Key takeaways: Global leisure travel remains robust, up roughly 31% in March 2023 compared to the same period in 2019, representing an impressive 25% year-over-year-to-date change from 2022 to 2023.
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Travel and tourism GDP is predicted to grow, on average, at 5.8 percent a year between 2022 and 2032, outpacing the growth of the overall economy at an expected 2.7 percent a year. 5.
Moreover, the travel industry's recovery has just begun, even as the global GDP experienced significant growth. This indicates considerable untapped potential in travel across all regions. The report reveals that in 2025, the industry will be around 240 million trips below its full pre-pandemic potential.
Despite the challenges that came with traveling last year, Americans still intend to travel in 2023. A resounding 87% of survey respondents expect to travel at least as much as they did in the prior year, with 49% selecting that they expect to travel more.
So far, leisure travel demand remains robust through the end of March 2023. Leisure travel bookings were up roughly 31% at the end of March compared to the same time in 2019, representing an impressive 25% year-over-year-to-date growth between 2022 and 2023.
Travelers are increasingly looking to prioritize their physical and mental wellbeing while on vacation. In 2023, we are seeing a rise in wellness travel, which includes activities such as yoga retreats, spa treatments, and wellness-focused culinary experiences.
The cost of lodging away from home was 5% more in June 2023 versus June 2022, and up 15% since 2019. The cost of entertainment and dining out are also slowly increasing. According to NerdWallet's Travel Price Index, the overall cost of travel is up 14% compared with June 2019 and down 3% versus the same month in 2022.
A 2023 consumer research survey from ASTA (the American Society of Travel Advisors) found that 50% of travelers are more likely to use a travel advisor post-pandemic. (This is a 7-point increase from 2022.) Here are the crib notes: There's no better time to become a travel agent.
A significant reduction in the number of travel agents. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, full-time agents declined from a peak of 124,000 in 2000 to 82,000 in 2019. From 1997 to 2013, retail travel agency headcount fell by 59 percent—from 22,938 to 9,387, said Skift, a travel media and events company.
Among the respondents, 25% expressed a desire to explore new and unfamiliar places. On the other hand, 23% expressed a preference for visiting places they are already familiar with. In 2024, people are looking to travel to a variety of destinations. Mexico, Canada, and France emerged as the favorites (each with 42%).
People have been thirsting to travel — just not for work necessarily. But the data now shows that business travel is back, with flight bookings for business exceeding those for leisure at certain points in 2022 and business travel recovery keeping pace with leisure in 2023.
Utilities and leasing firms lead the list due to their heightened use of installation, maintenance and customer service-oriented business travel. On the other hand, industries such as construction, banking and oil refining, look to business travel far less as a percentage of their overall business.
As of 2023, there are over 400,000 people employed in the Travel Agencies industry in the US. The industry is forecast to grow by 7.1% throughout 2023, clearly demonstrating that demand for travel agents remains strong.
Europe's tourism rebound continues into 2023, driven by strong travel enthusiasm. Europe's tourism recovery is maintaining its momentum despite economic headwinds, reaching about 95% of 2019 levels of international tourist arrivals.
Advisors have shared in the TMR Europe Trends Outlook 2023 that most clients want to experience urban centers and small towns or the countryside in Europe. Experiences such as camping trips and amusement parks, have a lower preference as these are also available in the US and Canada.
Three years later, the world is adjusting again. While tech companies shed jobs in response to the state of the economy in 2023, the hospitality industry is now ready to hire in response to the expected increase in travel. One of the sectors that had the biggest job growth in December 2022 was travel and leisure.
Experiential tourism is a form of travel that focuses on creating meaningful and immersive experiences for travelers. This type of tourism is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing sectors in the travel industry, driven by a growing demand from travelers for unique, authentic, and transformative experiences.
Four megatrends are likely to have significant impacts and relevance for tourism: i) evolving visitor demand; ii) sustainable tourism growth; iii) enabling technologies; and iv) travel mobility.
That pent-up demand has been reinforced by an easing of pandemic-era travel restrictions around the world. On average, American travelers expect to take 3.5 leisure trips in the next 12 months, up from 2.9 a year ago, according to a recent poll by Destination Analysts, a tourism market research firm.