(CNN) – From the natural beauty of Bali to the urban buzz of Singapore, Asia Pacific is home to some of the world’s most beloved travel destinations. These dreamy holiday hotspots – combined with the region’s commercial power – have earned Asia Pacific the title of the world’s largest travel region over the past decade.
While Asia Pacific air traffic once accounted for more than a third of all global passenger journeys, aviation in the region remains down 45% compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to CAPA.
Meanwhile, CAPA suggests that European air travel has recovered to around 85% of pre-pandemic levels, even accounting for the continued impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
slow recovery
Japan is set to fully reopen on October 11. Pictured here: Fushimi Inari Shrine in Japan
aaron90311 / Adobe Stock
In 2019, 3.38 billion passengers transited through Asia Pacific airports. In contrast, CAPA reports that current predictions from ACI Asia-Pacific – an industry organization representing airports in the region – suggest that 1.84 billion passengers will have passed through Asia Pacific travel hubs by the end of 2022.
“What happens there has a huge impact on the rest of the region,” says CAPA of China and Japan, noting that they are two of the region’s top travel markets.
CAPA reports that most travel to Asia Pacific destinations remains at or above 50% of 2019 levels, with only a few exceptions, such as India, which is only down 11% from the 2019 figure.
Domestic travel in Asia Pacific is recovering faster than international travel, with CAPA – domestic travel within China, for example, down only 5.4% compared to 2019 levels.
Overall, CAPA predicts that Asia Pacific will not see a full return to pre-pandemic travel figures until late 2023 or early 2024.
“Nevertheless, recovery is dependent on countries opening their borders and ending travel restrictions, as well as on macroeconomic and epidemiological conditions,” the report said.
CAPA is arguing for “harmonisation of international travel rules” and “political commitments towards openness and freedom of movement”, as well as a sustained vaccination campaign, to aid in travel recovery.
Top photo of the Great Wall of China courtesy of PowerStock/Adobe Stock