BRUSSELS, Belgium, 30 June 2025: With a surge in Asian outbound travel, the sustained strength of the US market, and a solid Q1 2025 performance for GHA brands, tourism has been on an upward trajectory for Global Hotel Alliance members, a worldwide alliance of independent hotel brands.
The alliance’s annual CEO summit, convened last week in Brussels, brought together leaders from across its portfolio of more than 45 hotel brands to explore the evolving landscape of global travel — and the outlook was unanimously optimistic.
Hosted at the new Corinthia Hotel Brussels, the event welcomed over 30 CEOs and senior representatives from GHA hotel brands worldwide.
“We are operating in a volatile global environment, but as an industry, we have learned to adapt and stay agile in response to these fluctuations, and therefore remain optimistic,” said Global Hotel Alliance CEO Chris Hartley. “Travel demand is rising, particularly in the luxury and upscale segments where we specialise, and the strength of our alliance — driven by our loyalty platform, GHA Discovery — positions our brands to capitalise on this momentum, particularly as many emerging growth markets are yet to reach their full potential.”
Hartley moderated the event’s headline panel discussion, ‘Navigating the Future of Travel’, which included key insights from Corinthia Group Managing Director & Group CEO Simon Naudi; Kempinski Hotels Group CEO Barbara Muckermann; Minor Hotels Group CEO Dillip Rajakarier; and Pan Pacific Hotels Group CEO Choe Peng Sum.
Hartley’s tourism landscape snapshot cited UN Tourism data that revealed more than 300 million tourists travelled globally in Q1 2025, up 5% from Q1 2024 and 3% ahead of pre-pandemic levels. The robust performance came despite the sector facing a range of geopolitical and trade tensions, as well as high inflation in the travel and tourism services sector.
Europe, long a bellwether for global travel trends, welcomed 125 million international arrivals from January to March, a 2% rise over 2024, led by markets like Spain, which posted 9% growth, while Turkey (+7%), Greece, Italy and Portugal (all +4%) also saw healthy Q1 2025 growth, while France reported a 6% increase for the period, according to the May 2025 World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism.
Strong performance in Europe
The 363 properties operated by 17 GHA hotel brands in Europe delivered USD1.1 billion in revenue from GHA Discovery loyalty members in 2024. European members were among the most active, spending USD733 million on the continent and USD417 million further afield.
Across the board, the US market was cited as the top international source of guests. All four CEOs confirmed that US travellers were the single largest contributor to their hotel revenues.
“One-third of our customers are from the US, and this will remain a key market for us going forward,” revealed Naudi. “But we’re also focused on new markets in Asia. India and China have huge outbound potential, and we’re seeing more affluent travellers from these markets coming to Europe.”
Asia is rising, led by China and India
Q1 2025 data from UN Tourism showed a 12% year-on-year increase in international arrivals to Asia and the Pacific, the fastest of any region. Panellists agreed that the burgeoning middle classes in China and India with an appetite for “experiences and exploration”, represent an enormous opportunity.
“The China and India outbound markets are exploding,” said Pan Pacific’s Choe Peng Sum. “Unless you know how to tap into those markets, particularly the FIT sector, you’ll miss out. That’s where the alliance can help. We can pivot, we can be nimble – and that’s key.”
Minor Hotels Group CEO Dillip Rajakarier added: “GHA Discovery offers simplicity, choice, and value; guests can choose from 850 unique hotels around the world and earn Discovery Dollars (D$) instead of complicated points, and that keeps them in the ecosystem, spending and staying with the growing number of hotels in the loyalty programme.”
Expansion in key global markets
All four CEOs shared significant expansion plans. Corinthia recently opened hotels in New York, Bucharest and Brussels, with Rome to follow later this year. Kempinski remains the leading luxury brand in Germany, with a history and heritage that resonates with clients in the US, the Middle East and the UK in particular. Minor Hotels, already Europe’s largest operator in Spain, is adding 30 hotels across the region, while Pan Pacific is using its high-performing London flagship as a launchpad for further European growth.
Muckermann noted that while global headwinds exist, the outlook is positive: “Whenever there’s uncertainty, there are opportunities. We are not seeing a slowdown in travel; in fact, we believe the next five years will be exceptionally strong for our industry. China is a sleeping giant, and it’s waking up.”
Outlook for 2025 and beyond
All indicators point to sustained travel growth, with UN Tourism sticking to its January projection of 3% to 5% growth in international arrivals for 2025, noted Hartley.
GHA is aligned – having posted record results in 2024 with USD2.7 billion in hotel stay revenue, this upward trajectory continues in 2025 with Q1 revenue up 15% to USD746 million. Meanwhile, Minor Hotels has reported a record Q1 in 2025, revealed Rajakarier.
The alliance also continues to grow its portfolio. With new brands like Cinnamon Hotels (Sri Lanka), Sunway (Malaysia) and Rotana joining in 2025, GHA is fast approaching the 1,000-property milestone.
