Hoping for ‘Endemic’: The Travel Industry Readies for a New Phase

“Thirty-one percent is the highest it has ever been,” since the company started the tracking survey in March 2020, said Mr. Eylon. “It’s an early indication that the travelers are going through a change of mind-set.”

This comes after domestic leisure travel had a strong year in 2021, rebounding well after extraordinary losses in 2020, according to the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group that promotes travel to and within the United States.

“We can’t put our lives on hold forever because of this virus, we need to learn to live with it and for my family that means we’re ready to start exploring the world again,” said Deborah Lynn, 58, a math tutor from Washington, D.C., who plans to take her first international vacation since the start of the pandemic to London and Croatia in March.

A new normal for some?

On Feb. 1, Denmark became the first country in the European Union to lift all domestic restrictions and announced that Covid-19 will “no longer be categorized as a socially critical sickness.” Unvaccinated travelers or those who do not have a certificate of recovery from the coronavirus, however, will still be required to take a coronavirus test to enter the country, and quarantine measures remain in place for those arriving from high-risk countries.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the changes in a recent national address.

“Tonight, we can start lowering our shoulders and find our smiles again,” she said. “The pandemic is still here, but with what we know now, we dare to believe that we are through the critical phase,” she said.

Over the past year, Britain had in place some of the world’s most stringent entry measures, with multiple test and quarantine requirements, as well as mask mandates and vaccine certificate requirements for nightclubs and events. Last month Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted almost all of these measures, citing “the phenomenal success of our booster campaign and the extraordinary efforts of the public.” As of Feb. 11, vaccinated travelers will no longer need to take a test to enter the country.

On a recent crisp winter evening, London’s Covent Garden, a popular tourist destination for dining, shopping and entertainment, was bustling with crowds of mostly unmasked people. Some passed through, while others stood relaxed outside a cluster of local pubs, drinks in hand.