Travel revenue rebounded 11.9% in the third quarter, after a flat first half

The first half of 2026 brought about USD 1.9 billion from travel, slightly down on the same period of 2025. The third quarter then delivered USD 1,864.4 million on its own, almost as much as the preceding six months combined, and 11.9% more than the summer of 2025. Add them together and the January-September figure is USD 3,796.1 million, 4.4% above last year. In other words the annual increase that exists today was earned almost entirely between July and September.

It is worth separating the two series that often get quoted together. Visitor numbers count arrivals; travel revenue counts money spent in the country, recorded by the central bank in the balance of payments as an export of services. The two can move in opposite directions, and have done so this year. A quarter can show fewer travellers and more income if the people who come stay longer, book better rooms or travel from further away. For a hotel, guesthouse or tour operator, the revenue line is the one that describes the business.

A single strong quarter is not a trend, and the published figure is national, covering hotels, apartments, restaurants, transport and everything else a visitor pays for. It does not tell you what happened in one building or one town. But it does change how a weak first half should be read: the money was there in summer, and whoever was not capturing it was losing share rather than facing a shrinking market. If your own July-September takings were flat, the comparison to make is against the 11.9% rather than against your own last year.