Global travel bookings for summer surpass 2019 levels

Trip.com data have revealed that global travel bookings for the summer (1 June–31 August) have already surpassed 2019 levels, with intra-regional travel as the most popular choice for travellers.

Bookings on the Trip.com platform for this summer have increased by 170 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Because of the relaxation of travel restrictions in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, summer bookings have risen 356 per cent year-on-year in Asia, with European markets recording a 72 per cent year-on-year increase this summer.

The preferred trip of this summer is short-haul regional tours, with short-distance flight bookings making up 44 per cent of all bookings in Asia and two-thirds in Europe (67 per cent).

The percentage of long-haul travel in Europe dropped from 48 per cent in 2019 to only 13 per cent in 2023, whereas in Asia, it has increased slightly from 22 per cent in 2019 to 27 per cent this year.

Asian travellers are focusing on travel within the APAC region, with the top cities booked being Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Taipei.

In Europe, nine out of the top 10 destinations booked for this summer are European cities, such as London, Barcelona and Madrid in the top three locations. The only destination outside of Europe on this list is Bangkok in sixth place.

Although European users are going to ‘wait-and-see’ about long-haul travel, the search demand is still there. Trip.com data show that Europeans are searching for hotels in Asia and the Middle East, such as Bali, Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Marrakech within the top 10 most searched places.

“We are witnessing a strong rebound in short-haul travel across all our global markets this summer,” said Ray Chen, CEO of the Hotel Business Unit, Trip.com Group. “As flights and hotel capacity continue to increase, and the global industry is better prepared for welcoming back international travellers, we can expect a faster return of long-distance travel in the near future.”