Drop in New Covid Cases Gives a Boost to Long-Stalled Travel Performance: Skift Recovery Index
Skift Take
Upward we go. The Skift Recovery index registered a 4 point increase in February, no mean feat compared to the almost complete absence of movement over the past six months. Declining case counts and relaxing lockdown restrictions are to thank.
While many of the industry’s discussions focus on the rollout of vaccines, the Skift Recovery Index shows that at present there is little relation between vaccination success and travel industry performance. Instead, a strong determining factor appears to be case counts, and the good news is that they decreased in many countries during the month of February.
Vaccines will undoubtedly start to have an impact on travel's performance over the coming months, with more and more countries announcing roadmaps towards opening up to international travelers with vaccination passports. But for now, at least, it is particularly the fall in case counts that boosted the industry's performance during February, with the Skift Recovery Index increasing 4 points to now stand at 49 points relative to a baseline reading of 10
