Six in ten Americans will travel in 2023

26-12-22

Despite growing economic concerns, American travellers are sticking to their travel plans with 6 in 10 planning to take a holiday in the next six months, according to the Winter 2022 edition of "Portrait of American Travellers." The latest data, compiled by MMGY Travel Intelligence, reveals that economic concerns will influence how and when Americans will travel, but not whether they will travel.

International travel plans are also holding steady. According to the data, 25% of US adults planning to travel in the next six months said they will travel abroad, up from 19% at the same time last year, and the highest percentage in the past three years.  

According to Chris Davidson, executive vice president of MMGY Travel Intelligence, "the US international traveller tends to be a more affluent traveller and is therefore proportionately less affected by rising costs and inflationary pressures." "In addition, the relative strength of the US dollar and the fact that foreign destinations are becoming more open and welcoming support the view that international travel will be an area of strength for the travel industry economy in 2023.").

Among the four in 10 who do not plan to travel in the next six months, the main reasons cited were concerns about the high cost of travel (45%) and their personal financial situation (41%). Twenty-five per cent also say they have little time to travel in the immediate future, a significant increase from the nine per cent who said the same in July.

Online travel agencies are part of the planning process for many travellers. 75% of active leisure travellers say they consult at least one OTA on a regular basis when looking for a trip. The majority say they do so to compare prices and availability: 72%, up six points from 2021.

At the same time, 70% of travellers are concerned about booking with an OTA, including concerns that cancelling or rebooking may be more difficult than if they had booked directly with the travel service provider (42%).

While the winter edition of the Portrait of US Travellers did not ask about offline travel agencies, the summer edition finds that 31% of active leisure travellers intend to use a travel advisor in the next two years, up from 36% in 2021. 

A positive sign for the cruise industry - and for cruise sales advisors - is that more than half of active travellers (55%) expressed interest in taking a cruise in the next two years. Millennials, families with children and those with higher household incomes are the most interested in cruising.

Brand loyalty has declined slightly for many travellers: only 40% consider themselves loyal to a hotel brand (44%), a cruise line (30%) or an airline (45%). Marriott and American Airlines take the lead in the hotel and airline categories with 57% and 54% respectively.