USA | Sojern has listed the latest travel trends ahead of the 2025 holiday season, navigating worldwide economic pressures.
Sojern, the leading digital marketing platform built for hospitality, has unveiled its latest year-over-year (YoY) travel trends ahead of the 2025 holiday season. As travellers worldwide navigate economic pressures, shifting political landscapes and evolving travel preferences, new Sojern data reveals a key shift: this year's holidaymakers are staying closer to home, booking later, and placing value at the heart of every decision.
"This holiday season, travellers are making more intentional choices about where and how they spend," said Noreen Henry, Chief Revenue Officer at Sojern.
"Our data shows a clear opportunity for travel marketers to promote regional getaways, flexible pricing, and late-booking offers to capture demand even as long-haul travel softens. By adapting their strategies, travel brands can reach travellers where they are, both geographically and financially."
Nearly 90 percent of holiday travellers are planning to hit the road rather than fly, signalling a broader shift in how Americans approach winter vacations during periods of economic uncertainty. This shift follows what many dubbed a "summer of savings," where airfare prices fell YoY across peak travel months, including Labour Day weekend.
- Domestic flight bookings are up four percent YoY, while outbound bookings to key international destinations have declined: Canada (-14 percent), Mexico (-five percent), the Caribbean (-eight percent), Asia (-nine percent) and Europe (-three percent).
- Inbound international travel to the U.S. continues its year-long downward trend, with bookings down 16 percent to New York and 18 percent to Florida, despite stable or growing domestic interest in those states.
- Looking ahead, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday are crucial triggers for holiday bookings. Travellers are holding out for deals, compressing the booking window and driving demand surges around promotional events.
Across Europe, short-haul escapes are in and long-haul trips are out. Cities like Budapest, Warsaw and Gdansk (recently voted Europe's top Christmas market) are attracting significant interest.
Chinese New Year (CNY) 2026, falling on February 17 and marking the start of the Year of the Fire Horse, is shaping up to be a high-demand travel period, with strong early growth in both flights and hotel bookings.
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