INTERNATIONAL. US travel intelligence service Skift’s monthly ‘Travel Health Index’ for March portrays a widespread and encouraging recovery in the global travel market.
Unsurprising exceptions were Russia (war in Ukraine), China (COVID-19 outbreak and related travel curbs), and Japan (improving but still hindered by strict travel restrictions).
The Skift Travel Health Index is a real-time measure of the performance of the travel industry across 22 countries and the core verticals within it. It is designed to provide the travel industry with a powerful tool for strategic planning amid uncertain times.
While the large global jump from January to February could not be emulated, the global average score now stands at a solid 75, compared to a baseline of 100 in pre-pandemic March 2019.
Reflecting their sizable travel markets, the performances of the 22 countries in the index offer useful indicators of national and international travel retail recovery. Pre-pandemic, each housed a sizable travel retail sector. Just as importantly, the list includes a diverse spread of some of the most important travelling nationalities, the key driver of the global travel retail channel.
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Commenting on China’s performance in March, Skift said that it still had one of the lowest new COVID-19 case rates of all the countries tracked, but it did see a strong month-over-month increase in cases (albeit from a low base). The April Index is likely to show a more sombre result as the situation in China has since deteriorated, driven by the sustained lockdown in Shanghai.
Data from Skift data partner Shiki Group shows that new hotel bookings and room nights were down to early pandemic levels after a year of performing consistently at pre-pandemic levels or better.
