Holiday Travel Trends: Culinary and Cruise Travel on the Rise

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 1:25 PM ET, Thu September 26, 2024

So long fall and summer travel, hello holiday 2024.

As 2024 rolls quickly to a close, there's new data becoming available surrounding the holiday travel plans for globetrotters.

Most recently, MMGY has issued its quarterly research study Portrait of American Travelers, which sheds some light on what’s in store for holiday jetsetting this year.

As the industry heads into its peak travel season, the report shows that more than one-third of all U.S. adults intend to travel this holiday season.

The report also reveals some of the travel themes that will shape the winter season ahead. It seems travelers are focused on booking culinary tourism and separately, cruises.

"Our survey highlights a marked rise in interest in culinary and cruise experiences, reflecting a trend toward more immersive and meaningful travel,” Simon Moriarty, MMGY Travel Intelligence’s vice president of research and analytics, said in a statement.

“As we head into the busy but lucrative holiday season, marketers should recognize that travelers are planning their trips with increased thoughtfulness and genuine intent,” Moriarty added.

Top Report Takeaways for the Quarter

Travel Plans and Concerns: It seems U.S. travel intentions have increased across every generation and all household income levels. Since the summer survey, consumer concerns about the price of gas have decreased alongside price declines in the marketplace, per the report.

Generational Differences: Boomers are leading the way when it comes to travel spending. Per the study, they anticipate spending the most on leisure travel during the next 12 months, while Gen Xers expect to take the most trips (3.9 on average). Meanwhile, Gen Z’s interest in travel has changed course and risen after four quarters of consecutive decline, with 67 percent now planning to travel for leisure in the next 12 months, according to the report.

Holiday Travel: As a whole, more U.S. adults (38 percent) intend to travel for the upcoming winter holiday season. That’s up slightly from 2023 when the figure was 34 percent.

Thanksgiving travel intentions, specifically, have increased slightly—reaching 53 percent this year compared to 51 percent last year. Similarly, intentions to travel for the holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa have also ticked upward—and are 61 percent this year compared to 58 percent last year.

Culinary Travel: Culinary travel is where it’s at this holiday season. In fact, for the second year in a row, the influence of a destination’s culinary scene has grown in importance from the previous year.

Although authentic local cuisine is still the most sought-after culinary experience (55 percent), there is growing interest in high-end culinary experiences such as award-winning restaurants or food and wine festivals.

Cruising: More than half of active leisure travelers are interested in taking an ocean cruise (58 precent) or river cruise (52 percent) during the next two years.

About 40 percent of travelers have their sights set on an expedition cruise. Notably, there is a statistically significant 6 percent increase in interest in ocean cruises, signaling a promising future for this mode of travel.

Beyond the Holiday Season

Looking past the end-of-year festivities, travel bookings will continue going strong.

The MMGY report found that nearly eight in 10 U.S. adults plan to take a vacation in the next 12 months, which represents an increase of 6 percent compared to the results from last year at this time.

"Despite economic uncertainties and global complexities, travel continues to be a major priority for Americans," said Moriarty.