New research from the Mastercard Economics Institute reveals that global leisure and business flight bookings have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, while spending on cruise lines, buses and trains saw sharp improvements this year.
Importantly, according to the Mastercard Economics Institute analysis, if flight booking trends continue at the current pace, an estimated 1.5 billion more passengers globally will fly in 2022 compared to last year.
- By the end of April, global leisure flight bookings surpassed 2019 levels by 25%.
- Global business flight bookings exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time in March, with long-haul specifically growing double-digits in April.
Not surprisingly, the ability and convenience of travel has been a driving factor in booking destinations.
The result is that the U.S., U.K, Switzerland, Spain and The Netherlands are now the top destinations for tourists globally.
