Tripadvisor®, the world's largest travel guidance platform, releases its first Seasonal Travel Index of 2023, providing an outlook for travel patterns and demand over the next three months.

Overview

The majority of travelers (66%) plan to travel in the upcoming season (March 1-May 31) according to consumer sentiment research commissioned by Tripadvisor in five key global markets. Around 9 in 10 of these travelers (86%) plan to travel the same amount or more compared to last year, with this figure highest in the U.S. (94%) and lowest in the U.K. (81%).

Inflationary pressures appear to have less impact on travel planning, when compared to data from previous editions of the Seasonal Travel Index. Almost two in five travelers (37%) intend to travel as planned between March and May 2023, despite rising living costs, versus less than a third (32%) between December 2022 and February 2023. For those intending to change travel plans due to rising prices this upcoming season, 31% will travel less or take shorter trips, while 27% will vacation closer to home.

Consistent with previous Indexes, affordability (65%) remains nearly twice as important as other factors like trip length (35%) and trip type (31%) when planning a trip. Despite this, travelers look set to maintain travel spend this season, with half of travelers surveyed (50%) planning to spend more this upcoming season, compared to the same period last year, also broadly consistent with the previous edition.

When it comes to destination planning, three in five travelers surveyed (59%) plan to travel domestically for their primary trip over the next three months, consistent with the previous Index. Roughly a third of global travelers surveyed (66%) plan to return to a place they've visited before, while only a third will visit somewhere new.

With spring around the corner in the Northern Hemisphere, major cities - including Paris, London, New York and Rome - dominate the list of top global destinations between March and May. In the Southern Hemisphere, Australian travelers are looking to more sun-drenched destinations, with the majority of top ten international destinations located in Southeast Asia.

In a trend that continues from previous Indexes, 13 of the top 15 fastest growing global destinations (those that have seen the largest year-on-year growth in hotel demand on Tripadvisor) are all based in Asia-Pacific countries, many of which have only recently reopened to international travelers or continued to loosen restrictions over the past 12 months.

The following sentiment survey and Tripadvisor platform metrics provide a global overview of traveler demand, with breakdowns of seasonal behavioral data by market surveyed. 

Seasonal Travel Index (March - May 2023)

Trip Characteristics

Of those surveyed, two-thirds (66%) of respondents plan to travel this upcoming season, between March and May 2023.

• US: 64%
• UK: 71%
• AUS: 66%
• JP: 49%
• SG: 78%

Of those, 86% plan to take between 1-2 trips, with U.S. respondents over indexing for taking six or more trips.

• US: 1-2 trips (78%), 3-5 trips (17%), 6+ trips (4%)
• UK: 1-2 trips (90%), 3-5 trips (9%), 6+ trips (1%)
• AUS: 1-2 trips (92%), 3-5 trips (6%), 6+ trips (1%)
• JP: 1-2 trips (84%), 3-5 trips (13%), 6+ trips (2%)
• SG: 1-2 trips (83%), 3-5 trips (14%), 6+ trips (3%)

Collectively, two in five respondents (41%) are planning to travel more this upcoming season than they did last year.

• US: 48%
• UK: 45%
• AUS: 47%
• JP: 20%
• SG: 56%

The majority (59%) plan to travel domestically for their primary trip.

• US: Domestic (82%), International (18%)
• UK: Domestic (48%), International (52%)
• AUS: Domestic (72%), International (28%)
• JP: Domestic (93%), International (7%)
• SG: Domestic (10%), International (90%)

Most (66%) plan to return to a destination they have visited before.

• US: 68%
• UK: 69%
• AUS: 72%
• JP: 65%
• SG: 72%

Traveler Spend

Half of travelers globally (50%) plan to spend more on their biggest trip this upcoming season compared to the same period last year.

• US: 59%
• UK: 43%
• AUS: 47%
• JP: 34%
• SG: 56%

Over half of global respondents (58%) plan on changing their travel behaviors as a result of rising living costs, a lower number than previous travel indexes

• US: 56% (35% will travel less/for shorter periods, 21% will vacation closer to home)
• UK: 54% (27% will travel less/for shorter periods, 27% will vacation closer to home)
• AUS: 56% (29% will travel less/for shorter periods, 27% will vacation closer to home)
• JP: 45% (20% will travel less/for shorter periods, 25% will vacation closer to home)
• SG: 66% (34% will travel less/for shorter periods, 32% will vacation closer to home)

Rising energy costs will also influence upcoming travel behaviors, though less than rising living costs, with 54% claiming they will impact travel decision making.

• US: 51%
• UK: 49%
• AUS: 46%
• JP: 44%
• SG: 63%

Cost/affordability (65%) is nearly twice as important to respondents as other factors such as trip length (35%) and trip type (31%) when planning a vacation, consistent with prior data. 

• US: Cost/affordability (66%), trip length (43%), trip type (34%)
• UK: Cost/affordability (69%), trip length (36%), trip type (32%)
• AUS: Cost/affordability (72%), trip length (45%), trip type (32%)
• JP: Cost/affordability (75%), trip length (29%), trip type (31%)
• SG: Cost/affordability (59%), trip length (35%), trip type (23%)

Top Destinations - March 1 to May 31, 2023

Global

• Dates of search: December 1, 2022 - January 25, 2023
• Dates of travel: March 1 - May 31, 2023

United States

• Dates of search: December 1, 2022 - January 25, 2023
• Dates of travel: March 1 - May 31, 2023

United Kingdom

• Dates of search: December 1, 2022 - January 25, 2023
• Dates of travel: March 1 - May 31, 2023

Australia

• Dates of search: December 1, 2022 - January 25, 2023
• Dates of travel: March 1 - May 31, 2023

Japan

• Dates of search: December 1, 2022 - January 25, 2023
• Dates of travel: March 1 - May 31, 2023

Singapore

• Dates of search: December 1, 2022 - January 25, 2023
• Dates of travel: March 1 - May 31, 2023

Most popular day and week to travel by country - March 1 to May 31, 2023

• Dates of search: December 1, 2022 - January 25, 2023
• Dates of travel: March 1 - May 31, 2023

Methodology

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

A Tripadvisor Consumer Sentiment Survey, based on data drawn from an online survey of over 2,100 consumers, in partnership with Qualtrics, conducted between January 8 and January 20, 2023 across five countries - U.S., UK, Australia, Singapore and Japan.

Site behavioral data sourced from first party traffic data on the Tripadvisor platform, gathered between December 1, 2022 and January 25, 2023, for searches made by travelers in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Japan and Singapore for travel between March 1 through May 31, 2023.