SINGAPORE, 22 August 2023: Expedia’s Q3 2023 Traveler Insights confirms travel confidence is growing, with many travellers planning further out and looking forward to mid-year getaways.
Expedia Group’s exclusive first-party traveller search and booking data shows shifting demand patterns and changing traveller behaviours during the year’s second quarter. Travel holds strong and a return of seasonal trends like quick trips for events and spring and summer holidays, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.
Search volume steadies, and EMEA shows growth
“Our exclusive first-party data shows that search volumes in Q2 2023 were steady with the prior quarter, indicating sustained global travel interest,” said Expedia Group Media Solutions vice president of business development, Jennifer Andre.
“This is a pattern we’ve seen in previous years, with consistent search volumes in Q2 2022 after a 25% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) lift in searches in Q1 2022. Looking across different regions, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) showed the strongest search growth, with a 10% increase in searches QoQ and year-over-year (YoY).”
Travellers continued to plan further out for international trips, with international searches in the 0- to 90-day window increasing nearly 15% QoQ. This aligns with what our Path to Purchase research revealed about the shopping journey for international travellers, as they typically have a longer path to purchase of 85 days and an extended post-purchase window of 94 days.
Travellers seek out long-haul destinations
Looking at the top 10 booked destinations across all regions, long-haul destinations outside the origin region rose in popularity, indicating international travel demand remains strong. London and New York were popular destinations for travellers, each appearing on the top 10 booked destinations list in all regions.
For Asia Pacific (APAC) travellers, cities such as London and Bangkok increased in rankings, and New York City joined the list. Newcomers Istanbul and Stockholm entered the top 10 for EMEA travellers, while New York City held on to the number one spot. New York City and Madrid moved up the rankings, London joined the list for LATAM travellers, and Boston and San Francisco were newcomers on the list for NORAM travellers.
Sporting events spark travel inspiration
According to the Path to Purchase study, 24% of travellers are initially inspired to take a trip because of a specific event or celebration. This connects with our Q2 first-party data, as major sports games and tournaments drove strong search increases for corresponding destinations.
To learn more, download the Q3 2023 Traveler Insights.
(Source: Expedia Group Media Solutions vice president of business development, Jennifer Andre.)
