Travel: Few hints of spring for a battered industry

What does 2021 have in store for the tourism industry?

An airplane.
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Prospects for a swift travel rebound are dimming, said Mike Cherney and Eric Sylvers at The Wall Street Journal. After the worst year for tourism on record, the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines was expected to be "the great panacea" in 2021. "But at current vaccination rates, less than 20 percent of the world's population is expected to be inoculated this year," according to recent estimates. The spread of coronavirus variants from places like South Africa, Brazil, and the United Kingdom means governments will remain cautious before easing travel restrictions, and many travelers appear hesitant to begin booking trips again. Air tickets issued for international travel in the coming six months actually fell in February. Overall, they remain down 85 percent from this time in 2019. One travel data company projects travel bookings will stay below 2019 levels until 2024. The recovery in Europe will be "even slower."

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