Skift Travel Industry data tracks how traveler expectations are reshaping major segments—from cruise demand to online travel agencies and hotels. Along the path to booking, shoppers increasingly want mobile-ready experiences and real-time pricing, even as flight disruptions push plans off schedule. The page also covers the technology and trust layer: AI-enabled customer service, the ROI of marketing automation, sustainability preferences, and the rising cost of data breaches—plus where cloud can help.
Key Takeaways
- US$ 202 billion global cruise industry economic output, impact from cruise travel in 2023 (CLIA estimate)
- US$ 10.9 billion online travel agencies (OTAs) revenue in 2023 for the United States (IPK International/Skift-style market reporting figure)
- 3.3% year-over-year increase in global online travel sales in 2023 (Phocuswright)
- 49% of OTA/agent customers expect real-time pricing availability when shopping for travel (Google/industry travel shopping insights)
- 22% of travelers changed plans due to flight disruptions in the last trip (Amadeus travel survey)
- 35% of consumers consider sustainability when choosing travel brands (IBM study on sustainability preferences)
- 4.7% average annual growth in global hotel revenues (STR/HSMAI estimate for 2023-2025)
- RevPAR increased to US$ 95.56 in the United States for 2023 (STR)
- 75% of travelers expect travel websites to be mobile-optimized (Google Think with Google benchmark)
- US$ 4.45 million average cost of a data breach in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)
- 33% of organizations had a breach within 12 months of implementing security controls (IBM Security report)
- Cloud computing cost savings of 20% to 40% compared to on-prem (Gartner cloud economics)
- 50% of leisure travelers used online search to start trip planning in 2024 (Google consumer travel survey)
- 61% of U.S. travelers researched trips online before booking in 2023 (NHTSA/RITA travel survey summary via reputable travel research outlets)
- 83% of hotel guests expect to be able to book online (Statista estimate based on surveys)
Cruise and hotels are booming, while OTA shoppers demand real time mobile deals and more sustainable, AI powered service.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
US$ 202 billion global cruise industry economic output, impact from cruise travel in 2023 (CLIA estimate)
02
US$ 10.9 billion online travel agencies (OTAs) revenue in 2023 for the United States (IPK International/Skift-style market reporting figure)
03
3.3% year-over-year increase in global online travel sales in 2023 (Phocuswright)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the market size perspective, travel’s digital side is clearly expanding with global online travel sales up 3.3% year over year in 2023, while the US OTA market alone reached US$10.9 billion and the much larger US$202 billion global cruise economic output in 2023 shows how substantial travel spend is across both online booking and onboard travel.
02 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
49% of OTA/agent customers expect real-time pricing availability when shopping for travel (Google/industry travel shopping insights)
02
22% of travelers changed plans due to flight disruptions in the last trip (Amadeus travel survey)
03
35% of consumers consider sustainability when choosing travel brands (IBM study on sustainability preferences)
04
54% of travel brands are investing in AI or machine learning for customer service as of 2024 (Salesforce State of Service)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends show that 54% of travel brands are investing in AI or machine learning for customer service, reflecting how rising customer expectations around real time pricing and disruption driven plan changes are pushing modernization across travel shopping.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics9 stats
01
4.7% average annual growth in global hotel revenues (STR/HSMAI estimate for 2023-2025)
02
RevPAR increased to US$ 95.56in the United States for 2023 (STR)
03
75% of travelers expect travel websites to be mobile-optimized (Google Think with Google benchmark)
04
US$ 2.65return for each US$ 1 spent on marketing automation (Gartner peer benchmark referenced by industry)
05
42% of travelers abandon a booking if the price changes after selecting flights/hotels (Priceline survey via reputable travel analytics press)
06
3.6% global hotel occupancy in 2023 year-on-year (STR)
07
RevPAR in the United States was US$95.56in 2023
08
RevPAR in the United States increased by 11.1% year-over-year in 2023
09
RevPAR in the United States increased by US$9.00in 2023
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics show strong momentum alongside digital pressure: global hotel revenues are projected to grow 4.7% annually through 2023 to 2025 while US hotel RevPAR rises to US$95.56 and occupancy reaches 3.6% year over year, yet 75% of travelers expect mobile optimized sites and 42% abandon bookings when prices change after selection, underscoring that conversion outcomes are tightly linked to customer experience.
More related reading
report visual · Comparison
U.S. RevPAR Performance (2023)
In 2023, the United States led with higher hotel RevPAR, rising year over year by 11.1% and adding US$9.00 per available room versus the prior period.
RevPAR in the United States increased by 11.1% year-over-year in 2023US$1.11B (normalized YoY)
RevPAR in the United States was US$95.56 in 2023
US$95.56
RevPAR in the United States increased by US$9.00 in 2023
US$9.00
source-verifiedcostar.com2023
04 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
US$ 4.45 million average cost of a data breach in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)
02
33% of organizations had a breach within 12 months of implementing security controls (IBM Security report)
03
Cloud computing cost savings of 20% to 40% compared to on-prem (Gartner cloud economics)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis in Skift Travel Industry, the financial risk from security is stark with an average US$4.45 million data breach cost in 2023, while even 33% of organizations still experienced a breach within 12 months of adding controls, making the potential 20% to 40% cloud cost savings versus on-prem a practical lever only if paired with strong security.
05 · Category
User Adoption8 stats
01
50% of leisure travelers used online search to start trip planning in 2024 (Google consumer travel survey)
02
61% of U.S. travelers researched trips online before booking in 2023 (NHTSA/RITA travel survey summary via reputable travel research outlets)
03
83% of hotel guests expect to be able to book online (Statista estimate based on surveys)
04
58% of travelers said they use loyalty points or benefits when deciding where to stay (Nielsen/industry loyalty survey cited by trade sources)
05
37% of consumers would switch travel providers if they offered better mobile experiences (Salesforce State of Service / customer experience survey)
06
73% of companies in the hospitality sector are using CRM systems (Gartner/industry CRM adoption benchmark)
07
65% of travel buyers say they use video for decision-making during trip planning (Google/Ipsos video and travel behavior report)
08
81% of hotel operators use property management systems (PMS) according to a hospitality technology survey (Hotel Tech Report survey)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In the user adoption landscape, travelers are clearly committing to digital and mobile planning, with 50% using online search to start trip planning in 2024 and 61% researching online before booking in 2023, while hotels and hospitality are meeting expectations as 83% of guests expect online booking.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Skift Travel Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/skift-travel-industry-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Skift Travel Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/skift-travel-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Skift Travel Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/skift-travel-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)