Expect a Travel IPO Boom in 2022
Photo Caption: Sonder co-founder and CEO Francis Davidson at Skift Global Forum 2021. Source: Skift.
Skift Take
This was the year of the travel IPO with 10 market debuts. But at least 10 more travel companies are likely to go public in 2022. Investors, despite disappointing Covid setbacks, continue to bet on the long-term strength of the travel industry.
This year set a record for travel companies going public or announcing they will go public, setting up 2022 to be another banner year, too.
In 2021, a half-dozen companies had traditional IPOs. In the following chart, "cash to balance sheet" is our estimate of how much money went to the company after shareholders, debts, and other items were paid.
CompanyTimingEstimated Cash to Balance SheetSkift CoverageSun CountryMarch$218 millionMoreFrontier AirlinesApril$570 millionMoreClear SecureJune$409 millionMoreSoho HouseJuly$420 millionMoreAlloggioNov.$11 million (U.S.)MoreSiteMinderNov.$64 million (U.S.)MoreAnother trend in 2021 was a surge in the popularity of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). Skift began the year alerting readers to what these blank-check companies were and why they would be popular in 2021.
Three travel companies
