At the International Tourism Fair Madagascar, ForwardKeys’ Olivier Ponti shared the latest insights into global and regional travel trends — revealing a bright outlook for the island nation, but also key areas for strategic improvement.
International air connectivity is on the rise globally, with capacity up +7% for July–September 2025 vs 2024. Southern and Eastern Africa are seeing particularly strong growth, driven by new routes and increased airline activity.
For Madagascar, the picture is promising:
- Travel intent from key international markets is rising sharply;
- Emirates has become the second-largest airline to Madagascar;
- Nosy-Be and Antananarivo are seeing strong double-digit booking growth.
However, the destination remains highly dependent on a limited number of hubs and just 11 direct international routes. There is significant untapped potential in underserved and unserved markets — where demand exists, but connectivity does not yet follow.
Families and couples dominate the growing inbound market and longer stays are becoming more common — including more premium bookings. These trends highlight Madagascar’s appeal to high-value travellers seeking immersive, nature-driven experiences.
To explore the full insights from the presentation, download the slides below.


