After two pandemic years, a summer travel bounce — and chaos

By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Summer travel is underway across the globe, but a full recovery from two years of coronavirus could last as long as the pandemic itself. Interviews by The Associated Press in 11 countries this month show that the most passionate travelers are thronging to locales like the French Riviera, Amsterdam and the American Midwest. But even as safety restrictions fall, places like Israel, India and Rome are reporting only fractions of the record-setting tourism of 2019. For them, a full recovery isn’t forecast until at least 2024. China, once the world’s biggest source of tourists, remains closed per its “zero-COVID” policy. That’s holding down the rebound in many countries.