Domestic Tourism Booming, But What’s Next?
July 27, 2023
It’s not hard to recall the state of the tourism market during the darkest days of the COVID-19 shutdown: few events, an evolving restaurant market, limited air travel, lack of labor, empty hotels, etc.
That was the broad view of Tourism 2020 on the heels of a 2019 that was among the strongest years in recent memory: people not only moved about the country, but the world; ample leisure time was tacked on to business trips, airline and hotel prices were more reasonable and there was an ample labor force on hand.
This brings us to 2023 and, happily, a domestic market that bears a strong resemblance to that of 2019, though the business and international travel markets still have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
So, where is the tourism market heading during the last half of 2023? Despite a mercurial economy steeped in inflationary and workforce issues, many observers are cautiously optimistic, but still concerned about what lies ahead.
Today, the good news is that nothing seems to be stopping anybody who has plans.