A total of 108 deals (comprising mergers & acquisitions, private equity, and venture financing) were announced in the global travel and tourism sector during March 2021, which is an increase of 40.3% over 77 deals announced in February, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The rebound in deal activity in March, following a decline during the previous month, assumes even more significance as the travel and tourism sector was badly hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Deal activity in the sector remained subdued in 2020, while 2021 started on a slower note. However, as some of the key markets began showing signs of recovery, the rebound in deal activity in March could also be a positive sign for the coming months.”

Deal activity increased in key markets such as the US, the UK, China and Japan in March compared to the previous month, while India, Australia, and Canada witnessed decline in deal volume.

All the deal types also witnessed growth in volume during March compared to the previous month. While merger & acquisitions (M&A) deal volume increased by 35.4%, the number of private equity and venture financing deals increased by 41.7% and 52.9%, respectively.