Leisure travel now on the road to recovery: ForwardKeys

Major pre-pandemic destination cities that have fallen out of the top 20 list include Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Jeddah, Los Angeles and Osaka. Note the Asian domination of that list

A new report from travel data analyst ForwardKeys has revealed some of the top travel trends of 2021, with the Covid-19 pandemic a continuing major influence on aviation. A comparison of the world's top destination cities, before the pandemic in 2019, and throughout 2021, illustrates a strong trend towards leisure travel in the recovery phase, said the analyst.

Several major cities (notably in Asia) have been pushed down or out of the top 20 rankings, whereas major leisure destinations, particularly for US holidaymakers, have climbed high. Cancún and Miami, each big leisure destinations for US travellers, jump into the top five destination cities in 2021, as domestic and regional travel drives a partial recovery in air travel. But the respective charts represent a tale of woe for Asia. Click to enlarge.

While Dubai remains at the top of the list (measured by arrivals for the year to 23 November compared to a year earlier), the most notable rises include Miami, which leapt from 18th to fifth, Madrid from 16th to tenth and new into the list, Cancún (Mexico) at second. Other notable inclusions in the top 20 are Cairo (Egypt) at ninth, Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) at 12th, San Juan (Puerto Rico) at 13th, Lisbon at 14th, Athens at 15th, Mexico City at 16th, Palma Mallorca at 17th and Frankfurt at 20th.

The two highest risers, Cancún and Miami, are each key leisure destinations for US holidaymakers. Most of the new entrants lower down the list are also leading leisure destinations, popular with European holidaymakers.

Major pre-pandemic destination cities that have fallen out of the top 20 list include Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Jeddah, Los Angeles and Osaka. Note the Asian domination of that list.

International travel

continues to stall

A review of worldwide travel in 2021, broken down by region, reveals the extent to which international travel continue to stall. Overall, international air travel was just over a quarter (26 per cent) of its pre-pandemic level, said ForwardKeys. The Asia Pacific region reached just 8 per cent of previous levels while Europe achieved 30 per cent, Africa and the Middle East 36 per cent and the Americas 40 per cent.

In an era of so many ever-shifting challenges, however, one prediction appears to be certain for the tourism industry in 2022: It's shaping up to be a year unlike any other. Although corporate travel is a long way from a full recovery, the airline industry is seeing indications that many more people are now flying for work, and there are indications that momentum to build next year.

That is likely to help spur an increased number of premium economy cabins on planes in 2022, and there are expectations the higher-end seats and value proposition to be popular among both vacationers and corporate travellers. The latest update of the 20-year passenger forecast incorporate a sharp impact from Covid-19 followed by a gradual recovery thereafter. Domestic and short-haul markets will recover faster, with long-haul travel being the last to return to 2019 levels of demand.