STR and Tourism Economics are projecting a 57.5% decline in revenue per available room (RevPAR) in 2020, then a 48% increase in the metric in 2021. Each projection was downgraded from a late-March forecast that saw a 2020 decrease of 50.6% followed by a 2021 increase of 63.1%. Amanda Hite, STR president, said the rate of recovery will be slow even as distancing measures are eased and most of the country reopens. She said concerns around the safety of travel and leisure activity will dictate how long it takes the industry to regain its footing. Regardless of timing, said Hite, the leisure segment “will be first out of the gate,” especially from drive-to sources. Adam Sacks, Tourism Economics president, said the initial recovery in travel will be uneven and staggered, with gains in many markets determined by virus-specific factors more than economic factors. He said it may take until 2023 to recover to 2019 peak demand levels. The luxury segment is projected to have the lowest 2020 occupancy at 25%, with economy properties the highest at 45.2%.