Flight bookings worldwide exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2022
The number of travel insurance policies taken out in 2022 at ING shows that there is a clear increase in wanderlust. Compared to last year, the amount of travel insurance policies is 50% higher. The Dutch are also travelling outside of Europe again, as is apparent from the coverage and claims from far away countries.
Flight bookings worldwide – both holiday and business – are exceeding pre-pandemic levels is the conclusion of the ‘Travel 2022: trends and transitions’-study that is exploited by the Mastercard Economics Institute in 37 countries.
The recovery is seen in particular in holiday flight bookings. By the end of April, the worldwide bookings surpassed the 2019 results by 25%. If this trend in flight bookings continues at the current pace, it is estimated that in 2022 there will be an estimated 1.5 billion extra passengers compared to last year, of which 550 million are Europeans. The Netherlands, together with the US, UK, Switzerland and Spain will be in the top 5 most visited destinations in 2022.
Expenditure on cruise lines, buses and trains soared
Other transport sectors are also seeing spending bounce back, as travelers worldwide feel more comfortable with group travel again. Cruise spending is up 62% from January to the end of April, but remains below 2019 levels. Buses are back at pre-pandemic levels, while rail passenger spending remains 7% lower. Meanwhile, car journeys are still attractive, with tolls and car rental spending increasing nearly 19% and 12% globally.
Source: travelpro.nl