Asia’s outbound tourist numbers won’t recover until 2024, Agoda travel agency chief says

Tourists from Asian countries – excluding China – will take some time after their respective Covid-19 restrictions are lifted to travel confidently
That’s according to the new CEO of Agoda, who contrasted the region with the US or Europe, where ‘it’s almost like everybody decided Covid was over’

Asia travel

Reutersin Bangkok

Published: 10:01am, 21 Sep, 2022

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Asian tourists are only expected to resume international travel at pre-pandemic levels gradually, by 2024, according to the new chief executive of online travel agency Agoda.

The Asia-focused company expects tourists from Asian countries, excluding China, will take about six months after their respective Covid-19 restrictions are lifted to travel confidently, said Omri Morgenshtern, who took the helm at Agoda in July.

“[South] Korea opened up two months ago … but numbers are 40 per cent of what it was before, so it’s not jumping,” he said in an interview.

Locals and tourists in Thailand watch a sunset from Phuket Island’s Phromthep Cape in April. In many Asian countries, people generally have kept masks on even after mandates were dropped. Photo: Reuters

Across its Asian markets, Agoda’s booking volumes have returned to 2019 levels, but more so in domestic travel, Morgenshtern said, in contrast to the stronger and quicker tourism recovery in the United States and Europe.

“In the US or Europe, it’s almost like everybody decided Covid was over,” said Morgenshtern, noting that travel resumed quickly there and many stopped wearing masks.

But in many Asian countries – like Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Indonesia – people generally have kept masks on even after mandates were dropped.

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Agoda is rolling out more products to allow customers to plan their entire travel itinerary on the platform with the promise of more discounts, Morgenshtern added.

In 2020, the company, a unit of Booking Holdings Inc, slashed 1,500 jobs to cut spending amid the pandemic. Now, headcount has returned to pre-Covid levels, he said.

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