U.S. Travel’s Great Summer of Shortage

After a nightmarish Covid-ridden past year-and-a half, executives at hotels, short-term rentals, destinations and even airlines in the U.S. are facing the acute pain of missed opportunity this summer when many predict the travel and tourism industry will see one of the strongest surges in demand on record. On the traveler side of the equation, there will be sold out destinations, sub-par service at overrun hotels and restaurants, elbow-to-elbow seating on flights, and attractions that will be impossible to visit because entry lines will be endless, and parking lots packed bumper to bumper. Chalk a lot of it up to the great labor shortage of the summer of 2021. "The shortage in labor across the industry could place travel providers at risk of not being able to bring back capacity fast enough to meet demand, which could lead to a loss in revenue," said Jason Guggenheim, BCG's global head of travel. "Further, it also creates delivery risk, with service interruptions, cancellation