A Third of Americans Plans to Cut Travel Spending This Year

Scott Pauli. (Photo Credit: Island of Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau)

International travelers spent $18 billion on travel to, and within the U.S. in July., down by $1.5 billion from its pre-pandemic level, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. Spending on strictly goods and services like recreation, lodging and food totaled $9.7 billion in July 2023.

St. Louis is known as the Gateway to the West. A major stop on the Mississippi River and just south of the Missouri River, it was the jumping-off point as the United States expanded its border westward and the city boomed in 19th and 20th centuries. Today, you can see vestiges of an affluent past mix with a forward-thinking, artistic community that make St. Louis an exciting destination year-round.

One of Manhattan’s most celebrated restaurants is reopening after a years long closure. Café Boulud is on its way back to Manhattan, with a new location in Midtown East. The original restaurant temporarily closed in early 2020 due to the pandemic and never reopened.

For the first time ever, United Airlines disappointed me.

Following a legal battle that lasted 11 years, American Airlines Group wants to force defendant Sabre Corp to pay its legal fees. 

The U.S. Travel Association has launched a website to highlight the negative impact of long visitor visa interview wait times—which now exceed an average of 400 days—is having on global travelers and U.S. businesses. Called USVisaDelays.com, the website lists stories of those affected, loss in industry spending, visitor wait times, impacted markets and a policy fact sheet. 

Americans want savvy pricing regarding their travel experiences in the new year, as they keep an open mind about the type of things they plan to book. 

U.S. airlines and airports are preparing for a surge in passengers over the Thanksgiving holiday, with the number of travelers expected to hit the highest level in three years.

High levels of inflation are contributing to a decline in Americans making travel plans for December holidays this year. Almost 43 percent of U.S. adults intend to travel for Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, a 4 percentage point decrease from the figure recorded last year, according to a recent survey from travel industry website The Vacationer.

There’s nothing quite like a surprise travel gift — and U.S. travelers are ready for it.

Skift Megatrends Defining Travel in 2023: Here are 16 travel industry trends for the new year and beyond that we hope will help you navigate your businesses through increasingly uncertain and opportunistic times.