Building upon the significant gains from 2022, a new study by MMGY Travel Intelligence reveals that the American tourism industry will experience another blockbuster summer in 2023. The latest edition of the research firm’s “Portrait of American Travelers” study shows that more than three quarters of U.S. adults plan to take a vacation in the next 12 months, with nearly half of all adults (48 percent) planning to travel this summer specifically.
The survey, which examines the behaviors and preferences of more than 4,500 U.S. adults on a quarterly basis, also found that most Americans now regard travel as a direct reflection of their self-identity. More than half of all survey respondents (51 percent) agreed with the notion that the places they visit say a lot about who they are.
Other key observations from the “Portrait of American Travelers Summer Edition” follow.
Despite the strong summer outlook, inflation and rising travel costs overall are causing an increasing number of people to opt out of travel altogether in the short-term. Nearly one in five adults say they have no travel plans at all, up from just 5 percent of adults in 2021.
Traveler interest remains high on cannabis tourism. More than a third of U.S. travelers stated interest in participating in a cannabis-related activity while on vacation while 31 percent voiced interest in cannabis effects that could complement and enhance their culinary experiences.
Road trips reign supreme. Although the survey found that road trip intentions are down slightly compared to this time last year (72 percent), the category remains extremely healthy as a whole. In fact, 63 percent of travelers said they embarked on a road trip in the past 12 months—the highest percentage ever recorded in the survey’s history.
International travel intentions are holding strong as more Asia Pacific countries increasingly “open up” to American travelers. Three-quarters of active leisure travelers (76 percent) expressed interest in traveling abroad during the next two years, with younger generations leading in this area (Gen Zers at 89 percent and Millennials at 84 percent).
In regards to top destinations, Hawaii leads the way for domestic travel interest, followed closely by top mainstay locales Las Vegas, California, the Florida Keys, New York City and Orlando. Internationally, Europe holds the highest traveler interest, followed by destinations in the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico.
Finally, bespoke travel is the new luxury travel. Only a third of travelers making more than $100,000 a year consider themselves “luxury travelers.” However, the ability to locate and book an adventure that others cannot is a new form of social currency. In fact, three-quarters of travelers surveyed agree that the memories they take from vacations are more valuable than any material item they purchased in the last year.
Source: MMGY Travel Intelligence
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