Travelers face another year of disruption in 2024
Demand is recovering faster than supply, which means delays and higher prices
The UN World Tourism Organisation estimates the global number of travelers will be at 95% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023, up from 63% in 2022, driven by a post-pandemic “revenge tourism” boom. Business travel is also rebounding faster than expected: the Global Business Travel Association now anticipates a return to pre-pandemic levels of business-travel spending in 2024, rather than its previous estimate of 2026.
Key takeaways
- With demand for flights outstripping supply, prices have risen faster than inflation, padding airlines’ profits;
- Cities around the world are cracking down on short-term rentals like those accessed through Airbnb;
- Chinese outbound travel-and-tourism spending will reach roughly nine-tenths of 2019 levels in 2024, up from half in 2023.
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