CATCHING THE SUN

摘要

Being unable to take a summer vacation would have ranked as a first-world problem in times gone by, but for Europe this year, the significance could not be greater. The region entered the pandemic off the back of a record year for travel and tourism, with the sector welcoming 743 million international visitors in 2019. Airline capacity from and within the continent topped 1.4 billion seats-and signs pointed to further growth. Fast forward to summer 2021 and the picture is markedly different. After more than 680 million departure seats were wiped from the summer schedules in 2020, Europe saw a 70% decline in tourist arrivals.