Global hotel occupancy averaged 62.7% in 2023, and RevPAR reached US$88.4 as vacation demand stayed resilient. U.S. lodging costs also rose with hotel CPI running at +8.0% year over year, tightening budgets for many travelers. This article maps those shifts from 1.3 billion international arrivals worldwide to the role reviews and smartphone bookings play in how stays get chosen.
Key Takeaways
- From Jan–Dec 2023, international tourist arrivals totaled 1.3 billion globally (UNWTO)
- In the United Kingdom, the number of trips by UK residents for holidays was 87.1 million in 2022
- In Canada, total travel spending was CAD 133.6 billion in 2022 (Statistics Canada)
- Australia’s travel and tourism direct GDP was AUD 76.6 billion in 2022 (WTTC)
- In the U.S., the leisure and hospitality industry generated $2.4 trillion in output in 2022 (U.S. BEA/industry study)
- In Spain, accommodation and food services revenue reached €286.8 billion in 2022 (INE)
- In 2023, 49% of travelers used reviews (e.g., TripAdvisor/Google) as an essential input when booking stays (consumer survey)
- In 2023, 38% of travelers booked on a smartphone (share of bookings) (industry estimate)
- In 2022, 56% of travelers reported using price-comparison sites before booking (consumer survey)
- Mobile check-in reduced front-desk processing time by 30% for hotels that implemented mobile check-in workflows (Amadeus/HVS industry finding)
- In 2023, airlines delivered 98.5% on-time departure rates in North America (BTS/official stats)
- OTA share of hotel bookings in Europe was about 55% in 2023 (industry analysis)
- In 2023, U.S. lodging costs rose as inflationary pressure persisted (BLS hotel CPI +8.0% y/y)
- Travel insurance market size was $9.3 billion in 2023 globally (industry estimate)
- In 2023, average consumer spending on leisure and vacation in the U.S. was $7,381 per household (BLS/CE survey)
In 2023, global travel demand stayed huge, with bookings increasingly mobile and influenced by reviews.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Demand3 stats
01
From Jan–Dec 2023, international tourist arrivals totaled 1.3 billion globally (UNWTO)
02
In the United Kingdom, the number of trips by UK residents for holidays was 87.1 million in 2022
03
In Canada, total travel spending was CAD 133.6 billion in 2022 (Statistics Canada)
Interpretation
Global Demand Interpretation
Global Demand for vacation is clearly strong, with international tourist arrivals reaching 1.3 billion worldwide in 2023 and household travel continuing at scale in key markets like the UK with 87.1 million holiday trips in 2022 and Canada with CAD 133.6 billion in travel spending that same year.
02 · Category
Market Size5 stats
01
Australia’s travel and tourism direct GDP was AUD 76.6 billion in 2022 (WTTC)
02
In the U.S., the leisure and hospitality industry generated $2.4 trillion in output in 2022 (U.S. BEA/industry study)
03
In Spain, accommodation and food services revenue reached €286.8 billion in 2022 (INE)
04
Global hotel industry revenue was about $621.4 billion in 2023 (industry estimate)
05
3.3% average annual growth rate (CAGR) for global outbound travel spend over 2024–2028, reaching US$1.9 trillion by 2028
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size for vacation demand is clearly large and still expanding, with global outbound travel spend projected to rise to US$1.9 trillion by 2028 at a 3.3% CAGR and major national indicators like Australia’s AUD 76.6 billion travel tourism direct GDP in 2022 and Spain’s €286.8 billion accommodation and food services revenue in 2022 underscoring the scale of the sector.
03 · Category
User Adoption9 stats
01
In 2023, 49% of travelers used reviews (e.g., TripAdvisor/Google) as an essential input when booking stays (consumer survey)
02
In 2023, 38% of travelers booked on a smartphone (share of bookings) (industry estimate)
03
In 2022, 56% of travelers reported using price-comparison sites before booking (consumer survey)
04
69% of consumers use online reviews to inform travel decisions (2023 survey)
05
59% of travelers say social media influences their travel choices (2024 survey)
06
72% of travelers would be willing to pay more for a property with better sustainability practices (2023 survey)
07
85% of travelers consider price comparison sites during trip planning (2022 survey)
08
38.6% of leisure travelers book accommodations online at least once per month (2023 survey)
09
70% of customers expect companies to respond to messages within 1 hour (customer service expectations survey)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is being driven by digital behavior, with 69% of consumers using online reviews and 59% influenced by social media, while price comparison remains central at 85% in 2022 and 56% in 2022, showing that travelers increasingly rely on web-based discovery and trust signals before booking.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics8 stats
01
Mobile check-in reduced front-desk processing time by 30% for hotels that implemented mobile check-in workflows (Amadeus/HVS industry finding)
02
In 2023, airlines delivered 98.5% on-time departure rates in North America (BTS/official stats)
03
OTA share of hotel bookings in Europe was about 55% in 2023 (industry analysis)
04
In 2023, chatbots handled 17% of travel customer service interactions (Gartner)
05
On international travel websites, 3%–5% cart abandonment was reported in 2023 for well-optimized checkout (Baymard benchmark)
06
U.S. TSA screened 286.1 million passengers in April 2024
07
Global hotel occupancy averaged 62.7% in 2023 (STR global set)
08
Global hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR) averaged US$88.4in 2023 (STR)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across core travel channels, measurable improvements are already showing up in performance, from 98.5% on-time departures in North America and 62.7% average global hotel occupancy in 2023 to chatbots handling 17% of customer service interactions.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
In 2023, U.S. lodging costs rose as inflationary pressure persisted (BLS hotel CPI +8.0% y/y)
02
Travel insurance market size was $9.3 billion in 2023 globally (industry estimate)
03
In 2023, average consumer spending on leisure and vacation in the U.S. was $7,381per household (BLS/CE survey)
04
Average daily rate (ADR) in the U.S. increased to US$158.60in 2023
05
Occupancy in the U.S. reached 66.1% in 2023
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost pressures in U.S. vacationing stayed elevated in 2023 as lodging inflation ran at +8.0% year over year alongside an ADR of US$158.60 and 66.1% occupancy, helping drive average leisure and vacation spending to $7,381 per household.
06 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
Global online travel agencies (OTAs) processed US$260 billion in accommodation booking value in 2023
02
Global cruise passenger capacity increased to 30.7 million in 2023 (CLIA annual data)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In the Industry Trends space, the surge to US$260 billion in accommodation booking value through global OTAs in 2023 and the rise of cruise capacity to 30.7 million passengers signal that travel demand is accelerating across both digital booking channels and onboard experiences.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Vacation Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/vacation-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Vacation Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/vacation-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Vacation Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/vacation-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)