Tripadvisor's Fall Finds: City Breaks and Solo Trips Hot This Season

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Tripadvisor's Seasonal Travel Index Outlines Traveler Sentiment and Insights for Australia, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom and United States This Autumn

NEEDHAM, Mass., Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tripadvisor®, the world's largest travel guidance platform, today released the next in its Seasonal Travel Index series, revealing data and trends about what to expect for travel this fall.

(PRNewsfoto/Tripadvisor)
(PRNewsfoto/Tripadvisor)

Although the popular summer vacation season is coming to a close, travel doesn't appear to be fading with it: 74% of American travelers surveyed report they will travel this fall, well above the 61% planning to travel at the same time last year. Similarly, over half (52%) plan to travel more than they did last fall and only 3% will travel Iess.

On trend with increased travel is a rise in international trips. While 65% of U.S. travelers will stay domestic this fall, the remaining travelers set their sights on global destinations: more than a quarter (27%) will travel both internationally and domestically, and nearly one in ten (8%) have fully prioritized international travel over domestic this season. Notably, the share of international travel has recently surpassed pre-pandemic levels, a trend that's been gradually rising over the past two years. Even for those staying in the U.S., the vast majority (80%) plan to travel over four hours from their home.

Same cities, new ways to explore
City breaks are most popular with travelers this fall, as familiar favorites in Europe and Mexico continue to shine. In fact, most travelers (75%) plan to return to a destination they've visited before, as repeat destinations can give travelers a greater sense of security. That said, people want to explore these destinations in more depth, evidenced by the fact that "culture and sightseeing" is the number one trip type for Americans this fall, and interest in museums and cultural sites is on the rise. Plus, Tripadvisor first-party data indicates that travelers are keen to try more local tours and activities, booking new and elevated ways to experience classic attractions (as shown below).

Most Popular International Destinations for Americans This Fall

  1. Paris, France

Cancun, Mexico

Rome, Italy

London, United Kingdom

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Barcelona, Spain

Palm - Eagle Beach, Aruba 

Florence, Italy

For those staying stateside, the ever-popular Las Vegas, New York City, and Orlando round out the top three most popular destinations Americans will visit, respectively. As U.S. travelers attempt to stretch out their summers, enjoying warmth and sunshine past Labor Day, smaller Sun Belt destinations are seeing increased interest. Below are the top trending domestic destinations for Americans this fall on Tripadvisor, based on places with the greatest year-over-year growth.

  1. Little Torch Key, Florida

  2. Indian Rocks Beach, Florida

  3. Miami Springs, Florida

  4. Hawley, Pennsylvania

  5. Carefree, Arizona

  6. Reno, Nevada

  7. Cape Canaveral, Florida

  8. Holmes Beach, Florida

  9. Rutherford, California

  10. Indio, California

Solo travel on the rise
Over one-quarter (26%) of American travelers surveyed will take a solo trip this autumn. This is well above the global total of 15% as well the 17% who reported traveling solo last fall. While the reasons behind this trend may vary, it is a sign that travelers are more comfortable to journey alone and want to fully immerse themselves in the local culture. For solo explorers looking for great places to visit, Tripadvisor has recent guides on the best places to travel solo in the world, as well as across the U.S.

Americans most excited about their trips
When asked how they feel about their upcoming trip, 78% of Americans reported being excited and 70% responded "happy," both being well above global totals of 64% and 60%, respectively, for these positive emotions.

This is despite the fact that their trips will be more modest than their international counterparts: Americans are most likely to take trips 2-4 nights in length, well below totals of other countries who will average 5+ nights. Notably, Boomers are more likely to take 5+ day trips compared to other age groups. Americans also over-index in reporting to stay in vacation rentals and with friends and family (versus hotels) and are more likely to be flexible when choosing a destination (60%) than the global population of respondents (48%).

With fewer trips on average, Americans are eager to maximize those trips. Thus, U.S. travelers are likely to book more on-trip activities on average (3-5) compared to people living in all other countries surveyed, and are interested in a wide array of components such as food, activities, relaxation, shopping, people and weather, showing that their excitement is multifaceted.

Tripadvisor Tip: "Our first-party data shows that travelers are still focused on the near-term, as most trips being booked right now are for one month out, and the vast majority for 2023. However, the advanced planners booking their 2024 trips now are far more likely to be going internationally. With two in five travelers looking to make the most of seasonal discounts as cost of living continues to rise, taking a page out of the early planner's book can yield savings: If you've yet to book your fall trip, the beginning of November is the most affordable time to visit some of the most popular destinations this season." – Alice Jong, Research and Insights Senior Analyst, Media at Tripadvisor.

Other key drivers among U.S. travelers this fall include:

  • Money matters:

  • Trip type:

  • Activities:

  • Planning:

  • Gen Z and millennials are more likely to feel negative emotions (i.e., cautious, overwhelmed, anxious) compared to older generations.

Methodology
The data cited in this release was gathered and analyzed from three key sources:

  1. A Tripadvisor Consumer Sentiment Survey, based on data drawn from an online survey of over 2,400 consumers, in partnership with Qualtrics, conducted between June 20 - July 1, 2023 across six countries, including Australia, Italy, Japan, Singapore, U.K. & U.S.

  2. Site behavioral data sourced from first party traffic data on the Tripadvisor platform, gathered between June 1 - July 8, 2023, for searches made by travelers in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Japan, and Singapore for travel between September 1 - November 30, 2023.

  3. Tripadvisor internal data, July 1-31, 2023.

About Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel guidance platform*, helps hundreds of millions of people each month** become better travelers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than 1 billion reviews and opinions of nearly 8 million businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby. As a travel guidance company available in 43 markets and 22 languages, Tripadvisor makes planning easy no matter the trip type. The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIP), own and operate a portfolio of travel media brands and businesses, operating under various websites and apps.

*  Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly, June 2023
** Source: Tripadvisor internal log files

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SOURCE Tripadvisor

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