Business boom fueled by travel

Business openings in the U.S. have exceeded 2019 levels every month this year, thanks to a surge in travel, events and get-togethers

New listings of shops and services on Yelp are on track to beat 2022's all-time high, according to a new report from the company, published this week.

Key takeaways

• Nearly 484,000 new businesses popped up on the platform from January through the end of July this year - compared to about 389,000 over the same time period last year. That's a roughly 25% increase year-over-year, and a 46% increase from the same period in 2019;
• Openings increased across every category and were driven across the country by hotels and travel (up 39%), home services (up 37%), auto (up 27%), event services (up 27%), and local services businesses (up 23%);
• Within travel, the biggest growth compared to last year has come from RV rentals (up 84%), travel agents (up 76%), vacation rentals (up 54%), airport shuttles (up 30%), and walking tours (up 15%).

Get the full story at Axios