Tripadvisor's Seasonal Travel Index Outlines
Traveler Sentiment and Insights for Australia, Japan, Singapore, United
Kingdom and United States This Autumn
NEEDHAM,
Mass., Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/
-- Tripadvisor®, the world's largest travel
guidance platform, today released the next in its Seasonal Travel
Index series, revealing data and trends about what to expect for
travel this fall.
Although the popular summer vacation season is coming to a
close, travel doesn't appear to be fading with it: 74% of
American travelers surveyed report they will travel this fall,
well above the 61% planning to travel at the same time last year.
Similarly, over half (52%) plan to travel more than they did
last fall and only 3% will travel Iess.
On trend with increased travel is a rise in international trips.
While 65% of U.S. travelers will stay domestic this fall, the
remaining travelers set their sights on global destinations: more
than a quarter (27%) will travel both internationally and
domestically, and nearly one in ten (8%) have fully prioritized
international travel over domestic this season. Notably, the
share of international travel has recently surpassed
pre-pandemic levels, a trend that's been gradually rising over
the past two years. Even for those staying in the U.S., the vast
majority (80%) plan to travel over four hours from their home.
Same cities, new ways to explore
City breaks are most
popular with travelers this fall, as familiar favorites in
Europe and Mexico continue to shine. In fact, most
travelers (75%) plan to return to a destination they've visited
before, as repeat destinations can give travelers a greater sense
of security. That said, people want to explore these destinations
in more depth, evidenced by the fact that "culture and sightseeing"
is the number one trip type for Americans this fall, and interest
in museums and cultural sites is on the rise. Plus, Tripadvisor
first-party data indicates that travelers are keen to try more
local tours and activities, booking new and elevated ways to
experience classic attractions (as shown below).
Most Popular International Destinations for Americans This
Fall
- Paris, France
- Most booked experience: Bateaux Parisiens Seine River Gourmet
Dinner & Sightseeing Cruise
- Cancun, Mexico
- Most booked experience: Chichen
Itza, Cenote and Valladolid All-Inclusive Tour
- Rome, Italy
- Most booked experience: Skip-the-Line Group Tour of the
Vatican, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
- London, United Kingdom
- Most booked experience: Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and
Bath from London
- Punta Cana, Dominican
Republic
- Most booked experience: Half-Day Adventure: 4x4 ATV, Water Cave
and Dominican Culture At Punta Cana
- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Most booked experience: Sunset Cruise with Open bar and Snacks
In Cabo San Lucas
- Playa del Carmen,
Mexico
- Most booked experience: Tulum Ruins, Turtles in Akumal and Cenote tour
- Barcelona, Spain
- Most booked experience: Fast Track Sagrada Familia Guided
Tour
- Palm - Eagle Beach, Aruba
- Most booked experience: Aruba Pub Krawl Tour
- Florence, Italy
- Most booked experience: Small-Group Wine Tasting Experience in
the Tuscan Countryside
For those staying stateside, the ever-popular Las Vegas, New York
City, and Orlando round
out the top three most popular destinations Americans will visit,
respectively. As U.S. travelers attempt to stretch out their
summers, enjoying warmth and sunshine past Labor Day, smaller Sun
Belt destinations are seeing increased interest. Below are the top
trending domestic destinations for Americans this fall on
Tripadvisor, based on places with the greatest year-over-year
growth.
- Little Torch Key, Florida
- Indian Rocks Beach,
Florida
- Miami Springs, Florida
- Hawley, Pennsylvania
- Carefree, Arizona
- Reno, Nevada
- Cape Canaveral, Florida
- Holmes Beach, Florida
- Rutherford, California
- Indio, California
Solo travel on the rise
Over one-quarter (26%) of
American travelers surveyed will take a solo trip this autumn. This
is well above the global total of 15% as well the 17% who reported
traveling solo last fall. While the reasons behind this trend may
vary, it is a sign that travelers are more comfortable to journey
alone and want to fully immerse themselves in the local culture.
For solo explorers looking for great places to visit, Tripadvisor
has recent guides on the best places to travel solo in the world,
as well as across the U.S.
Americans most excited about their trips
When asked
how they feel about their upcoming trip, 78% of Americans reported
being excited and 70% responded "happy," both being well above
global totals of 64% and 60%, respectively, for these positive
emotions.
This is despite the fact that their trips will be more modest
than their international counterparts: Americans are most likely to
take trips 2-4 nights in length, well below totals of other
countries who will average 5+ nights. Notably, Boomers are more
likely to take 5+ day trips compared to other age groups. Americans
also over-index in reporting to stay in vacation rentals and with
friends and family (versus hotels) and are more likely to be
flexible when choosing a destination (60%) than the global
population of respondents (48%).
With fewer trips on average, Americans are eager to maximize
those trips. Thus, U.S. travelers are likely to book more on-trip
activities on average (3-5) compared to people living in all other
countries surveyed, and are interested in a wide array of
components such as food, activities, relaxation, shopping, people
and weather, showing that their excitement is multifaceted.
Tripadvisor Tip: "Our first-party data shows that
travelers are still focused on the near-term, as most trips being
booked right now are for one month out, and the vast majority for
2023. However, the advanced planners booking their 2024 trips now
are far more likely to be going internationally. With two in five
travelers looking to make the most of seasonal discounts as cost of
living continues to rise, taking a page out of the early planner's
book can yield savings: If you've yet to book your fall trip, the
beginning of November is the most affordable time to visit some of
the most popular destinations this season." –
Alice Jong, Research and Insights
Senior Analyst, Media at Tripadvisor.
Other key drivers among U.S. travelers this fall
include:
- Money matters:
-
- Over half of travelers surveyed (54%) plan to spend more
on travel this upcoming season compared to the same period last
year.
- 37% said macroeconomic factors will change how they travel over
the next three months (64% due to higher cost of living due to
inflation, 50% change in financial circumstances due to the
economy).
- Most important trip factor is cost/affordability (62%).
- Trip type:
-
- Most travelers plan to visit one to two cities while on their
trip.
- 47% of Americans will travel by plane (below global total of
54%), 40% by car (well above 27% global average) and only 3% by
train.
- Travelers plan to take: 1-2 trips (65%), 3-5 trips (25%), or 6+
trips (10%) this fall.
- Main purpose of upcoming trip: make memories (52%), followed by
relax/rejuvenate (49%).
- Activities:
-
- Most travelers will prioritize food while on their
trip (67%), which aligns with food generating the most excitement.
Younger groups are more likely to prioritize food, nightlife, and
shopping.
- 49% of Americans have booked or plan to book restaurant
reservations in advance, with local options being the most
popular: 54% will book a local fine dining restaurant, and 52% a
local casual restaurant.
- Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) fill in the rest of their
trip by deciding in the moment depending on how they're feeling,
followed by travel websites and apps.
- Overall, travelers mainly get around via walking or public
transport once they get to their destination. Car transportation
(personal, rental rideshare) is more popular among U.S.
respondents.
- Planning:
-
- Most plan their upcoming trip one to six months in advance.
Millennials are less likely to plan things under a month in advance
compared to other age groups.
- Younger travelers (Gen Z, millennials) are more than twice as
likely to book or plan to book a reservation in advance compared to
other age groups (53% vs. 21%, on average).
- 61% of respondents book their activities prior to their trip
beginning, with almost a quarter booking four or more weeks before
their trip. Boomers are more likely to book four plus weeks in
advance on their upcoming trip (41% vs. 19%, on average).
- Gen Z and millennials are more likely to feel negative emotions
(i.e., cautious, overwhelmed, anxious) compared to older
generations.
Methodology
The data cited in this release was
gathered and analyzed from three key sources:
- A Tripadvisor Consumer Sentiment Survey, based on data drawn
from an online survey of over 2,400 consumers, in partnership with
Qualtrics, conducted between June 20 - July
1, 2023 across six countries, including Australia, Italy, Japan,
Singapore, U.K. & U.S.
- Site behavioral data sourced from first party traffic data on
the Tripadvisor platform, gathered between June 1 - July 8, 2023, for searches made by
travelers in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Japan, and Singapore for travel between September 1 - November 30, 2023.
- Tripadvisor internal data, July 1-31,
2023.
About Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor, the world's largest
travel guidance platform*, helps hundreds of millions of people
each month** become better travelers, from planning to booking to
taking a trip. Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site
and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat
based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more
than 1 billion reviews and opinions of nearly 8 million businesses,
travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book
experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover
great places nearby. As a travel guidance company available in 43
markets and 22 languages, Tripadvisor makes planning easy no matter
the trip type. The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. (Nasdaq:
TRIP), own and operate a portfolio of travel media brands and
businesses, operating under various websites and apps.
* Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly,
June 2023
** Source: Tripadvisor internal log files
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SOURCE Tripadvisor