Demand for travel to destinations across the Americas is on the rise, a new report released today by Amadeus in collaboration with UN Tourism shows.

“Travel Insights 2024: Focus on the Americas, May to August 2024,” is the second in a series of reports providing insights into global tourism with a focus on the Americas and its subregions, North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

UN Tourism data shows that an estimated 1.3 billion international tourists were recorded around the world in 2023, an increase of 34% on 2022 volumes, and forward-looking data for 2024 suggests that demand will continue to stay strong. International tourist arrivals in the Americas in 2023 reached 90% of pre-pandemic levels.

Looking ahead, Amadeus data shows that searches for travel between May and August 2024  have increased by 132% compared to the same search period in 2023. Air travel indicators for the same search period show that airlines are responding to this growing demand for travel given that air capacity has increased for the May – August period to 111%, compared to 2023 capacity volumes.

Continued growth for the Americas

Travel volumes remain strong, with the US, UK, and Brazil as top markets that are searching for travel to the Americas during the May to August 2024 period.  North America has the greatest share of total searches among the Americas subregions for the search period, capturing the top three searched destinations by worldwide travelers: New York, Toronto and Los Angeles.

Average hotel occupancy across the Americas is tracking at the same level as 2023 for the May to August time period. However, occupancy numbers are expected to grow as the peak travel seasons draw closer due to the increase in last-minute booking patterns.

The report highlights several insights for the subregions for the May to August 2024 search period, including:

• North America – for North America, the US, the UK, and Brazil are the top markets searching for travel. However, we are seeing growth in air searches from China and Japan for travel in North America.
• Central America – the US is the top market searching for trips to Central America (followed by Canada and the UK). Costa Rica remains the most searched-for destination in the subregion.
• South America – Argentina and Brazil are also rising in popularity as destinations compared to 2023, based on searches. Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Santiago are the top three searched for destinations by travelers in the Americas searching for travel.  
• Caribbean – The US, Argentina and France are the top markets searching for Caribbean travel, with Punta Cana the most-searched-for destination.

Francisco Pérez-Lozao Rüter, President, Hospitality, Amadeus said, “This second report from Amadeus’ partnership with UN Tourism continues to show the importance of data insights for the industry. Traveler interest and search patterns continue to change throughout the year, and it is vital that travel organizations are aware of the current trends and those that could continue to evolve. For example, when it comes to hotel occupancy, the data highlights the importance for travel companies to remain flexible so they can be responsive to the last-minute patterns of travelers today.”

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UN Tourism said, “Market intelligence is vital for destinations everywhere, especially as demand for travel continues to rise strongly. We are happy to strengthen our partnership with Amadeus, with this newest joint report providing our Member States with valuable insights for the year ahead.”

The full report is now available to download.