NEW YORK - In honor of World Tourism Day, CheapOair celebrated the different ways digital innovation has transformed the way we discover, book, and travel to destinations around the world. The tourism sector is constantly changing and in preparation for looking to the future of tourism, CheapOair.com is analyzing the past. More specifically, the leading online travel agency recently released some interesting highlights about the way Americans have traveled over the last four years.
Most Popular Travel Day of The Year for Americans
According to CheapOair, the busiest day to travel in the U.S. last year was on December 22nd(1). This is consistent with CheapOair's annual data which shows the busiest time of year to travel is during the December holidays. December 21st, 22nd, and 23rd are consistently the three most popular days to travel year after year(2). If you're planning a trip over the holidays this year, be sure to book well in advance. It might also be worth considering traveling on alternate dates.
Hotline Bling: Americans' Preferred Method of Booking
In the past year, most CheapOair customers completed their bookings on the desktop site, but the company is seeing rapid growth in the use of mobile devices. In the past three years, mobile bookings have tripled and now account for close to 50% of total bookings(3). CheapOair also offers 24/7 access to live travel agents via telephone or live chat. Some Americans still value the ability to talk to a human, with approximately 15% of bookings made with the assistance of an agent in 2017(4).
Most Booked Domestic Routes in the U.S.
In the U.S., each coast thinks they are the best coast. Based on our data, popular American routes run more north-south than east-west. This year the most booked domestic routes were Las Vegas to Los Angeles, Newark to Fort Lauderdale, and Dallas to Los Angeles.
Around the World and Back: Most Booked International Routes Out of the U.S.
Los Angeles to Guadalajara was the U.S.'s most booked international route on CheapOair.com. In close second was New York to Kingston, Jamaica, and Los Angeles to Mexico City.
1 Based on passengers booked for travel from 1/1/2017 – 12/31/2017.
2 Based on passengers booked for travel 1/1//2014 – 12/31/2017.
3 Based on number of bookings made on mobile devices 1/1/2014 – 12/31/2017.
4 Based on number of bookings made with an agent 1/1/2017 – 12/31/2017