Saniya Zanpure

The Skift Travel Health Index reached 103 in May 2024, reflecting a 3% year-over-year increase. This aligns with Skift Research's prediction of a transition from recovery to stable, moderate growth for the travel industry in 2024.

The spring travel surge and strong consumer sentiment towards travel boosted the Skift Travel Health Index to 108 in April 2024, offering a promising outlook for the travel industry. With summer travel on the horizon, the momentum of growth is expected to continue in the coming months.

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The Travel Health Index in March 2024 shows an overall softening trend compared to the previous month, with the index dropping by 4 pp. However, some countries continue to showcase robust growth, with China, Japan, and Hong Kong at the forefront with double-digit growth levels.

The travel industry continues to demonstrate a positive momentum in February 2024, gaining 7% year-on-year. Asia Pacific continues to be the frontrunner but slightly reducing growth levels indicate a trend towards normalization.

India’s travel booking landscape is rapidly shifting online, driven by the younger demographic, rising smartphone penetration, and improving internet connectivity across the country. Currently diverse and fragmented, the online travel landscape, is poised for dynamic growth as local players strive to maintain their dominance and Western OTAs take steps to tap into the emerging opportunity.

2023 marked a significant milestone when global travel recovered and exceeded expectations, setting new benchmarks. As we move away from the COVID era, in 2024, the Skift Travel Health Index is shifting its focus to year-on-year (YoY) indexing instead of continuing to compare against 2019 levels.

As we enter 2024, the travel industry is poised for strong growth, building on the recovery momentum of 2023. The Skift Travel Health Index now benchmarks performance year-on-year, moving away from the 2019 benchmark. In January 2024, the index stands at 114, a 14-point increase from January 2023, signaling continued resilience and expansion in the industry.

Asia the new Europe in 2024? As the world gears up for another year of post-pandemic travel, the industry will see Asia take the center stage, driving growth in 2024 while Europe stabilizes at modest growth levels.

The Skift Travel Health Index stood at 102 in December 2023, concluding 2023 as a triumphant year for the travel industry. 2024 signals a promising comeback as the industry moves past the COVID era, navigating the “new normal,” strengthening, and settling into a stable growth trajectory.

2024 will be the year that the travel industry fully transitions from catch-up to true growth above pre-pandemic levels. Without revenge travel as a tailwind we expect a more normal growth trajectory for the travel industry this year.

The global Travel Health Index rose to 105, continuing the trend of surpassing pre-pandemic levels and setting a new benchmark. Latin America, propelled by the Taylor Swift Eras Tour led the score, soaring to an all-time high regional index of 117 in November 2023.