A surge in travel interest to destinations across the Americas has been revealed in a new report released today by Amadeus in collaboration with UN Tourism.
Entitled “Travel Insights 2024: Focus on the Americas, May to August 2024,” this report is the second in a series providing comprehensive insights into global tourism, with a special emphasis on the Americas and its subregions, including North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
UN Tourism data from 2023 showed a significant increase in international tourist arrivals worldwide, reaching an estimated 1.3 billion, marking a notable 34% rise from 2022 volumes. Looking ahead to 2024, forward-looking data suggests that this upward trend in demand for travel will persist. In 2023, international tourist arrivals in the Americas reached 90% of pre-pandemic levels.
Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UN Tourism explained, “Market intelligence is vital for destinations everywhere, especially as demand for travel continues to rise strongly. We are happy to strengthen our partnership with Amadeus, with this newest joint report providing our Member States with valuable insights for the year ahead.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming months, Amadeus data indicates a remarkable surge in searches for travel between May and August 2024, with a striking 132% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Airlines are swiftly responding to this escalating demand, with air capacity for the same period spiking to 111% of 2023 volumes.
Continued Growth for the Americas:
- The United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil emerge as the top markets searching for travel to the Americas during the May to August 2024 period.
- North America dominates the share of total searches among the Americas subregions for this period, with New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles ranking as the top three searched destinations by worldwide travelers.
Subregional Insights for May to August 2024:
- North America: Noteworthy growth in air searches from China and Japan for travel to North America is observed.
- Central America: Costa Rica maintains its allure as the most searched-for destination, with the US leading in travel searches to the subregion.
- South America: Argentina and Brazil witness a surge in popularity, with Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, and Santiago ranking as the top three searched destinations.
- Caribbean: The US, Argentina, and France lead in searches for Caribbean travel, with Punta Cana emerging as the most-searched-for destination.
Francisco Pérez-Lozao Rüter, President, Hospitality, Amadeus sums up the results this way, “This second report from Amadeus’ partnership with UN Tourism continues to show the importance of data insights for the industry. Traveler interest and search patterns continue to change throughout the year, and it is vital that travel organizations are aware of the current trends and those that could continue to evolve. For example, when it comes to hotel occupancy, the data highlights the importance for travel companies to remain flexible so they can be responsive to the last-minute patterns of travelers today.”
