{"id":538440,"date":"2026-07-22T10:47:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T10:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/538440\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T10:47:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T10:47:48","slug":"travelers-are-redefining-value-as-competition-for-every-trip-intensifies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/538440\/","title":{"rendered":"Travelers Are Redefining Value as Competition for Every Trip Intensifies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kansas City, MO \u2013 Travel remains a priority for Americans this summer, but they\u2019re becoming more thoughtful about where they go and how they spend. The latest findings from\u00a0MMGY<\/a>\u2018s 2026\u00a0Portrait of American Travelers\u2122 reveal that as rising costs reshape travel decisions, consumers aren\u2019t abandoning vacations \u2013 they\u2019re becoming more selective about which destinations earn their time, attention and dollars.<\/p>\n

Travel demand remains remarkably resilient, but the competition for travelers has fundamentally changed. People aren\u2019t simply deciding whether to take a vacation. They\u2019re deciding which destination deserves their limited time and discretionary income. For destination marketers, that means success will increasingly belong to brands that clearly demonstrate their value, differentiate their experiences and lean into a more data-driven, personalized approach to communication in an evolving landscape that is driven by AI.<\/p>\n

Craig Compagnone, President of MMGY Global<\/p>\n

Based on a survey of more than 4,300 U.S. adults,\u00a0Portrait of American Travelers\u2122 remains the travel industry\u2019s longest-running and most-trusted examination of leisure travel behavior in America. Among the most notable findings in the \u201cSummer Edition\u201d of the report:<\/p>\n

Travelers are being more discerning with their decisions.\u00a0While nearly half of Americans (49%) plan to take a leisure trip within the next three months, expected trips (3.5) and travel spending ($5,570) in the next 12 months have softened since earlier this year, reflecting a more deliberate approach to destination selection rather than a pullback in travel.<\/p>\n

Increased use of AI in planning is driving more informed choices.\u00a0More than half of active leisure travelers (52%) have used AI to help plan a trip, up 10 percentage points year over year, with ChatGPT (57%) and Gemini (42%) emerging as the most widely used travel planning tools.<\/p>\n

Destination choice is becoming more competitive.\u00a0Orlando was one of the few major destinations to gain interest year over year (+3 percentage points). Cities such as Palm Springs (-3), Raleigh\/Durham (-5) and St. Petersburg\/Clearwater (-3) all saw declines in consideration as travelers are seeking a broader set of opportunities.<\/p>\n

Value is increasingly defined by experience, with events and sports often leading the way.\u00a0More than half of travelers (55%) are interested in travel that is tied to a major event, including 29% who would consider Route 66 Centennial celebrations and 29% interested in America\u2019s 250th anniversary events. The influence of sports on tourism continues to grow, with 27% of travelers interested in attending a sporting event while on vacation.<\/p>\n

The findings suggest destinations face a new challenge: convincing travelers not just to take a vacation but to choose them over an increasingly competitive field of alternatives. As consumers raise their expectations, success will depend on creating a more personalized narrative, communicating authentic experiences and demonstrating clear value to visiting that extends well beyond price.<\/p>\n

The 2026\u00a0Portrait of American Travelers\u2122 \u201cSummer Edition\u201d is now available for purchase or as part of an all-access subscription to EurekA!, MMGY\u2019s searchable research platform. To explore more, visit\u00a0mmgyintel.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About\u00a0Portrait of American Travelers\u2122\u00a0<\/p>\n

MMGY\u2019s\u00a0Portrait of American Travelers\u2122\u00a0is the travel industry\u2019s longest-running and most-trusted examination of U.S. leisure travel behavior. Released quarterly, it provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of current economic conditions, social values, and emerging travel habits and intentions. The \u201cSummer\u00a0Edition\u201d is based on interviews with\u00a04,371\u00a0U.S. adults conducted in\u00a0May\u00a02026, with generational insights from Gen\u00a0Zers\u00a0(18\u201329), Millennials (30\u201345), Gen Xers (46\u201361) and Boomers (62\u201380). Results from the Silent Generation (81+) are included in totals but not reported separately due to small sample size.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

About MMGY Global<\/p>\n

MMGY Global is the world’s leading integrated marketing firm specializing in the travel, hospitality and lifestyle industries. With operating brands across the world, the award-winning organization maintains a global communications practice in all marketing channels, serving many of the world’s premier travel and tourism brands. As a company dedicated to the travel industry, MMGY Global strives to create a connected, inclusive and peaceful world by promoting travel as a cultural bridge of understanding. For more information, visit mmgyglobal.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kansas City, MO \u2013 Travel remains a priority for Americans this summer, but they\u2019re becoming more thoughtful about…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[363,138,265015,246,15557,6735,265017,111,139,69,244,245,5937,240257,265016,1430],"class_list":["post-538440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-business","tag-destination-marketing","tag-finance","tag-hospitality","tag-hotel","tag-mmgy-global","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-press-releases","tag-travel-demand","tag-traveler-behavior","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}