International travel to Latin America is reportedly “rebounding strongly” following the pandemic, although the recovery to South America is lagging behind Central America.
Data revealed at this year’s Lata Expo trade event by analytics firm ForwardKeys shows El Salvador and Nicaragua are performing above 2019 levels, with arrivals up 30% and 13% respectively, while arrivals to Costa Rica and Mexico are down just 1% and 4% respectively.
However, looking at data up until May 26, international arrivals for the entire region are down 43% compared to the same period in 2019, and recovery to South America is 9% lower than Central America.
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Data for the third quarter of 2022 indicates continued recovery across the whole region, with arrivals to Mexico currently 16% above 2019 levels, based on booked ticket reservations. South America as a whole is expected to see arrivals 27% below 2019 levels in the period.
The UK is among the top origin markets fuelling the continent’s recovery in Q3, up 7% compared to 2019. Booking trends show UK travellers are primarily visiting for leisure and are opting for longer stays.
Booked reservations for Q3 suggest the high-end sector will drive recovery, with premium cabin class seats up 28% to Latin America, while economy seats are down 9% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
ForwardKeys insights vice president Olivier Ponti said: “Data shows that international travel to Latin America is rebounding strongly and that, although recovery is unevenly distributed across the region, all destinations are moving in the right direction.
“Air connectivity will remain key in the recovery process as the region could greatly benefit from more frequent long-haul flights and better intra-regional air connectivity.”
Colin Stewart, Lata chairman, said: “We are pleased that the data indicates positive travel recovery to the region. We know that our partners have been hit hard by the pandemic and the associated travel restrictions over the past two years and we’re glad that they are rebuilding their businesses and livelihoods.
“We know that we still need to rebuild confidence in South America in particular and we are delighted to bring the Latin America travel community together again at Lata Expo to share key learnings and put robust plans in place for the future.”