IATA released (16-Apr-2021) the following statistics concerning travel bookings made before 20-Mar-2021 for the period between May-2021 and Sep-2021:
- North America:
- 80% of total bookings are to destinations within the region, compared to 61% at 20-Mar-2019;
- 7% to Europe, compared to 21%;
- South and Central America:
- 40% within the region, compared to 29%;
- 13% to Europe, compared to 23%;
- Africa:
- 11% within the region, compared to 20%;
- 20% to North America, compared to 10%;
- Middle East:
- 41% within the region, compared to 17%;
- 18% to Europe, compared to 38%.
Europe and Asia Pacific were not included due to stringent restrictions on international travel making trends less clear. IATA forecasts airlines will respond to this regionalisation of demand by redrawing their networks, with long haul passenger services in most regions likely to be limited due to the continued absence of business travellers. [more - original PR]