Travel, much like any other industry, struggled during the pandemic. In fact, the international travel
industry was hit badly as people were asked to stay at home. Enjoying a holiday abroad was out of
the question and even a staycation was not allowed in many countries as people were asked to leave
their homes for essential reasons only. Thankfully, that is all behind us now but has international
travel finally recovered since the pandemic?
International Travel in 2020 and 2021
2020 was a desperate time for the international travel industry and international travelled dropped
by a staggering 73% during the year. We know the reason that was the case and it was a massive
blow to the sector. Even at the beginning of 2021, when measures were being put in place to allow
people to travel again, the figures were low. International tourist arrivals declined by 85% in the
months from January to May 2021 when compared to the figures of the same period in 2019. The
main problem when attempting international travel in the first six months of 2021 was travel
restrictions. Countries set their own travel restrictions, meaning not every country followed the
same rules and that made things difficult for people wanting to travel internationally.
An Improvement in 2022
Figures show that between January and September 2022, close to 700 million tourists travelled
internationally. If we compare this to the same period in 2021, that number is more than double for
the same period. In fact, by the end of 2022, international tourism is set to be back to 65% of pre-
pandemic levels. On the face of it, this may seem like nothing to celebrate but it shows how
international travel is getting back to normal. International travel has not made a full recovery since
the pandemic because at the beginning of 2022, many countries continued to have restrictions. The
restrictions stopped some people from travelling while others decided against it because it was
deemed too risky. Therefore, to see international travel back to 65% of pre-pandemic levels is a
strong sign it is going to get back to normal in 2023.
Where Do People Travel?
As international travel recovers from the pandemic, where are people going to be heading for their
holiday? If we look back to a period before the pandemic, in 2019, many of the most popular
countries for travellers were in Europe. France enjoyed the most international visitors, closely
followed by Spain. Italy was in fifth place, with Germany in ninth, and the United Kingdom in tenth
place. One of the many reasons why Europe is a popular destination for international visitors is the
ease of which it is possible to travel around the continent. With an international driving permit, you
can hire a vehicle in any European country, use it to travel across the continent and then drop off
the vehicle at the end of the road trip.
The United States was third in the list of most popular countries for international visitors in 2019.
The US is sure to be at the top of the list for many people as international travel finally recovers from
the pandemic.
