As hospitality entered a new era of travel, we witnessed a continuous and encouraging recovery in 2022.
NB: This is an article from TrustYou
With travel restrictions being relaxed or even lifted completely, the pandemic was no longer a primary concern when planning and heading into a trip, at least in most regions.
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Where exactly are we in terms of global recovery? We analyzed more than 128 million guest reviews from our global hotel database – here’s what they tell us about travel recovery in 2022:
#1 Global Review Volume Was in Line with Other Travel Recovery Indicators in 2022.
Global review volume reached 69% of the 2019 numbers.
Looking at the numbers provided by leading travel and tourism organizations, we see that review volume aligns with other recovery indicators. UNWTO estimated that international travel reached 65% of the pre-pandemic levels. IATA pointed at total air traffic in 2022 of 68.5% compared to 2019.
A trend from 2021, domestic travel continued to lead the recovery for most of the regions.
#2 Q3 Saw the Highest Review Volume, Q4 Registered the Highest Percentage Increase
The highest review volume was recorded in Q3 2022 during summer and the beginning of fall. For many travelers, it was their first international vacation since the beginning of the pandemic.
Compared with 2019, percentage-wise, the fourth quarter of 2022 was the closest to the pre-pandemic numbers.
#3 EMEA Was the Leader of the 2022 Travel Recovery
One of the main drivers of recovery for EMEA was the unique economic and political structure of the European Union, which facilitated traveling due to similar COVID-19 relaxation measures in the first part of the year.
EMEA review volume reached 79% of the 2019 numbers.
EMEA was a particularly challenged region in 2022. With the Russian-Ukrainian war starting at the beginning of 2022, it was unclear if people were willing to travel. The sector recovered strongly despite a conflict that shook the world and left deep economic and political marks. Key indicators, such as RevPAR, bounced back strongly, especially during the summer months for certain destinations.
Similar to the global numbers, the quarter with the highest review volume for EMEA was Q3 2022, coinciding with a boom of travelers visiting sunny places across the Mediterranean.
