Global travel industry exports have expressed optimism on full travel recovery in 2023 while cautioning that the industry still faced significant challenges in 2022
According to a fresh industry data from CAPA – Centre for Aviation and Collinson, global travel industry exports have expressed optimism on full travel recovery in 2023 while cautioning that the industry still faced significant challenges in 2022.
Key concerns of travellers include fears around fraudulent travel, testing documents and the impact of travel on mental and physical wellbeing. Senior aviation and travel experts according to the study remain more cautious than their global counterparts as optimism is subdued in the Asia Pacific region.
The newly-launched report has shown an increase in expectation of travel resumption to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, versus expectations from five months ago. An increasing number of experts now expect border re-opening arrangements by governments to ease or substantially ease in 2022 (43 per cent), whilst a third of global respondents (32 per cent) still expect border reopening arrangements by governments to evolve at different rates in 2022. This is a significant reduction from the April 2021 survey of 56 per cent, where uncertainty dominated.
42 per cent believe quarantine measures will be phased out by the close of 2021, in line with vaccinations and testing measures becoming more widely available. However, the sentiment has evidently decreased when compared to 58 per cent who were of the same belief back in April 2021
The survey, with responses from more than 400 C-Suite and senior managerial level travel industry experts from leading global travel brand also showcases latest travel industry recovery predictions- including traveller expectations for the coming years and beyond. The study revealed that while 37 per cent of respondents are now expecting a ‘full recovery’ to 2019 pre-pandemic levels in 2023 – compared to 35 per cent in the April 2021 survey – optimism that herd immunity would be reached in the US, UK and a few other developed countries has slipped from 33 per cent to 24 per cent. Additionally, concerns around quarantine and fraudulent Covid-19 test results remain a worry for respondents.
Signalling confidence in testing protocols enabling a safer return to travel, over half respondents expect robust Covid-19 testing to remain key to reopening borders until the end of 2022, with a further 26 per cent expecting this until the end of 2023. This mindset can be seen by the recent border reopenings in markets such as Singapore, Australia and the United States – all of which cite Covid-19 tests as core components for reduced quarantine or even quarantine-free travel. 42 per cent believe quarantine measures will be phased out by the close of 2021, in line with vaccinations and testing measures becoming more widely available. However, the sentiment has evidently decreased when compared to 58 per cent who were of the same belief back in April 2021.
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