Global tourism statistics are completely detached from real life.

We keep seeing headlines bragging about how global tourism numbers are up by 5% and breaking records everywhere. Honestly, I don't buy the logic or the hype.
Everywhere you look, inflation is destroying purchasing power. Jet fuel is expensive, flights cost a fortune, and regular people are squeezing their budgets to the bare minimum. People are cutting their trips short, skipping restaurants, or delaying vacations until September just to survive the prices.
You cannot tell me that "tourism is booming" while the average human being is struggling to afford a basic week away.
These 5% growth statistics don't mean regular people are traveling more. It just means the ultra-rich are taking three times as many luxury trips, skewing the numbers for the rest of us. The average person's travel reality is getting worse, not better.