US Travel Demand Will Reach Four-Year High in 2025

Americans are eager to indulge in vacations over the coming 12 months and are planning to spend significantly more when they travel.

The winter edition of the Portrait of American Travelers report, released today by MMGY today, shows that nearly 8 in 10 U.S. adults plan to take a vacation over the next 12 months. That represents a 7 percent increase over winter 2023.

In addition, the report shows that Americans intend to spend significantly more money on travel in the year ahead, with the average vacation budget climbing to $5,051. Americans will also travel more frequently in 2025, taking slightly more than four trips per person.

“Americans’ intent to travel is reaching its highest level in almost four years, eclipsing even the spikes we saw in the immediate post-pandemic surge,” Simon Moriarty, MMGY Travel Intelligence’s vice president of research and analytics.

The survey found that Americans are increasingly devoting larger portions of their disposable incomes to taking trips in 2025, signaling a conscious choice to prioritize experiences and a robust commitment to travel in 2025, added Moriarty.

Travel highlights for the year ahead

Brand Loyalty

An indication of the rising importance of driving repeat business, the MMGY survey identified a significant increase in brand loyalty across all travel segments – with airlines and hotels witnessing extensive growth in their loyalty program memberships. 

Hotel loyalty program members grew 6% since 2023, while airlines observed an even larger growth of 8%.

Shifting Influences

Love it or hate it, it seems social media influencers still reign supreme.

"Though their perceived authenticity may be waning over time, social media content creators and influencers were found to be more influential than celebrities when it comes to travel decisions,” says the MMGY report.

More than half (51%) of respondents said that they had been influenced “somewhat” or “a great deal” by influencers, compared to 41% by celebrities.

Traveling Abroad

Interest in international travel for the next six months is at its highest level since 2020, with far more travelers than in previous years planning trips between November and April.

“The low-cost and less-crowded nature of off-peak vacations continues to be alluring to American travelers,” says the report.

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