PULSE POINTS
BY JOSH CORMAN
ON THE ROAD AGAIN ?
THE SUDDEN AND SUSTAINED DROP-OFF IN TRAVEL brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 had a massive impact on spas , many of which draw a large part of their business from out-of-town guests . In 2021 , spa leaders will be paying close attention to travel trends as they navigate their spas ’ recovery process . Though a number of variables are likely to impact those trends going forward , travel industry experts have already identified projected figures and timelines related to travel and tourism that spa leaders will want to keep an eye on .
Consultant group McKinsey & Company expects post- COVID-19 tourism recovery to be driven largely by the overall strength of economic recovery , but notes that , even optimistically , tourism may not return to 2019 levels until 2023 . In a pessimistic recovery scenario , 2021 tourism levels may be as low as 60 percent of 2019 levels , delaying a full rebound even further . In any case , the company ’ s tourism recovery model forecasts a cumulative drop in
50 PULSE ■ MARCH 2021