Coronavirus and Travel

Less than two months after opening up to Americans for non-essential travel, the EU is reversing course with new expected travel restrictions. News of this latest ban will throw more chaos into the future of travel companies already bracing for a tough fall.

It’s a powerful nod for Africa, giving it a solid competitive tourism advantage on the other side of the pandemic, from leisure to events. Will its destinations rise up to the opportunity?

Hotel companies may tout things like exclusivity and networking opportunities as reasons to launch a members-only club, but the real upside here is all about financial security. Soho House proved this is a resilient business model, even in the face of a pandemic.

Finally, a hotel leadership team is honest and admits the Delta variant is a real threat on the hotel industry’s recovery. Huazhu's candor is something the C-suites at Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt should replicate.

China's prolonged absence from global tourism could be impacting more than tourism revenues. Yet, geopolitics aside, Chinese consumer demand for long-haul travel is still alive and well, and it's getting stronger.

All the major hotel companies see upside in pushing into the high-end sector. IHG zeroing in on independent luxury hotels is a smart strategy to rack up rooms growth against the competition beyond the tough-to-crack luxury markets in the U.S. and China.

Hosts of those bigger houses on Airbnb could very well retire early based on the spending habits of 400 startups over the past few years.

Hyatt's Apple Leisure Group acquisition gives it a major boost in its desired expansion into Europe. But it is also a shot across the bow to competitors like Marriott and Hilton as well as smaller brands. The battle is on to expand into the high-end leisure travel and all-inclusive resort sector.

While you have to toss out Covid-ravaged 2020 as any kind of a barometer for a company's trajectory, during the last two-and-a-half years, Airbnb has only made a profit during its third quarters. If remote working becomes entrenched in coming years, then that can indeed help with Airbnb's seasonality issues.

China must weigh whether the economic pain is worth the price of such tough lockdown measures in response to outbreaks that pale in comparison to those seen in markets like the U.S.