Yearstarter 2023: Travel - A whirlwind year for tourism as borders reopen

Two tourists from Belgium at the Malaysia Tourism Centre. What a year it has been for the global travel industry – Malaysia and other Asian countries welcomed back tourists, while Europe had a torrid summer travel season. - AZLINA ABDULLAH/ The Star

What a year it has been for the global travel industry. While analysts and industry experts had earlier predicted a return to pre-pandemic days by at least 60% for many markets, only a handful have managed to achieve that.

Labour shortage was rampant particularly in the hospitality sector, causing many hotels and accommodations to hold off on opening their properties to full capacity. Some of those that did fully operate, received plenty of complaints from guests ranging from sub-par service and long waits during check-ins/check-outs, to unclean rooms.