Travel

Airbus demonstrates planes that land themselves: Autonomous flight systems like Airbus’ DragonFly can serve as assistive technology, helping pilots and crews in the short term as wider adoption paves the way to fully autonomous flight.

Unprecedented airline outage: A computer outage canceled hundreds and delayed thousands of US flights, exposing the high cost of reliance on outdated technology and overburdened networks.

Hong Kong’s November retail sales fell unexpectedly as COVID-19 controls loosened: Pent-up demand for travel and difficult economic conditions are driving a shift in consumer spending.

Travel industry poised to keep climbing in 2023: Though inflation and the chance of a recession could cause some turbulence, pent-up demand will buoy airlines and hotels.

Holiday travel demand was already low, but it just got lower: Domestic travel looks to slow significantly this season due to higher airline ticket prices.

Airbnb doesn’t need performance marketing: The company’s shift away from search in 2019 has helped, but not everyone can replicate it.

Don’t be fooled by strong airline earnings: Travel interest is on the decline, which will contribute to lower ad spend from airlines at the end of the year.

About a third of US adults said they will definitely travel this holiday season, and another quarter said it’s likely.

Younger consumers tighten budgets and rely on rewards programs to splurge on leisure activities.

Inflation drives high-income consumers to trade down—and up: Affluent shoppers are spending more at Walmart and Aldi, but a strong dollar is keeping luxury demand robust.

Flying taxis could get you to the airport by 2024: Delta Airlines is teaming up with Joby Aviation to offer flying taxi service, but safety regulations for flying EVs could take longer than their road counterparts.

Carbon emission messaging is misleading air travelers: A new study finds that consumers are being deceived—but there could be an opening for a shrewd brand.

More businesses engage with creators: $5 billion will be spent on influencer marketing this year, up more than $1 billion from 2021, in part driven by the return of travel and travel marketing.

The US travel industry is well on its way to a full recovery from 2020’s pandemic-driven nadir, and with this recovery has come a return to ad spending. Travel industry players upped their digital ad budgets by 42.7% last year, and we forecast a 22.5% boost for this year. Next year, travel will grow its outlays faster than any vertical we track.

For the first time, Insider Intelligence forecasts digital advertising spending for five industries in France: retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), auto, financial services, and travel. Digital ad spending is growing strongly in France this year. This Analyst Take gives a closer look at these inaugural forecasts.

As of August, 65% of US adults said they’d spent more on groceries and less on experiences in the past six months. Meanwhile, 59% agreed they’d spent less on experiences such as travel and dining out. Adults also reported focusing on savings while forgoing big-ticket purchases.