Travel agency air ticket sales for May 2024, according to Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC), were on par with those of last year and a 1 percent decrease from April’s totals. In all, there were 25.7 billion passenger trips booked in May, totaling $9 billion in sales. The total passenger trips were a 1 percent increase over April and a 7 percent increase over May 2023. In addition, the average ticket price was $543, a 1 and 3 percent drop from April 2024 and May 2023, respectively.
“Total sales haven’t been above $9 billion for three consecutive months since 2019. This is a sign of the continued strength for air travel in 2024,” said Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer at ARC. “Travelers are also enjoying airfare that’s relatively unchanged from last year despite price pressures in other parts of the economy.”
To that point, research from Vacasa found that 81 percent of summer travelers have shifted their plans or planning behaviors to be more budget-conscious. All told, nearly half of Americans are taking a summer vacation this year (49 percent), with 56 percent planning to travel more often than they did last summer. In fact, travelers will be taking multiple trips (five, on average, throughout the summer) and most will be staying stateside (89 percent). Beach/lakeside destinations remain popular, as do road trips. Younger Americans are also more likely to travel than older Americans.
Gen Z and Millennial travelers also outpaced Gen X and Baby Boomer travelers when it came to booking guided tours last year, according to GetYourGuide. This shift highlights a growing trend: younger travelers value authentic experiences curated by knowledgeable locals. That said, 89 percent of travelers said that a local guide is the best way to explore a new destination, with 94 percent of those who booked a guided tour in 2023 saying they plan to do so again this year. Travelers often felt local guides present them with an authentic and immersive way to explore new destinations.
New Strategies and Innovations
At sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor hosted its Ultra Summit last month; before the event we polled the attending advisors to learn more about their business. In short, it’s all good. One hundred percent of advisors said they are more optimistic about the future of the luxury travel industry than they were in 2023 and nearly 90 percent indicated that their 2024 sales would surpass their 2023 sales. Family travel was the top trend, while epicurean travel, wellness trips and solo travel are also growing in popularity.
The event also gathered a panel of travel advisors to speak on the way their business is changing. Topics ranged from email marketing to use of social media to sell and inspire travel, as well as how artificial intelligence will impact the luxury travel advisor space.
With the ever-increasing amount of technology used in today’s world, the panelists also spoke on the importance of in-person client-facing events. Here are some highlights:
- “We’ve done client appreciation events in different cities and countries, with red carpets and photographers to add some buzz,” said Mo Noubani of The Travel Box International.
- “I recently did a watercolor class where I invited a bunch of people and we had this amazing event based off of watercolors, and I ended up getting some amazing women travel groups out of that,” said Janel Carnero of Embark Beyond.
- “We just did a penguin party, and we took over an aquarium for a partner where we brought in penguins and all the guests got to get their picture and pet the penguins and learn about them; it was for a strategic wildlife adventure itinerary,” said Scott Largay of Largay Travel.
The group also touched upon AI—which will become mainstream faster than we likely expect. According to recent research by fintech company MoneyLion, 70 percent Americans are either using, planning to use or open to using artificial intelligence tools for travel planning. Not surprisingly, the use of AI skews with younger demographics, but all ages testing it out.
Carnero said she doesn’t mind it at all when clients come to her with an AI-generated itinerary. “Honestly, I lean into it,” she said. Carnero will tell the client, “OK, great. Give me what you've created because now I have some inspiration regarding what you were looking for. Oh, I see you're looking for a castle in Ireland,” etc. In a way, it helps move the conversation along, said Carnero, in that it gives her insight into what the client was picturing for their trip.
Travel Agency Network Updates
At Global Travel Collection’s Summer Soirée in London, the brand announced that sister company Altour’s independent travel advisors will be integrated into Global Travel Collection. This transition re-positions Global Travel Collection as the central home for all luxury independent travel advisors within Internova Travel Group.
In addition, Ensemble launched its Luxury Certification Program, developed in collaboration with The Travel Institute. The program is designed to equip Ensemble’s members with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in the luxury travel market.
Lastly, American Marketing Group expanded its business development team to service the growing demand from agencies looking to affiliate with its TravelSavers and Nest networks. Gloria Beaulieu has joined the network as the business development director; she will liaise with prospective affiliates that meet TravelSavers and Nest’s standards for affiliation and onboard agencies that qualify as a fit.
Paris Olympics Guide
We are less than a month out from the Summer Olympic Games, being held in Paris. There are 35 sporting venues, most of them in Paris and nearby suburbs, but 10 events will be held far from Paris in the cities of Bordeaux, Marseilles and Nice (while the surfing competition will be 10,000 miles away in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti). Hotel prices have fallen dramatically as the events approach, although many are nearing 80 percent occupancy at peak times throughout the Games.
Should you be visiting Paris for the Olympics, we have also highlighted three of our favorite off-the-beaten-track museums we are sure you will want to visit.
New Airport Lounges
Two California airports are now home to brand-new lounges.
Air France has opened a lounge in the Tom Bradley terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. This lounge is dedicated to Air France’s La Première, Business and Flying Blue Elite Plus customers, and is also open to eligible customers of KLM and SkyTeam partner airlines. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., the lounge has a surface area of nearly 12,000 square feet and seats 172 passengers.
Separately, San Francisco International Airport unveiled its newest airport lounge, The Club, located in the renovated Harvey Milk Terminal 1. Spanning over 12,000 square feet with 249 seats, it offers a range of amenities focused on personal well-being and internationally recognized sustainability standards.
Related Stories
Celestyal to Sail Year-Round in 2025 to 2027
Jaimaca’s Sunset at the Palms Now Offers Complimentary Weddings
Sandals Commemorates 15th Anniversary of Sandals Foundation
Hoper Launches as First Scheduled Helicopter Airline in Greece