The travel industry struggled throughout the pandemic. The industry lost billions as people stayed at home and travel was limited to essentials. In recent months, things are improving for the industry. As millions get vaccinated daily, Google search for hotels and resorts is at its highest in the last 10 years. The rise in Google search for hotels and resorts started in November and peaked on March 21.
And what is surprising is that people are not only searching but also booking. Henry Harteveldt who works as an analyst at Atmosphere Research Group calls it “COVID revenge travel”. He added that “we’re sick and tired of being stuck at home”. Hartveldt pointed that hotels are benefitting from vaccinations.
US hotels are profiting and it is at its highest according to hotel market research company STR. Five-star hotels are the ones that benefitted the most from this surge.
Air Travel is Picking Up
Air travel is also picking up. The TSA recorded weeks of more than 1 million air travelers. American Airlines also announced that its bookings are now at 90% of pre-pandemic level. Delta also announced that they are now bringing back the middle seats.
Though airlines are now in recovery, hotels, and resorts are getting a bigger bump according to Harveldt. Before the pandemic, 55% of US adults are having one flight per year compared to 80% staying in hotels. And recently, more people are traveling but not all are boarding planes. Some are going on road trips.
Now that there’s a rise in demand for travel, some hotels in Hawaii and Mexico can even charge more compared to their pre-pandemic price.
The CDC now considers vaccinated individuals safe for travel. It is possible to see more people eager to travel in the coming months as states update their quarantine and testing protocols. Some states are now allowing individuals who received their vaccine to skip quarantine and testing.
