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Asia Pacific houses some of the world’s most iconic travel destinations, from the picturesque landscapes of Bali to the vibrant city life of Singapore. In recent years, the region’s popularity, alongside its business dominance, has made it the largest travel region globally.
However, due to slow reductions in Covid entry restrictions from countries like China and Japan, air travel in Asia Pacific remains significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels.
According to a report by the Centre for Aviation (CAPA), Europe is set to surpass Asia Pacific as the largest travel region by the end of 2022.
Prior to the pandemic, Asia Pacific accounted for more than a third of global passenger journeys. However, current data from CAPA shows that air traffic in the region is down by 45% when compared to pre-pandemic levels.
In contrast, European air travel has recovered to approximately 85% of pre-pandemic levels, despite the ongoing impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In 2019, Asia Pacific airports served 3.38 billion passengers. However, according to predictions from ACI Asia-Pacific, an industry organization representing airports in the region, this number is expected to drop to 1.84 billion by the end of 2022.
China’s “zero-Covid” border policy and Japan’s gradual relaxation of travel restrictions are major factors behind this slow recovery, as highlighted by ACI Asia-Pacific and CAPA. However, Japan is scheduled to officially reopen to tourists on October 11.
CAPA emphasizes that China and Japan, being top travel markets in the region, have a significant impact on the overall recovery of Asia Pacific’s travel industry.
With the exception of a few countries like India, where travel is only 11% below 2019 figures, most destinations in Asia Pacific are still experiencing a travel decline of 50% or more compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to CAPA.
Domestic travel within Asia Pacific is rebounding faster than international travel, particularly in China where domestic air travel is only down 5.4% compared to 2019 levels.
Overall, CAPA predicts that a full return to pre-pandemic travel volumes in Asia Pacific will likely not happen until the end of 2023 or early 2024.
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