GlobalData travel and tourism analysts comment: “International tourism in North Americaincreased significantly in 2021, with a 15 percent increase in the number of departures for the year. In 2021, the US is the world's largest outbound travel market. This year, figures are projected to rise to 69 percent of 2019 levels before fully recovering by 2024, surpassing the 2019 benchmark. 2 percent ahead of Europe and Asia.
For European countries, this year they will also show growth — up to 69 percent of the figures of 2019. The main volume will be given by intra-European trips over short distances. However, according to experts, the recovery will meet resistance from rising inflation, the cost of living and events in Ukraine. By 2025, international flights in Europe are forecast to be 98 percent of 2019 levels.
In 2019, Russia was the fifth the largest outbound tourism market in the world, and Ukraine — twelfth. And the restriction of air traffic from these countries will certainly prevent the overall restart of tourism in Europe.
The Asia-Pacific is expected to lag behind in terms of recovery. Departure from the region in 2022 will only reach 67 percent of 2019 levels due to slower lifting of travel restrictions and reintroduction of domestic restrictions during new COVID-19 outbreaks. Once the largest outbound travel market in the region and the world, China shows no signs of easing its strict border measures in the short term. In 2021, international departures from China were only 2 percent of 2019 levels.