Fears surrounding the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant, will likely impact the travel sector severely. Rising restrictions and tightening regulations over domestic and international travel across the country have already led to declining travel rates. Given the bleak industry outlook, travel-related stocks such as Booking Holdings (NASDAQ:BKNG), Carnival (NYSE:CUK) Corporation (CCL), Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H), and Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE) are best avoided now.The seven-day average of COVID-19 cases has reached 95,000 in the U.S., representing a five-fold rise in less than a month. As the Delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in various states across the country, the government has once again imposed travel restrictions. Although there has been solid progress on the vaccination front in the country, the rising fears and travel restrictions will likely disrupt the travel industry once again.
Last month, the U.S. government confirmed that existing travel restrictions would not be lifted in the near term. Thus, while the path to recovery for the travel industry was well underway, a significant upsurge in cases around the globe has changed that. Travel stocks, which are highly vulnerable to rising COVID-19 cases, are struggling to remain upbeat compared to other stocks.
Therefore, it is advisable to avoid travel-related stocks such as Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG), Carnival Corporation & plc (CCL), Hyatt Hotels Corporation (H), and Spirit Airlines Inc. (SAVE), that are yet to gain enough strength to survive the industry headwinds.