Travel

Retail sales of bookings continued to grow strongly in constant value terms in 2023. This rebound was driven largely due to pent-up demand, as well as strong growth in domestic tourism and the rising popularity of staycations by domestic travellers.…

After two challenging years due to the pandemic and uncertainties in the industry in early 2022 following the emergence of a new variant of COVID-19, the hotel sector in Brazil is experiencing a positive outlook, especially from the second half of…

Hostels, especially those in more remote areas of the country, are embracing current tourism trends by catering to the evolving preferences of backpackers. Beyond just accommodation, hostels are incorporating experiences that immerse travellers in…

Lodging fared better in 2022 than had been expected and continues to perform well in 2023. 2020 and 2021 were a disaster for the hotel industry, with occupancy rates of 38% and 48% respectively, according to INSEE – French official statistics. The…

In 2023, the hotel occupancy rate has again shown an increase, although it has not yet recovered to the figure seen in 2019, immediately before the outbreak of COVID-19. However, several cities in Central Java, such as Solo City, have recorded…

Hotels in the Philippines continued to bounce back in 2023, with the number of room nights being close to pre-pandemic levels. The sector suffered during the pandemic, due to mobility restrictions, with resulted in some hotels closing for business on…

The tourism sector in Brazil is experiencing a more favourable outlook in 2023, after the World Health Organization declared the end of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern related to COVID-19. In June 2023, the National Health…

At the end of 2022, the national government approved a visa for digital nomads, allowing foreigners to work remotely or offer their services from Colombia. This visa enables them to reside in the country while engaging in remote work for up to 24…

After an impressive recovery in 2022 as COVID-19 fears subsided, tourism flows have continued to post strong growth in 2023. There are no longer any restrictions in place while the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be over…

In 2023, tourism flows are expected to show a significant increase compared to 2022. This has already been seen in the first quarter of 2023. Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, Timor Leste and India were still the countries that made the largest…

Inbound arrivals (in terms of number of trips) continued to recover in 2023, having recorded triple-digit growth over the previous year. This followed the easing of all remaining international travel restrictions, including COVID-19 test…

Following years of pandemic-related restrictions and industry uncertainties, 2023 marks the definitive resurgence of travel and tourism in Brazil. The World Health Organization has officially declared the end of the Public Health Emergency of…

The year 2023 presented significant challenges for the Colombian tourism industry, driven by a combination of factors including the national economic slowdown, the removal of tax benefits such as VAT exemptions for tourism, the devaluation of the…

France’s travel industry is on the path to recovery in 2023 having already seen strong growth in inbound arrivals in 2022. Admittedly, the context is not ideal with Russia’s war in Ukraine, soaring inflation, and more cautious consumption habits…

The Indonesian travel industry is showing significant expansion in 2023. The main reason behind this growth is the revocation of the PPKM (Community Activities Restrictions Enforcement) policy at the end of 2022, which has resulted in much greater…

The Filipino travel industry continued to recover in 2023, with the volume of inbound arrivals having recorded triple-digit growth over the previous year. This followed the easing of all remaining international travel restrictions, including COVID-19…

After the suspension of the flights of several international airlines to Argentina due to the COVID-19 crisis, many airlines are beginning to recover interest in the country and resuming their flights to Argentina. These include Ethiopian Airlines,…

The number of passengers passing through Belgian airports is expected to continue to rise in 2023, with some categories, such as low cost carriers, exceeding the 2019 pre-COVID-19 pandemic level. Ryanair, the major low cost carrier is set to…

After and unprecedented resurgence in travel in the second half of 2022 and throughout 2023, following the deep collapse of the industry during the pandemic, airlines aim to provide the very best customer service experience in the safest environment…

Airline operators have been severely impacted by the pandemic, leading to the collapse of some airlines and the restructuring of others. As the world moves towards normalcy, there is a slow recovery for airlines, albeit with a different cost…

Air travel appears to be experiencing robust momentum in China as regulations have moved away from lengthy pandemic-related restrictions of the past three years, benefiting both domestic and international airlines. Ticket prices could remain…

Due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions, as well as many consumers not willing to travel as much as before, airlines suffered due to the pandemic in 2020-2021, with the number of passengers and value sales in both years drastically reduced.

Ecuador has witnessed a remarkable expansion of its air routes with the introduction of new airlines alongside the growth of existing ones. One such noteworthy addition is Arajet, a low-cost carrier that commenced operations in the final quarter of…

Airlines suffered heavily due to COVID-19, with passenger numbers at Finnish airports in 2020 dropping to less than one quarter of the level of the previous year. The number of people decreased further in 2021, and, despite triple-digit growth in…

Due to high airport fees at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” (AIA), Ryanair shut down its Athens base in October 2022. The airline withdrew two aircraft between October 29th to March 31st, leading to a reduction of scheduled…

Airlines in Hong Kong started its recovery after the border reopening, and is set to see a rebound back to more than 85% of the pre-COVID-19 level of retail value sales in 2023, with full recovery expected in 2024. Airlines are currently facing…

Russia’s war in Ukraine coupled with the EU’s ambitious Zero Carbon policy continues to put pressure on fuel prices and this has led to a significant increase in the average ticket price for the end consumer. European regulators have introduced new…

Airlines have rebounded strongly in 2023 with sales seeing a full recovery in current value terms while passenger numbers are expected to come close to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. With the pandemic declared over by the World Health…

Airlines is seeing strong growth in 2023 both in terms of the number of passengers but also in terms of value sales. New routes, more connections and a stronger presence in Italy is all fuelling the dynamic growth being recorded by airlines, with…

Airlines is regaining momentum along with deregulation related to COVID-19, and the return of inbound tourism. However, the supply side has not kept pace with this recovery. The process of restoring the business structure is taking time, after many…

Kenya Airways (KQ) has extended its partnership with Kenya Open Golf Limited (KOGL) for an additional two years, reaffirming its role as the Official Airline Partner of the Magical Kenya Open. This collaboration aims to boost tourism in the country,…

Airlines in Malaysia experienced strong growth in terms of domestic flights in 2022 while international air travel is expected to rise significantly in 2023 now that global border restrictions have been lifted. As a result, the number of people…

In late 2021, the New Zealand Government unveiled a phased approach to reopening the country's borders post-pandemic, spanning from July to October. However, prompted by quicker reopening timelines in other nations, the government expedited the…

In February 2023, Globalia Group and International Airlines Group (IAG) reached an agreement for the sale of the entire airline company Air Europa. This closes a long process which began with the pre-agreement adopted in November 2019, later modified…

The number of people travelling via air saw triple-digit growth for the second consecutive year in 2023, with volumes exceeding pre-pandemic levels. The return of tourists from other countries in Asia-Pacific, notably China, was a key contributor to…

Following an uplift in price points in 2022, the rise in flight ticket prices slowed down in 2023 due to stabilising energy prices, high levels of competition on the landscape, and growing flight capacity. However, a return to 2019 prices is not…

Following a steep decline in 2020, and a slow 2021, airlines in the US truly began their recovery in 2022. This year saw consumers return to international travel in a meaningful way, as well return to many tier-one domestic city destinations.…

During the review period, low-cost carriers experienced a more significant increase in both sales value and the number of passengers compared to full-service carriers. This growth can be primarily attributed to the more rapid recovery of domestic…

In booking overall, Despegar.com maintains a clear lead in 2023, with its closest competitor, Almundo, a distant second. Despegar.com is also showing the fastest growth amongst the top five players in booking. A notable change in the financial world…

In 2023, leisure travel current value sales are expected to exceed their 2019 pre-COVID-19 pandemic level. As the threat of and measures related to the pandemic eased and lifted, Belgian consumers have been eager to travel. Leisure air travel,…

With the continuous increase in inflation and uncertainty around the timeframe for economic recovery, travellers are paying close attention to how much they are spending on their holidays. Travellers are keeping a close eye on special airline deals,…

In the current context, there are significant changes in the profile of tourists, with two dimensions standing out in their interaction with travel agents. Consumers have shown a preference for making their purchases through intermediaries such as…

Booking in China has seen a rapid shift from offline to online sales, as the country has one of the highest internet penetration rates in the world, and local consumers are accustomed to booking travel online. However, 2023 is set to see a temporary…

As travel suffered due to COVID-19 in 2020-2021, retail value in bookings also saw a clear decrease. With restrictions starting to lift in 2022, travel began to increase, with retail value in 2022 around the 2018-2019 level, with pent-up demand…

As the pandemic's grip wanes, tourists, including a significant number of elderly travellers, have rekindled their passion for exploration, both domestically and internationally. The elderly, once deemed vulnerable during the pandemic, now venture…

COVID-19 dealt a serious blow to booking in Finland. At the height of the pandemic, outbound travel was minimal, compared to normal levels, although domestic travel became more appealing. However, increased domestic travel did not compensate for the…

Given the strong increase in tourism flows, lodging, travel modes and foodservice had almost fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels by 2022, although this was not the case for intermediaries. Even though value sales in intermediaries posted a strong…

Booking through travel intermediaries is becoming increasingly popular amongst leisure travellers. Local consumers shifted to booking travel online during the pandemic due to greater convenience and accessibility. According to Euromonitor…

Travel in Ireland has continued to recover in 2023, despite the challenges presented by high inflation and a drop in household budgets. In fact, summer bookings have approached pre-pandemic levels with consumers keen to travel again after a few years…

Booking is set to see a full recovery to pre-pandemic sales levels in current value terms in 2023. However, a major factor driving value growth in both leisure and business bookings has been inflation driven price increases.