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Here are a few other notable insights from the travel and tourism sector:
Visit California CEO Update, Visit California: President & CEO of Visit California, Caroline Beteta, announced a strategic shift in the organization’s Fiscal Year 25/26 marketing plan. It increases domestic media investment to $50 million (91% of the total media budget) while maintaining a global presence through 13 international offices. This update also marks the official launch of Forward Together; the 2025 referendum campaign aimed at sustaining California’s global marketing momentum and reinforcing tourism’s role in the state’s economic future.
Travel Value Index 2025, Expedia: Expedia developed a detailed insight into global travel, comparing data from July 2022 to March 2025. By revisiting insights from the 2023 Traveler Value Index, they could observe changes in traveler sentiment, behaviors, and booking preferences over the past few years, such as increased travel among younger generations, growth in leisure travel, and emerging travel trends like Flexcations,” where travelers work remotely during part of their leisure trip, and “bleisure” travel, which includes extending vacations at the start or end of business trips.
The State of the American Traveler, Future Partners: Traveler financial sentiment and travel budgets remain mostly steady but caution still prevails. While many Americans are eager to spend on travel, behaviors are shifting; international travel is decreasing, with more opting for domestic trips. Although expectations of a U.S. recession have slightly eased, they still remain high. Even so, overall travel spending remains steady, although there is a noticeable slowdown in big-ticket plans, such as overseas vacations.
Travel Trends Making Waves This Summer Including Staycations and Short Road Trips, Travelbinger: Shorter stays are becoming increasingly popular, and this article highlights the growing trend of staycations and short road trips as key travel patterns for summer 2025. According to a Panterra Research study published via Airbnb, many Americans are opting to vacation closer to home, often within 300 miles, to save money and simplify logistics. Staycations are especially attractive to families and groups, with over 60% of nearby Airbnb searches originating from these travelers. Cost-conscious choices are fueling the trend, with 43% of U.S. respondents planning to drive instead of fly, and 39% favoring domestic over international travel.
Generational spending patterns reveal strategic insights for travel brands, Phocuswright by Northstar: This article explores how different generations allocate their travel budgets, highlighting key distinctions that matter for marketers and strategists. Millennials and Gen Z typically keep their travel expenses modest, with most spending less than $1,000 per trip. In contrast, nearly one in four Baby Boomers report spending $6,000 or more on in-destination experiences. Meanwhile, Gen X falls somewhere in the middle, with a balanced distribution across spending levels.
New Report from Criteo Reveals What’s Driving Travel Decisions This Spring and Summer, Skift: This latest report highlights how changing traveler expectations, increased price sensitivity, and evolving booking behaviors are transforming the way people plan their trips this season. One key trend is longer booking windows; with multi-day trips now booked an average of 52 days in advance. Another trend is that food and wellness are strong motivators, with 60% of Asia-Pacific travelers prioritizing culinary experiences, and wealthy travelers are spending more on health and beauty. The rising use of AI tools in trip planning also emphasizes the need for tourism professionals to optimize content for discovery and recommendation platforms.
Brand USA's 'America the Beautiful' campaign aims to rekindle inbound travel, Travel Weekly: Brand USA has launched its new global campaign, “America the Beautiful,” to help revitalize international travel to the U.S. following a sluggish recovery. Unveiled at the IPW 2025 conference in Chicago, the campaign is designed to emotionally connect with global travelers by showcasing the diversity, beauty, and cultural richness of the United States. It aligns with a decade of major upcoming U.S. events, including America's 250th anniversary, the 2026 World Cup, the Route 66 Centennial, and the Olympic Games in both 2028 and 2034. Brand USA has also partnered with the U.S. Department of Transportation to promote The Great American Road Trip, featuring 250 points of interest across the country, and has officially finalized a partnership with the America250 Commission to help celebrate the nation's upcoming milestone.
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