travel And Tour World
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Albania
Armenia
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
EU-27
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
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Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
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Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Türkiye
Ukraine
Other
Academic / Research and VET Institutions
Business Support Organisation
Company with 250 or more employees
Cluster Organisations
Consumer Organisations
Cultural and Heritage Organisations
Destination Management & Marketing Organisations
EU Institutions
Financial Institutions and Investors
Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce
International Organisations
Local Authorities
Media / Journalist Organisations
National authorities
Networks and Federations / Confederations
NGOs / Non-profits
Notified Bodies
Regional Authorities
SMEs (a company with less than 250 employees)
Social Economy Entity
Trade Unions
Other
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Specific types of tourism
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Adventure tourism
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Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism
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Cultural tourism
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Ecotourism
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Education tourism
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Festival tourism
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Gastronomy tourism
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Health and medical tourism
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MICE tourism
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Mountain tourism
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Religious tourism
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Rural tourism
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Sports tourism
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Urban/city tourism
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Wellness tourism
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Transition Pathway Strategic Areas
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Changes in tourism demand and opportunities
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Equal and fair tourism jobs
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Pact for skills
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Skills needs for twin transition
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Tourism strategies
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Training opportunities
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Business activities
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Activities of amusement parks and theme parks
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Activities of associations and other organisations supporting tourism
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Air passenger transport
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Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks
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Events catering and other food services
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Festivals, cultural and entertainment activities
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Gardens and nature reserves activities
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Holiday Housing / Apartments and other short stay accommodation
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Hotel and similar accommodation
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Mobile beverage services
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Mobile food services
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Museums
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Operation of historical sites
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Other
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Other accommodation
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Other amusement and recreation activities
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Other food and beverage services
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Other holiday reservation services
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Other tourism transportation activities
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Rail Passenger transport
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Recreational and sport activities
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Restaurants, cafes and bars (Food and Beverage serving activities)
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Road passenger transport
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Tour operator activities
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Travel agency activities
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Water (sea, coastal and inland) passenger transport
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The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has released a pivotal report during its 25th Global Summit in Rome, uncovering that by 2035, the travel and tourism sector is projected to support an unprecedented 91 million new roles, amounting to one in three of all new global jobs. However, demographic changes and shrinking working-age populations pose a serious challenge, potentially leading to a workforce deficit of 43 million people.
This shortfall underscores the importance of strategic workforce planning and collaboration between governments, educators, and industry stakeholders to fill these gaps. As unemployment declines and the demand for tourism workers rises, particularly in low-skilled roles, both urgent action and innovative solutions are needed to sustain the sector’s growth.
To delve deeper into these projections and recommendations, the original article offers a comprehensive exploration of the sector's future workforce challenges. For more details, visit the full WTTC report.
#Tourism development #Stakeholder engagement #Empowerment #Innovation in tourism #Adaptation strategies #Reports
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