Demand for travel to Latin America covering the key Easter and summer holiday periods are at -13% and -12%, respectively, says ForwardKeys.

The results nudge closer to the levels seen in 2019, according to the travel analytics company.

Colombia and Costa Rica in particular are well-positioned to make a post-Omicron recovery, it continues.

For both destinations, issued tickets have been above 2018/2019 levels since the beginning of 2022.

The findings form part of an address to be delivered today (6 April) by Juan Gómez, Head of Market Intelligence, ForwardKeys, at World Travel Market (WTM) LATAM.

TOTAL INTL ARRIVALS DOWN 59%

“Colombia is faring well in both travel intent and demand according to our data,” explains Gomez. “We can see that transatlantic travel in terms of flight searches from the US and Spain is strong while international arrivals from April – June are particularly high from regional neighbours.”

The Americas outperformed other regions in terms of international arrivals in 2021, says ForwardKeys, as travellers flocked to LATAM and the Caribbean by taking advantage of regular frequencies, simplified travel rules and relaxed safety protocols.

In Q1 2022, LATAM (-29% vs 2019) and the Caribbean (-23% vs 2019) set the pace ahead of the average international decline of -59%.

The most resilient destinations were El Salvador (+28% on pre-pandemic levels), followed by Nicaragua (+8%) and Mexico (-8%).

“Mexico was leading the way in 2021, however, as more regional neighbours have opened their borders and made enticing travel offers, they are facing more competition,” commented Juan Gomez.

For more information on travel and DF&TR trends across the Americas, watch out for the TRBusiness March/April e-zine coinciding with the Summit of the Americas (10-13 April).

Print copies of the publication will be available from the press racks at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, West Palm Beach, Florida.