Day tours bounce back in big cities, but recovery is spotty globally

04-04-23

Just like urban tourism itself, business is finally coming back for day tour operators in big cities after the pandemic brought operations and revenue to a near halt.

But industry experts say the road to recovery for the urban day tour industry is still uneven on a global scale.

About two-thirds of day tour operators achieved or exceeded prepandemic booking levels in 2022, according to a recent study on the state of the industry from Arival, a travel research firm focusing on the niche- and small-tour market. Most of those are in North America and Europe, where tour operators were able to benefit from travelers who took domestic or regional trips.