CNBC has an excerpt.
Travel bookings and inquiries are surging in an upward trajectory that may both benefit and challenge travelers in the coming year.
Brandon Berkson, the founder of Hotels Above Par, said that travel will be busy in 2022.
He said that people want to make up for lost time, and that potential customers have stated their desire to travel next year is greater than ever before.
In December, Ben Drew, president of the travel company, said that the demand for travel is extraordinary.
The number of people booking a trip to the beach and mountain destinations has risen 1,665% in the last five years.
He said that travel came roaring back. Travelers are booking more experiences than at this time last year.
The summer to fall season is when travel slows down, but data from the year 2022, shows that bookings are increasing from summer to fall.
Drew said he expects it to be a chapter of resilience, resurgence and growth for the travel industry.
Is the industry ready?
The news of a business boom is likely to be good for the travel industry, but it could be problematic if it happens too quickly.
The travel industry could be surprised by the force of demand. Airlines could struggle to re-hire pilots. The pilots might need more training.
The travel sector may not be able to hire staff this year.
In 2020, the World Travel & Tourism Council says 62 million travel-related jobs were lost. Many of these jobs are returning, but former employees aren't rushing back to their old roles, as the WTTC estimated in October.
Some workers were laid off and ended up in other industries. In an era of rising customer anger and aggressive behavior, others are unwilling to take front-line positions.
Spain, Italy, France, the U.K., Portugal and the US are some of the countries that are facing staff shortages in the tourism industry.
A push for technology.
The shift to using technology to perform certain jobs in the travel sphere began long before the H1N1 epidemic.
Rachel Fu, chair of the University of Florida's Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management department, said that tasks such as delivering room service and cleaning airports can be done by robots. She said that hotels can useconcierge robots to help customers make reservations.
Fu said that using artificial intelligence can reduce labor costs without sacrificing personalized services.
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