It’s no secret that tour operators have had to do many layoffs in the past year to survive the crisis. Many laid-off workers have found new jobs outside the travel industry, which is resulting in a new challenge: companies in the tourism sector now struggle to find staff.
The Great Divide: three forces splitting the multi-day tour operator market in 2026
Insights from Arival’s 569-operator survey and our recent virtual panel with ETOA, TourAxis, and Lemax. Going into 2026, 78% of multi-day tour operators told Arival they were optimistic. Though, fewer than half delivered growth in 2025. About one in four saw performance dip. And the operators pulling away from the pack are doing three things






































![[WEBINAR] What are You Doing Now to Prepare for the New Travel Demand?](https://lemax.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/webinar-new-travel-demand-278x170.jpg)


![[Infographic] Post-Covid Travel: Growth in Tour Operator and Travel Agency Services Demand](https://lemax.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/travel-agency-traveler-trends-Covid-19-1-278x170.png)
