The Most Important Number From the Travel Industry This Week

A slew of major travel companies reported earnings this past week, providing us with a lot of numbers.

But the one number that stands out did not come from a balance sheet. It’s the number “12.” That was the much-anticipated number from the UK government released late Friday for allowable, safe “green light” countries to which its citizens can travel from May 17 on. With so much pent-up demand, the number has lots of implications for tourism economies across the globe.

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The lucky dozen include Portugal; Israel; Singapore; Australia; New Zealand; Brunei; Iceland; Gibraltar; Falkland Islands; Faroe Islands; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; and St Helena, Tristan de Cunha, Ascension Island.

Conspicuously absent was the United States, which will certainly have some blowback.