Expedia Group bookings for the second quarter of this year were the highest in history, and travellers around the world are taking more long-haul flights to traditional, top destinations.
Expedia Group’s second quarter report for 2022 revealed a 40% increase in stayed room nights and a nine per cent increase in stayed average rates. That means significantly more travel despite higher rates, a sure sign of the pent-up demand for travel around the world.
The study revealed that the global demand for long-haul flights (more than four hours) soared by more than 50% during the second quarter, compared to last year.
Further illustrating the rise in long-haul flights, Q2 delivered over 100% year-over year growth in traveler demand for
flights from the U.S. to Europe. London, Paris, and Rome account for the top three European destinations for U.S. travelers
during Q2.
London England. Lucas Davies/Unsplash Photo
For Canada, inter-provincial travel searches rose 10% between April and June of 2022, while U.S. searches for Canadian destinations rose 20%. That’s big for Canadian tourism operators, who rely on American dollars to make a go of things.
During Q2, 10 of the top 25 global destinations saw double-digit quarter-over-quarter growth in hotel demand. Seoul saw the highest
quarter-over-quarter growth, with strong performance in other Asia Pacific destinations like Tokyo, while Rome and Paris led in Europe/Middle East/Africa. Toronto moved up the list from the 29th position to 25th, Barcelona moved from 22nd to 13th, and Chicago
moved from 11th to 6th.
Just as in days before the pandemic hit, Expedia Group said major cities and beaches were especially popular in the second quarter of this year.
Here were the top top destinations in Q2 for North American travelers:
1. New York City
2. Las Vegas
3. Los Angeles
4. Orlando
5. Cancun
6. Chicago
7. London
8. Boston
9. Honolulu
10. San Francisco
