According to new research released by Amadeus’ wholly-owned payment solutions provider Outpayce, travel continues to be consumers’ highest priority in terms of discretionary income expenditures.
This year’s edition of the ‘Consumer Travel Spend Priorities’ report also revealed that demand for travel is projected to remain robust over the next 12 months, with consumers’ planned spending actually increasing, despite ongoing record inflation and overall economic uncertainty.
‘International travel’ was once again ranked by consumers as their number-one highest priority out of a list of six discretionary spending categories. The number of people who called travel a ‘high priority’ for the coming one-year period increased by 12 percent year-over-year.
Travelers also indicated that they anticipate spending more on pursuing international travel during the next 12 months, with an average expected spend amount of $3,422. That’s an increase of $753 per consumer, or 28 percent, compared to last year.
Perhaps that’s because things keep getting more and more expensive. Travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth recently discovered that travelers are spending over $9,300 on average to take their summer trips this year, making it the most expensive summer ever.
Much of that simply comes down to having to pay higher prices. When comparing year-over-year changes in trip costs, the company found those costs have increased by almost seven percent this year over last, after increasing by nearly 19 percent in 2022 over 2021.
Price comparison site TicketLens just released its own analysis of the way that pricing for popular tickets, tours, tourist activities and travel experiences has evolved over the past four years.
Its study revealed that the costs of tours and attraction admission tickets worldwide have risen an average of 18 percent ($16.12) since 2019, while average prices for the same things in the U.S. specifically have increased by 19.3 percent ($127).
Analysts were able to identify the top 15 out of the 27 countries included in its survey where prices for attractions (divided into four categories: sights, hop-on-hop-off buses, museums and vantage points), guided tours, etc. have increased the most over since pre-pandemic times.
| Ranking | Country | Price 2019 | Price 2023 | Increase in % | Increase in $ |
| 1 | Turkey | $88 | $119 | 35.25 % | $31 |
| 2 | Ireland | $96 | $126.4 | 31.70 % | $30.40 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | $103.90 | $134.50 | 29.44 % | $30.60 |
| 4 | Poland | $58.50 | $75.50 | 29.03 % | $16 |
| 5 | Hungary | $57 | $71.80 | 26.04 % | $14.80 |
| 6 | China | $70 | $87 | 24.29 % | $17 |
| 7 | Portugal | $96.80 | $119.50 | 23.46 % | $22.70 |
| 8 | Singapore | $39.50 | $48.60 | 23.02 % | $9.10 |
| 9 | Morocco | $78.20 | $94.60 | 21.01 % | $16.40 |
| 10 | Austria | $99.10 | $119.80 | 20.96 % | $20.70 |
| 11 | Germany | $58.20 | $70.40 | 20.96 % | $12.20 |
| 12 | Czech Republic | $60.80 | $73.50 | 20.95 % | $12.70 |
| 13 | Spain | $76.80 | $92.80 | 20.83 % | $16 |
| 14 | Italy | $103.20 | $124.50 | 20.64 % | $21.30 |
| 15 | USA | $106.50 | $127 | 19.27 % | $20.50 |
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