Understanding Travel Trends Post-Pandemic

🌐 Inbound Travel to the U.S. is Slowing — What Does This Mean for the Industry and how do we adapt? 🌐 Expedia Group is feeling the pinch as demand for travel to the U.S. takes a hit. Inbound travel dropped 7% in Q1, with a 30% decline from Canada and Europeans opting for Latin America over the U.S. https://lnkd.in/e7fEUn7Y Why the shift? Economic uncertainty, rising costs, and shifting traveler preferences are reshaping the global travel landscape. And with two-thirds of Expedia’s business reliant on U.S. travel, the ripple effects could be significant. For hoteliers and travel brands, this is a wake-up call: ✅ Diversify target markets ✅ Highlight unique experiences that set U.S. destinations apart ✅ Focus on regional drive markets and domestic travelers The question isn’t just how to attract more international visitors — it’s how to adapt to a changing demand mix in real time. #TravelTrends #ExpediaGroup #InboundTravel #HospitalityIndustry #TravelStrategy #Tourism #MarketShifts #BusinessTravel #LeisureTravel

Your hotel's next guest might find you on a booking site or search engine, but ideally, that's not where their journey begins. Why? Because booking engines are designed for comparison, not inspiration. When travelers land there first, your property gets reduced to a list of prices, dates, and star ratings. What's missing? Everything that makes your experience special. The good news is: more and more travelers are discovering where they want to stay before they ever search. That inspiration starts on social media, through Reels of dreamy getaways, TikToks of bucket-list stays, and creators sharing personal stories from their trips. But here's the challenge: most hotel content on social media isn't built for today's platforms. It is often overly polished or off-brand for TikTok, Reels, or even Stories. That leads to low impressions, little engagement, and the (understandable) feeling that social just doesn't work. It's not the platform, it's the content. Most hotel teams don't have the bandwidth or creative resources to produce native, fast-moving content that performs well in today's social landscape. That's where influencer marketing makes a real difference, not by replacing your marketing but by helping your hotel show up in a more engaging, social-first way. In our latest blog, we share how influencer marketing helps hotels: ✅ Stand out before the booking window ✅ Show up in the feed with native, high-performing content ✅ Partner with creators who reflect what guests are already sharing ✅ Repurpose influencer content to fuel your brand channels Plus, case studies from our partners to show what's possible. Check out the blog here https://lnkd.in/gXZgdPQn #influencermarketing #hotelmarketing #contentmarketing

Recently, Hospitality Net asked their Digital Marketing in Hospitality panel how hotels could use AI to shift bookings from OTAs to their direct channels. You might find this answer interesting: In the near term, the biggest opportunities AI provides for driving direct revenue revolve around creating richer, more personalized experiences at each stage of the guest journey. Hotel marketers can use AI to better segment potential guests based on behaviors and deliver content and offers — at scale — that match those segments’ intent. Increasingly, you can let the AI select and orchestrate campaign messages, images, and offers that align with the needs of potential guests, and drive conversion. Similarly, these tools can provide intelligent rate displays and offer attractive upsell opportunities to guests to improve the revenue you achieve during each stay. Real-time guest service during the booking process, including chat, can help improve that experience and increase conversion rate.  Of course, the guest journey doesn’t end at time of booking. Again, savvy hotel commercial teams are beginning to put AI to work to upsell and cross-sell on-property experiences during the pre-arrival and on-property stages of the guest journey to drive greater share of wallet. And, of course, intelligent, automated post-stay campaigns are beginning to produce results in driving repeat bookings from past guests.  In the longer term, we’ve not yet seen how universal access to AI assistants will shape guest behavior. These tools are likely to shift the way guests interact with information and experiences every bit as much as the internet, mobile, and social media have. We should expect to see new marketing and distribution channels that make it easy for us to reach guests directly — and new gatekeepers who seek to insert themselves into that process. Every silver lining comes wrapped in its own cloud.  Regardless, these benefits come with a cost. Hoteliers must take a serious look at their existing tech stack and team skills to ensure they’re ready to put these tools to work. Take a look at the partners you work with. Do they make it easy to connect with new sales and marketing partners? Do they have a well-articulated vision for how they’ll incorporate AI into their products? Have they begun to deliver on that vision? If so, you’re in great shape. If not, it may be time to start looking at alternatives.  And, finally, don’t ignore your people. Does your team have the skills, the resources, and the vision needed to adapt to a changing customer and technology landscape? You will want to give them the support they need to quickly adjust as guest behaviors — and those of your competitors — evolve. The hoteliers who are able to learn the fastest, and put those learnings to use, are the ones most likely to succeed at driving more direct business as AI becomes more common. And there’s nothing artificial about that. #AI #hospitalitymarketing

The travel industry is leaving serious money and impact on the table. Hotels, airlines, and tourism boards still lean heavily on traditional editorial coverage when it comes to media or FAM trips. Journalism will always matter (I’m a freelance journalist myself), but the data is undeniable: most travelers are booking trips because of what they see on social media. I have worked in this space from every angle: ✈️ as a journalist telling destination stories 📸 as a content creator with a loyal, engaged audience 🌏 and as the founder of a travel community that physically brings travelers to destinations, directly impacting tourism dollars From where I stand, one thing is clear. Creators and community founders are not just a “nice-to-have” in your marketing mix. They are one of the most powerful, conversion-driving tools a destination can have. Yet somehow, we are still being asked to work for free. The same brands who will spend tens of thousands on a glossy print ad will hesitate to invest in the people actually driving bookings. Here is why that mindset needs to change: Recently, I worked with a tourism board as an influencer on a media trip and at the same time, I hosted a private trip there. While on the FAM, I brought 5 paying travelers booked in 24 hours, two weeks before departure. Those travelers posted content too, even though they are not influencers. The tourism board was shocked at both the speed of sales and the ripple effect of organic content created by everyday people. Next month, I am hosting a trip to Bali. Seventy Americans are flying across the world for this experience. That is over $300,000 in tourism dollars generated from one trip. That is 70 travelers capturing moments, telling their own stories, and inspiring their own networks. That is 70 sources of user-generated content, plus my own, plus the long-tail impact when their friends and followers start planning their own Bali trips. This is not hypothetical ROI….It’s real and measurable right now. Travel brands, this is your sign. Stop asking creators to work for free. Start seeing the value of influencer and community-led travel, and pay accordingly. The future is not just about one campaign or article posted once. It is about the social ripple effect that drives bookings, loyalty, and lasting brand love. If you want travelers to choose you, you need to meet them where they are already planning and booking. Right now, that is on social media and in communities they trust. #travel #tourism #hospitality #communitybuilding #creatoreconomy #hotels #airlines #tourismboards #journalism

𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲’𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 reveals where hotels can win next, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸. Here's why: 🔺 Travel is up. 💰 Budgets are back. 🔀 But behavior has significantly shifted. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻: 1️⃣ 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙨 + 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠-𝙇𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 🛏️ 33% of travelers stayed 7+ nights (up from 25%) 💼 50% plan to work during their longest trip → Prioritize long-stay packages with workspace perks → Rethink room layouts and common areas to support remote work → Adjust marketing to highlight flexibility for extended bookings 2️⃣ 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝘼𝙄 𝙄𝙨 𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 🔍 GenAI trip planning jumped from 8% to 16% YoY 🏨 45% booked or visited a hotel based on AI suggestions → Ensure your property appears in AI bookings → Keep structured data up to date across booking and content platforms → Include amenities, images, and USPs that GenAI can easily surface 3️⃣ 𝙎𝙚𝙜𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 & 𝙐𝙥𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙗𝙮 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥 𝘽𝙚𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙧 💸 23% of travelers would trade comfort to cut costs 📊 Only 13–22% are very interested in upsell offers → Don’t discount broadly. Target price-sensitive vs. value-seeking segments separately → Personalize upsell offers based on trip type (family, remote work, international) → Test packaging over à la carte pricing to increase uptake 4️⃣ 𝙏𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝-𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝 𝙄𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙨 🇮🇳 India travel projected to double by 2026 🇨🇳 China and 🇯🇵 Japan remain below 2019 levels → Localize booking flows, payment methods, and offers for Indian travelers → Partner with India-based OTAs or influencers → Reevaluate inbound marketing budgets by origin country 5️⃣ 𝘿𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝-𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝, 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝-𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨 🤝 77% prefer human recommendations 🛎️ 46% prefer human check-in; only 24% want digital-only → Keep self-service options, but don’t eliminate face-to-face touchpoints → Use tech to reduce friction, not remove hospitality → Train staff to complement digital journeys, not be sidelined by them 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀.👇 Act on signals that matter, not just trends. And ensure your tech stack is equipped to handle it. 🔍 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘵 → https://t2m.io/axA91eaW #HotelTech #Deloitte #HospitalityStrategy #HotelReport #TravelTrends _____________________ 📍 HotelTechReport.com | The Leading Authority on Hotel Technology

For a long time, hotels were left out (or opted out) of the experiential ecosystem in most parts of the world. No guest would be caught lingering around the property mid-day when there was a world of culture and adventure outside. They'd return late in the day, weary and ready for sleep. It was as if the hotel was in its own bubble, an imaginary boundary drawn that once crossed meant you were entering into a realm outside of the destination. And not in a good way. "Just relax - if you want culture, you'll have to go back out into the world” this line communicated. And to this day we still see this rampant across the industry. But not everywhere! Immersive hospitality is on the rise. And I am excited to be a part of the conversation! Take a moment to read more in this insightful National Geographic feature that I was honored to contribute to alongside Paul Zak, Robyn Landau, and Darrell W.. I was asked recently why this is something I care about. And my answer was this: no one likes feeling like a tourist. To be a tourist is to be an outsider. Hotels have immense potential to become more meaningful third places, gathering spaces that close the barrier between traveler and community, while revealing the unique traditions and ways of life. When you close people off to the local culture, you’re not supporting them in tapping into the revitalizing & transformative power of travel. I can picture a world in which all hospitality properties offer more than just a bed, breakfast, yoga, and a pool… can’t you? Siteminder’s Changing Traveler report recently found that travelers want their accommodation host to have an active role in making their trips more meaningful. Out of 10k travelers, 87% reported they appreciate if their host enables them to learn more about the culture and history of the destination, “acting as a portal to the people and the stories of the local community.” One interesting example of this is Fogo Island Inn’s Community Host Program. It matches guests with a lifelong Fogo Islander for customized half-day orientations about the island’s natural and cultural heritage. I've been keeping a very close eye on the experiential hospitality world since 2018, and I can say this is the first year that I've felt a real shift towards hotels actually prioritizing this. No doubt it will be another 5+ years before we start to see it adopted meaningfully at a mass scale, but I'm excited for the future of hotels becoming more experiential and immersive. #internationalhospitalityday #hoteliers #hospitality #immersiveexperience #regenerativetravel #experiential #hotels #travel

TikTok just rolled out a feature that could disrupt the whole hospitality industry. Meet TikTok Go: The first major step toward social platforms becoming full-fledged booking engines. We've been saying it for years, social media has become the primary discovery engine for modern travelers. 81% of travelers use social for travel inspiration. Gen Z and millennials aren't starting on Booking.com or Expedia - they're scrolling through Instagram and TikTok, getting inspired by content. But until now, there's been massive friction in the discovery-to-booking journey. A potential guest discovers your property on social media, gets excited, wants to book, but then has to click through your profile, find your website, navigate to booking pages, and enter dates. At each step, you lose potential guests. But TikTok Go changes this completely. Here's how it works: Eligible creators can partner with hotels to create content and earn commissions when that content drives bookings. Users can now book hotels directly inside TikTok through a Booking.com integration. Each participating hotel gets a dedicated landing page showing prices, amenities, reviews, nearby attractions, and related TikTok videos. This is a fundamental shift creating several massive advantages: 1. Seamless Discovery-to-Booking: Guests inspired by your content can book immediately, eliminating the friction that kills most social media conversions. 2. Potentially Better Attribution: For the first time, we could have clear tracking from social content to actual bookings, solving the attribution blindspots that have plagued social media ROI calculations. 3. Creator Economy Leverage: You can tap into established creator audiences without building your own following from scratch. The program is already active in Indonesia and Japan, now rolling out across the U.S., with plans to expand beyond hotels into food, wellness, and other local services. We're witnessing social media platforms taking their first major step toward overtaking OTAs. The exact mechanics will evolve, but the change has been set in motion. Every major shift in hospitality creates a brief window where early adopters capture outsized returns. Websites in the 90s. Mobile booking in the 2010s. Social commerce in the 2020s. The hotels building serious social media followings today will be best positioned when these booking features become standard across all platforms. While most properties post occasional content and hope for the best, smart operators are treating social media as their primary guest acquisition engine. TikTok Go is just the beginning. What are your thoughts?

The #tourism industry is undergoing a transformation, focusing more on #sustainability, aiming to actively restore ecosystems, empower communities, and reshape how we explore the world. In this issue of #Regenerative Insights, I highlight some companies and initiatives that are on the forefront of this movement. 🌿 These shifts underline a key insight: tourism can be a force for good when it prioritizes community empowerment and environmental restoration over extractive practices. From Intrepid Travel's focus on sustainability to Galápagos’ youth-led conservation programs to UN-recognized rural tourism champions, these stories highlight actionable pathways for traveling with purpose. 📖 As I also explored in my recent book #TheProfiteers: How Business Privatizes Profits and Socializes Costs, the hidden costs of traditional tourism often fall on local communities and ecosystems. Regenerative tourism flips this paradigm, and provides an example of how industries can be redefined to repair rather than exploit.

The Hotel Guest of 2025 – Are You Ready? The hotel guest of 2025 won’t be the same traveler we’ve grown used to. Guest behavior is evolving fast—and if your hotel isn’t adapting, you’re already behind. Here’s what’s coming: ✅ Personalization is no longer a perk—it’s expected. Tomorrow’s traveler isn’t satisfied with generic experiences. They expect hotels to know their preferences, whether that’s a specific room type, a dietary request, or even personalized in-room amenities. Hotels need to be leveraging guest data to create hyper-personalized experiences at every touchpoint. The brands that master personalization will drive loyalty. Those that don’t? Guests will take their business elsewhere. ✅ Digital-first experiences will be non-negotiable. The booking process is just the beginning. Guests expect seamless, friction-free digital interactions before, during, and after their stay.    - Think mobile check-in and check-out.    - Chatbots that offer 24/7 assistance.    - AI-driven recommendations based on guest behavior.    - Hotels that don’t deliver a smooth digital experience risk losing relevance— especially with younger travelers. ✅ Sustainability and values-driven travel will continue to grow. By 2025, guests will demand more transparency around sustainability initiatives. They want to know:    - What are you doing to reduce your carbon footprint?    - How are you supporting local communities?    - Are your practices environmentally and socially responsible? Sustainability will no longer be a nice-to-have; it will become a key differentiator. Guests will pay more and stay longer at properties that align with their values. ✅ Wellness is the new luxury. Wellness travel has been trending for years, but it’s evolving beyond traditional spas and fitness centers. Travelers want holistic wellness experiences embedded throughout their stay:    - Healthy dining options.    - In-room fitness equipment.    - Mindfulness spaces.    - Hotels that prioritize wellness will attract a growing market of health-conscious travelers. ✅ Work-from-anywhere culture will redefine travel patterns. Bleisure travel isn’t going anywhere, but it’s becoming more extended-stay focused. As remote work continues, more travelers are seeking hotels that feel like home:    - Comfortable workspaces.    - Strong WIFI.    - Community-oriented offerings.    - The hotels that recognize this shift and adapt their services will win the loyalty of this growing segment. Here’s the bottom line: Guest behavior is evolving fast, and hotels must adapt. The brands that invest in personalization, digital transformation, sustainability, wellness, and long-term stays will thrive. The ones that don’t will struggle to remain relevant. I’m diving deeper into these trends with hospitality clients right now. Reach out if you want to learn more.

In a recent interview, Accor’s CEO noted that transatlantic travel to the U.S. has declined 18–20% over the past 90 days, with forward bookings down 25% for the upcoming summer season. This sharp decline reflects more than just shifting consumer preferences—it underscores the growing impact of geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and a persistently strong U.S. dollar. Canada, by contrast, is emerging as a net beneficiary. Its deep cultural ties and political alignment with the EU, coupled with relatively more favorable exchange rates, are making it an increasingly attractive alternative to U.S. destinations. For some, this trend even revives the half-serious argument that Canada belongs in the European Union. But this shift isn't just academic—it has real-world consequences. Fewer international arrivals to the U.S. can mean reduced airline routes, higher ticket prices for consumers, and fewer jobs in tourism-dependent markets across the country. As destinations lose share of global demand, the ripple effects are felt across hospitality, retail, aviation, and local economies. The travel industry may be growing globally, but where that growth flows—and who captures its value—is changing fast. Anticipating and adapting to these shifts is no longer optional; it’s imperative. Watch the interview with Accor’s CEO: https://lnkd.in/g6gW8jwU #travel #tourism #hospitality