While uncertainty continues to dominate headlines, there is a new constant that remains chronically underreported. Booked travel. In fact, it’s now been four consecutive months that hotel bookings globally have remained over 60% of 2019 levels. As I write this, they’re sitting at 70% – their highest point since the pandemic began. Let’s examine why.
Europeans are redefining ‘summer’
In Europe, pent-up demand has redefined summer from the warmest months of the year to a state of travel freedom. Sixteen of the 17 European countries on the World Hotel Index are currently outpacing the global average for hotel bookings, with only Malta narrowly below it. Meanwhile, hotels in Iceland, Portugal and Spain are receiving more hotel bookings now than this time two years ago.
