With Thanksgiving behind us and the next set of holidays right around the corner, I wanted to share new data fromTripadvisor about what can be expected. Despite rising COVID cases, Americans remain more optimistic about travel than the rest of the world, with 55 percent of Americans planning on traveling this holiday season,compared to only 30 percent globally.

2020 End-of-Year Holiday Travel Trends:

  • Consistent with Thanksgiving, December holiday travel is down (20%) from 2019, but over half of Americans (55%) still plan on hitting the road this holiday season.
  • Only 7% of Americans plan to stay in a hotel for the holidays.
  • 70 percent of Americans will drive to their holiday destination, while 19 percent will fly. Air travel, although down overall, is up 7 percent from Thanksgiving.
  • While 45 percent of holiday travelers are visiting family, over two-thirds (39%) are taking some R&R and going on vacation.
  • Top priorities: Travelers are looking for discounts, health and safety tips, cancellation policies and restaurant recommendations.
    • Tripadvisor's Travel Safe tool can help you find, filter, and validate relevant health and safety information about hotels and restaurants.
  • Dining out in December: 63 percent of Americans plan on dining out at least once over the holidays.
  • Travelers are getting into the holiday spirit, with 61% excited for the upcoming holiday season and 51% looking forward to giving gifts.
    • Consumers are increasingly shopping online, with 50 percent planning to purchase more gifts online this year than they have in years past.
    • Shop local: 62 percent believe it's important to support small businesses this holiday season

"After a challenging year, confidence in future travel plans continues to rise. 70 percent of Americans feel at least moderately safe to travel this holiday season." said Christopher Hsi, Consumer Market Research Lead Analyst for Tripadvisor. "As we look ahead to 2021, flexibility and safety will remain top priorities. And with recent positive news about vaccine developments, confidence is likely to grow. In fact, over half (52%) of Americans believe travel will rebound within three months."

For a look at a more in-depth report on the shifting trends in traveler demand and behavior during 2020, check out our recent whitepaper: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Covid19WhitepaperNovember2020.

About Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel guidance platform*, helps millions of people each month** become better travelers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travelers across the globe use Tripadvisor's website and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than a billion reviews and contributions, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby.

Tripadvisor LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tripadvisor, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIP). The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. own and operate a portfolio of travel media brands and businesses, operating under various websites and apps.

* Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly, November 2024
** Source: Tripadvisor internal log files

Casey Brogan
TripAdvisor