Summer Travel Slows as Americans Search for Deals

Summer travel is changing this year, slowing to reflect the nation’s newfound economic concerns and, it seems, the caution is encouraging Americans to wait for travel deals they can snag to save money. 

There’s been a lot of signs of a slowing summer travel season in months’ past. 

Economic uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariffs and worries about a recession have caused the most cost-conscious travelers to wait for deals or choose less expensive vacations. 

Low-cost air carriers like Spirit, Southwest and Frontier all reported losses during the first quarter of the year, while airlines that provide more premium travel experiences are reporting stronger earnings, buoyed by those with more disposable income to spend on travel.

There’s also been a drop in air travel demand. North American airlines saw a 1.2 percent drop in domestic demand this past March, one of only two regions in the world reporting a drop. Global international travel demand had increased 4.9 percent during this month. 

In fact, Americans with the funds to travel are choosing to travel internationally more this year: Allianz Partners’ latest survey found that there’s a 10 percent increase in planned trips to Europe compared to last year. 

And there’s been concern about Trump’s economic and international policy impacting international travel to the United States, too. Monthly reports have shown that travelers, particularly from Canada and Europe, are cancelling their travel plans for fear of being detained at the border or in solidarity against Trump’s claims of making Canada the 51st state, for one example. 

The World Travel & Tourism Council warned that the U.S. could stand to lose as much as $12.5 billion in international travel spending this year alone, not to mention more from a slowing economy and a desire among the Americans who spend the most on travel to visit other countries instead of traveling domestically.  

Reuters reported that summer flight bookings in the US are also down 10 percent from last year, though the cost of flights has also dropped. 

And according to a Deloitte report, budget-conscious Americans are looking to save money on their trips by staying shorter, driving instead of flying and choosing not to splurge on a tour, experience or expensive attraction during their trip.