2022
November
**WORLD CUP KICK-OFF **
Hosted in Qatar, the Middle East’s first FIFA World CupTM kicks off on November 20, hotly contested by 32 national teams. Less than two weeks into the global sporting event, Qatar Tourism says the country has already welcomed more than 600,000 visitors from around the world.
December
**IATA PREDICTS RETURN TO PROFIT **
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says it expects the global airline sector to return to profitability in 2023 as it continues to cut losses stemming from the pandemic’s impact. Airlines are forecast to post a small net profit of $4.7 billion – a 0.6% net profit margin this year. It is the first profit since 2019 when industry net profits were $26.4 billion.
2023
January
**TRAVEL ALMOST BACK TO NORMAL: UNWTO **
Based on forward-looking scenarios for 2023, international tourist arrivals could reach 80% to 95% of pre-pandemic levels this year, depending on the extent of the economic slowdown, the ongoing recovery of travel in Asia and the Pacific and the evolution of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, among other factors, says the UNWTO.
February
**SAUDI UPS STAKES TO 25MN **
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, says the kingdom is targeting 25 million international arrivals in 2023, up from 16.4 million in 2022. One of many visitor incentives, complimentary four-day (96- hour) e-visas are introduced for passengers of national airlines Saudia and Flynas.
March
**LUFTHANSA TO LAUNCH NEW AIRLINE **
German flag carrier Lufthansa reveals it will roll out a new regional carrier known as ‘City Airlines’ in mid-2023, based out of its secondary hub, Munich. City Airlines will operate short- and medium-haul routes in Europe with an all-Airbus fleet.
April
**TOURISM BUOYS US ECONOMY **
The industry’s outsized role in bolstering the U.S. economy is clear, says the U.S Travel Association, revealing direct travel spending totalled US$1.2 trillion in 2022, producing an economic footprint of $2.6 trillion—a return to 2019 levels. Travel directly employed 8 million Americans and supported nearly 15 million jobs.
May
**EMIRATES LAUNCHES SUSTAINABILITY FUND **
UAE carrier Emirates announces it has committed $200 million to fund research and development (R&D) projects focussed on reducing the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation. It says it’s “the biggest single commitment by any airline on sustainability” and adds that the funds will be disbursed over three years.
June
**SINGAPORE AIRLINES VOTED WORLD’S BEST **
Singapore Airlines is named 2023’s best airline by Skytrax, taking the prestigious title from previous seven-time winner Qatar Airways. The airline ranking company bases its annual list of the top 100 airlines on data from an online traveller satisfaction survey. Qatar Airways takes second place in the 2023 best airline list, but wins “world’s best business class”, and Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) takes third slot.
July
**UK PACKAGE HOLIDAYS COMEBACK **
UK consumers are set to spend £40.9 billion on pack- age holidays at home and abroad in 2023, bouncing back to 94% of pre-pandemic levels when Brits spent £43.5 billion, analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics by payment technology provider BR-DGE calculates.
August
**MORE GLOBAL FIRE TRAGEDIES **
Wildfires engulf areas of both Hawaii and Maui, creating life-threatening conditions and forcing the evacuations of residents and tourists, with the death toll in the hundreds by mid-August. Meanwhile, fires rage on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, spread by high winds, leading to some evacuations and threatening the tourism sector.
September
**AIR TRAFFIC REVIEW AFTER MELTDOWN **
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) launched an independent review into the UK’s air traffic control system (Nats) meltdown, which saw hundreds of flights cancelled and delayed at the end of August. Nats Chief Executive Martin Rolfe says the system was brought down by a “one in
15 million” event involving “highly unusual duplicate markers” on a flight plan – an incident airlines say cost them at least £100 million.
October
**ICELAND ANNOUNCES TOURISM TAX **
Iceland is to introduce a tourism tax to help protect its environment, Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir reveals in a media interview. “Tourism has really grown exponentially in Iceland in the last decade, and that obviously is not just creating effects on the climate,” she tells Bloomberg. “It’s also because most of our guests who are coming to us are visiting the unspoiled nature, and obviously it creates a pressure.”
2022
November
**WORLD CUP KICK-OFF **
Hosted in Qatar, the Middle East’s first FIFA World CupTM kicks off on November 20, hotly contested by 32 national teams. Less than two weeks into the global sporting event, Qatar Tourism says the country has already welcomed more than 600,000 visitors from around the world.
December
**IATA PREDICTS RETURN TO PROFIT **
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says it expects the global airline sector to return to profitability in 2023 as it continues to cut losses stemming from the pandemic’s impact. Airlines are forecast to post a small net profit of $4.7 billion – a 0.6% net profit margin this year. It is the first profit since 2019 when industry net profits were $26.4 billion.
2023
January
**TRAVEL ALMOST BACK TO NORMAL: UNWTO **
Based on forward-looking scenarios for 2023, international tourist arrivals could reach 80% to 95% of pre-pandemic levels this year, depending on the extent of the economic slowdown, the ongoing recovery of travel in Asia and the Pacific and the evolution of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, among other factors, says the UNWTO.
February
**SAUDI UPS STAKES TO 25MN **
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, says the kingdom is targeting 25 million international arrivals in 2023, up from 16.4 million in 2022. One of many visitor incentives, complimentary four-day (96- hour) e-visas are introduced for passengers of national airlines Saudia and Flynas.
March
**LUFTHANSA TO LAUNCH NEW AIRLINE **
German flag carrier Lufthansa reveals it will roll out a new regional carrier known as ‘City Airlines’ in mid-2023, based out of its secondary hub, Munich. City Airlines will operate short- and medium-haul routes in Europe with an all-Airbus fleet.
April
**TOURISM BUOYS US ECONOMY **
The industry’s outsized role in bolstering the U.S. economy is clear, says the U.S Travel Association, revealing direct travel spending totalled US$1.2 trillion in 2022, producing an economic footprint of $2.6 trillion—a return to 2019 levels. Travel directly employed 8 million Americans and supported nearly 15 million jobs.
May
**EMIRATES LAUNCHES SUSTAINABILITY FUND **
UAE carrier Emirates announces it has committed $200 million to fund research and development (R&D) projects focussed on reducing the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation. It says it’s “the biggest single commitment by any airline on sustainability” and adds that the funds will be disbursed over three years.
June
**SINGAPORE AIRLINES VOTED WORLD’S BEST **
Singapore Airlines is named 2023’s best airline by Skytrax, taking the prestigious title from previous seven-time winner Qatar Airways. The airline ranking company bases its annual list of the top 100 airlines on data from an online traveller satisfaction survey. Qatar Airways takes second place in the 2023 best airline list, but wins “world’s best business class”, and Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) takes third slot.
July
**UK PACKAGE HOLIDAYS COMEBACK **
UK consumers are set to spend £40.9 billion on pack- age holidays at home and abroad in 2023, bouncing back to 94% of pre-pandemic levels when Brits spent £43.5 billion, analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics by payment technology provider BR-DGE calculates.
August
**MORE GLOBAL FIRE TRAGEDIES **
Wildfires engulf areas of both Hawaii and Maui, creating life-threatening conditions and forcing the evacuations of residents and tourists, with the death toll in the hundreds by mid-August. Meanwhile, fires rage on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, spread by high winds, leading to some evacuations and threatening the tourism sector.
September
**AIR TRAFFIC REVIEW AFTER MELTDOWN **
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) launched an independent review into the UK’s air traffic control system (Nats) meltdown, which saw hundreds of flights cancelled and delayed at the end of August. Nats Chief Executive Martin Rolfe says the system was brought down by a “one in
15 million” event involving “highly unusual duplicate markers” on a flight plan – an incident airlines say cost them at least £100 million.
October
**ICELAND ANNOUNCES TOURISM TAX **
Iceland is to introduce a tourism tax to help protect its environment, Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir reveals in a media interview. “Tourism has really grown exponentially in Iceland in the last decade, and that obviously is not just creating effects on the climate,” she tells Bloomberg. “It’s also because most of our guests who are coming to us are visiting the unspoiled nature, and obviously it creates a pressure.”
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