Tourism Summit 2025

Helen McDermott

Director of Global Forecasting
Tourism Economics

Helen is a Director of Global Forecasting within Tourism Economics, with more than a decade of experience in economic modelling and consultancy. 

She specializes in tourism forecasting, tourism economic impact analysis including Tourism Satellite Account analysis and providing bespoke scenario analysis which cater to a range of client needs. She also manages the Global Travel Service (GTS) and Global City Travel (GCT) services, which provide timely forecasts of bilateral tourism flows across 185 countries and 300+ cities, as well as other core tourism indicators including overnight stays and tourism spending. 

In addition to her regular forecasting work, Helen also plays a lead role in Tourism Economic’ consultancy services. Helen has taken a lead role in the Oxford Economics Economic Impact Research, produced on behalf of the World Travel & Tourism Council. Helen is also responsible for producing quarterly forecasts for the hotel industry across a range of markets in Europe, the Middle East and Asia in partnership with STR. She has also been instrumental in development of bespoke forecast models for a range of destinations across the Gulf region. This has incorporated forecast analysis for hotel developments to aid planning decisions as well as to allow custom scenario analysis of external shocks as well as destination developments and events.