Source::Bloomberg
2022 was supposed to be the year of recovery and opening back up to pre-pandemic times as the effects of COVID-19 finally wears off. But with the recent conflict between Ukraine and Russia, data and numbers have shown that US demand for travel in Europe is dipping in the past few weeks.
European bookings represented about a third of international U.S. sales before the pandemic and currently account for 15%, down from 21% before Feb. 12, when the White House first indicated war was likely. Changing American sentiment has likewise led to spiking demand closer to home, with Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America comprising 61% of total bookings.
This new trend has been quite the change from recent months when in the weeks of 2022 before the conflict, with the Omicron threat waning off and vaccination rates skyrocketing, there was a strong resurgence in North American demand to go to Europe. Now, this decline can't be justified with seasonal or any other reasons as there are no parallels or effects that can be seen in other regions of the world nor the domestic US market.
