Airlines and Hotels Drive Strong Post-Pandemic Recovery with $1.28 Trillion in 2022 Revenue

As a testament to the rebounding vigor of the travel industry, newly unveiled data examining annual airline traffic and travel sector earnings indicates a substantial post-pandemic resurgence in 2022.

A notable highlight from the past year, the collective revenue amassed from airlines, hotels, car rentals, and online travel agencies (OTAs) hit an impressive $1.28 trillion, as per the recently published Allianz Partners Big Book of Travel Data by IdeaWorksCompany.

The report emphasizes, “By every measure, ours is a travel industry in rapid recovery from the ravages of the pandemic. The data shows that airlines, hotels, and other travel providers last year leapt from the pandemic plunge of 2020.”

Among the standout performers in the industry for 2022 was Booking Holdings, operating platforms like Agoda, Booking.com, Kayak, Priceline, and RentalCars.com. The conglomerate reported a revenue of $121.3 billion. Marriott International also made its mark with estimated room earnings amounting to $61.4 billion.

In the realm of car rentals, Enterprise Holdings, responsible for brands such as Alamo, Enterprise, and National, garnered a robust company revenue of $30 billion.

Here are some of the pivotal insights from the report:

• The United States and Canada witnessed a moderate airline traffic growth of 35.4 percent compared to 2021, while Europe secured the lead with a significant 107.8 percent increase.
• The Ryanair Group stood as the largest low-cost carrier, catering to over 168.6 million passengers, marking a remarkable 73.6 percent surge from 2021.
• Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliances collectively raked in approximately $413.3 billion in revenue, constituting 59.6 percent of global airline revenue.
• Although low-cost carriers managed 31.2 percent of global traffic, their budget-friendly fares contributed to only 16.2 percent of global revenue.
• American Airlines secured the title of the largest employer among the 91 airlines disclosing total employment figures, with a workforce of 129,700 employees at the end of 2022.
• Airbnb clocked a gross booking value of $63.2 billion for 2022, surpassing the transaction value from its website. In terms of estimated room revenue, Airbnb could surpass Marriott International, holding the top spot at $61.4 billion. The platform concluded the year with 6.6 million active listings.
• Huazhu Group Limited’s H Rewards emerged as the world’s largest frequent guest program, boasting a membership base of 199 million.
• The nine hotel groups featured in the report achieved a RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) of $80.06 in 2022, marking a significant 50 percent increase over the $53.29 recorded in 2021.

The report also unveils the hotel industry rankings, with Hampton by Hilton securing the leading position at nearly $10.2 billion estimated room revenue for 2022. Hilton Hotels & Resorts followed in second place with $9.3 billion, Marriott Hotels took third with $8.8 billion, and Holiday Inn Express, owned by IHG Hotels & Resorts, reported $8.5 billion in revenue. Courtyard by Marriott rounded out the top five with $7.1 billion in estimated room revenue for the year.

The Big Book’s findings are based on diverse sources and methodologies, encompassing financial documents, press releases, and industry articles from company websites.

The report’s comprehensive insights extend to the airline industry’s performance as well. Globally, airline revenue in 2022 soared to approximately $693 billion, marking a robust 50 percent increase over the previous year’s figure of $462 billion. Although this growth indicates a substantial rebound from the $350 billion earnings of 2020, the industry still falls short of its pre-pandemic peak in 2019, when revenue reached $840 billion.