ASX travel shares were absolutely smashed during the pandemic. The price charts below tell the story.
The scariest part for ASX travel stock investors was that this one black swan event that had never been seen before in modern times didn't just impact the industry, it shut it down.
We didn't know at the time the extent to which the pandemic would impact our lives, how long it would take to get through, and whether these travel businesses would even survive in the meantime.
It was a serious reminder to investors of the virtues of portfolio diversification.
Anyway, it's all over now, so let's look at what has happened to four ASX travel shares since COVID-19 "ended".
Officially, the World Health Organisation declared that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 5 May 2023.
But it was over well before that.
For the purposes of analysing what's happened to the share prices of these four ASX travel shares since the pandemic ended, let's use 21 February 2022 as our starting point.
That's when Australia reopened its international border to fully vaccinated visa holders.
ASX travel shares: The long road to recovery
Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB)
The Webjet share price is currently $8.65, up 2.67% on Thursday and up 18% over the past 12 months.
The ASX travel share has not yet managed to go anywhere near its pre-pandemic trading prices.
At the time of the pandemic market crash, Webjet shares dropped about 75% in value.
Then began a gradual recovery to close at $5.57 on 21 February 2022.
Since then, the ASX travel share has risen by 55%.
Webjet ceased paying dividends in the second half of 2020 and has not yet reinstated them.
Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)
The Corporate Travel Management share price is currently $16.36, up 0.55% on Thursday and down 14.5% over the past 12 months.
This ASX travel share managed to exceed its pre-pandemic trading levels in late 2021.
At the time of the market crash, Corporate Travel Management shares also dropped by about 75% in value.
The share price recovery had its ups and downs before closing at $22.83 on 21 February 2022.
Since then, the ASX travel share has fallen by 39%.
Corporate Travel Management ceased paying dividends in the second half of 2020 and resumed the payouts in the second half of 2022.
Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN)
The Qantas share price is currently $5.43, up 0.37% today and down 20% over the past 12 months.
The ASX airline share has not yet managed to rise above its pre-pandemic price levels.
At the time of the crash, Qantas shares dropped about 63% in value.
The share price recovery was a rollercoaster, with the stock closing at $5.15 on 21 February 2022.
Since then, the ASX travel share has risen by 5.6%.
Qantas ceased paying dividends in the first half of 2020 and has not yet reinstated them.
Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)
The Flight Centre share price is currently $21.30, up 0.85% and up almost 13% over the past 12 months.
The ASX travel share has not yet managed to rise above its pre-pandemic trading levels.
At the time of the crash, Flight Centre shares dropped about 75% in value.
Then began a slow recovery to close at $19.50 on 21 February 2022.
Since then, the ASX travel share has risen by 9.6%.
Flight Centre ceased paying dividends in the first half of 2020 and resumed payments in late 2023.
