31/05/2022
Thinking of Travelling Abroad?
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is expecting overall traveler numbers to reach 4.0 billion in 2024 which would exceed pre-COVID-19 levels (103% of the 2019 total). In 2021, overall traveler numbers were 47% of 2019 levels.
"People want to travel. And when travel restrictions are lifted, they return to the skies," IATA's Director General Willie Walsh noted.
There is still a long way to go to reach a normal state of affairs, but the forecast for the evolution in passenger numbers gives good reason to be optimistic," he stated.
With travelling expecting to increase in the upcoming years, what are the most visited destinations in the world? According to Business Insider's article, the following were the most visited destinations in 2019:
1) Bangkok — 22.78 million
2) Paris — 19.1 million
3) London — 19.09 million
4) Dubai, United Arab Emirates — 15.93 million
5) Singapore — 14.67 million
6) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — 13.79 million
7) New York City — 13.6 million
8) Istanbul — 13.4 million
9) Tokyo — 12.93 million
10) Antalya, Turkey — 12.41 million
“We saw an immediate increase in bookings for our most popular long-haul destinations when travel restrictions were lifted. This includes the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, but Mexico, which has always been a firm favourite for Brits, is definitely the standout hotspot this winter and next summer. Many of our customers haven’t had a holiday for a while, so are opting to holiday for longer where they can immerse themselves in a destination and make up for trips they may have missed in recent months. We’re also seeing that customers are booking more premium hotels and upgrading rooms to make their experience that extra bit special." says Andrew Flintham, managing director at Tui UK.
“In the past six weeks, we’ve seen bookings for the Caribbean rise by 80 per cent since last year, which is 20 per cent up on pre-pandemic levels.” says James Bell, managing director at Turquoise Holidays.
There are numerous websites that help travellers choose the accommodation best suited for them. The biggest industry players include: Booking.com, Hotels.com, HotelsCombined, Expedia.com, Agoda and Airbnb. There are also more boutique websites that offer accommodation in B&Bs and vacation rentals, such as Yupe.