Travel Facts and Statistics

Travel Facts and Statistics

The U.S. Travel Answer Sheet is filled with facts and statistics about leisure, business and international travel. Download this one-page fact sheet about a leading American industry that's more than just fun.

U.S. Travel's research department produces a wealth of valuable facts and trend data, including travel characteristics from the Domestic Travel Market Report. Key findings include:

Fewer adults are traveling with children. In 2012, 26 percent of domestic leisure travelers traveled with children under the age of 18 (408.5 million trips) compared with 2008, when 31 percent of adults traveled with children (466.2 million trips).

Driving versus flying. In 2012, 33 percent of domestic business trips included air travel compared to just 11 percent of leisure trips. Nearly eight in ten (79%) leisure trips were by car compared to less than half (48%) of business trips.

Leisure travelers are older than business travelers.

The average age of leisure travelers is 47.5 years old. Mature travelers comprise 36 percent of leisure travel volume (18% are 65+, 18% are 55-64). Nearly two in ten (19%) are 45-55, 17% are 35-44, 20% are 25-34 and 8% are 18-24 years old.

The average age for business travelers is 45.9 years old. The majority (26%) are aged 45-54; 20 percent are 55-64; nearly one quarter (24%) are 35-44; 19 percent 25-34 and four percent 18-24 years of age. Only 7 percent are 65+.

Traveling households earn more than non-traveling households. In 2012, the median household income for domestic leisure travelers was $62,500. For business travelers, the median household income was $87,500. This compares to $52,800 for the general U.S. population.

Trip planning sources have shifted over the last several years, with social media and mobile devices being used more often. In 2012, nearly one-quarter (23%) of domestic leisure travelers relied on friends and relatives to plan their trips, while three in ten (31%) utilized their own past experiences. One in ten used destination websites, nine percent used traveler provider websites (airline, hotel, rental car, cruise, tours, etc.), five percent used social networking and four percent used a mobile device to help plan their trip.

Compared to 2009, only two percent used social networking sources and one percent used their mobile device to assist in trip planning. Direct experiences and destination websites were relied on slightly more in 2009 than in 2012.

Looking for a forecast? U.S. Travel's forecasts include international, overseas, domestic, leisure and business trip volume, trip expenditures and growth rates in the U.S.

International Country Reports provide free market summaries for the top inbound countries to the U.S. In-depth country visitor profiles, including detailed forecasts, trends, spending and economic impact are available to U.S. Travel Association research and premier subscribers.