Maggie Rauch

The total U.S. travel market is projected to expand a healthy 5% in 2018, while growth in online bookings continues to outpace the broader market. Although supplier websites are expected to grow slightly faster than OTAs, the balance between suppliers and intermediaries will remain unchanged through 2022. For suppliers and intermediaries alike, mobile transactions represent the strong channel for growth. This market sheet provides quick and easy access to U.S. travel market sizing data from 2016-2022, including key sectors, segments and distribution channels.

The advent of basic economy fares has enabled full-service U.S. airlines to offer unbundled services and compete with LCCs more effectively. Offers continue to evolve as airlines try various bundles and combinations to see what gains traction. Therefore, the shopping and booking experience is now supported by richer content as airlines seek to differentiate their basic fare offerings and ancillaries. In 2018, ancillaries account for 12% of U.S. airlines’ passenger-related revenue, and this share is expected to continue trending upward. This report presents a high-level summary of the U.S. airline segment, focusing on the need-to-know developments, trends and stories that are impacting the market now.

U.S. airlines are projected to notch a second consecutive year of 5% revenue growth in 2018, fueled by steady capacity additions, an uptick in passenger volume, improved yield and growth in demand for ancillaries. Despite a highly consolidated market – the top four airlines account for more than 80% of flown revenue – competition remains fierce among airlines and across distribution channels. This report provides complete sizing and analysis on the U.S. airline segment, including online and mobile bookings, distribution trends, OTA versus supplier dynamics, and projections through 2022.

Japan’s economy continues its journey through troubled waters with GDP growth hovering around a modest 1% for the fourth consecutive year.  Slowing exports and an aging population are major contributing factors to this sluggish growth.  However, gradually increasing wages and Tokyo’s preparations to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games both contribute to a cautiously optimistic outlook for infrastructure development, employment and inbound travel.

The U.S. travel market enjoyed a solid 2017, with all segments experiencing growth of 1-5% over 2016. Overall, the market expanded 3%, with online sales outperforming the market as a whole. Many suppliers bolstered their online direct sales efforts, while OTAs (in particular Expedia and Booking.com) had a strong year as well. This report provides comprehensive market sizing and projections for the U.S. travel industry from 2015-2021, and includes analysis of the key trends and players that are shaping the market.

The cruise and packaged travel segments are entirely leisure-driven, and remain the two key segments where traditional travel agents are the most important distribution partners. Because of the overlap in demographics and distribution, cruise and packaged travel companies compete for business. But they also complement one another, as packaged travel companies provide pre- and post-stays to cruise lines. In 2017, the U.S. cruise and package segments grew 5% and 3%, respectively. This report provides complete sizing and analysis on the U.S. cruise and packaged travel segments, including online versus offline bookings, distribution dynamics, OTA versus supplier dynamics and projections through 2021.

Following back-to-back revenue declines in 2015 and 2016, 2017 was a rebound year for U.S. airlines, with flown passenger revenue climbing 3%. Online air bookings are near saturation but still growing slightly faster than the overall air market. This report provides complete sizing and analysis on the U.S. airline segment, including online and mobile bookings, distribution trends, OTA versus supplier dynamics, and projections through 2021.

Online travel agencies (OTAs) represent the fastest-growing online distribution channel in Asia Pacific (APAC), with aggregate gross bookings projected to climb 68% from 2017 to 2021. China is APAC's biggest OTA market, and the mobile channel now accounts for a majority of OTA bookings in the region. The report presents an overview of the Asia Pacific OTA landscape from 2015-2021, including gross bookings, major players, key trends, the impact of mobile and more.

The U.S. car rental market grew just 1% in 2016, due in part to softness in business travel demand. Ride-hailing services may also be curtailing some demand in the segment, and this impact is likely to increase over the next few years. This report provides an overview of the U.S. car rental segment, including market sizing through 2021, distribution analysis, key players and trends.

The Asia Pacific (APAC) travel market continues to reap the benefits of a vibrant economy and ongoing infrastructure development supporting travel and tourism, and as a result APAC is now the world’s largest regional travel market. Across the region, travel has become a popular lifestyle choice among the growing middle and upper classes, and travel gross travel bookings are projected to register high single-digit annual growth from 2017 to 2021. This report presents findings on the Asia Pacific leisure travel market, with sizing and projections from 2015-2021.