The online travel and tourism world has changed significantly in the past five years as traveller needs, tastes, and demand shifts. To make it easier for you to get a pulse on the industry, we’ve compiled over 70 statistics and travel trends from the online travel booking market to take a look at travellers’ preferences and behaviors.These online travel booking statistics will give you a peek into the most popular trends in the tourism industry with meaningful insights into traveller expectations and the role of mobile and online travel agencies.
A look at online travel booking industry growth in recent years
- The global online travel industry was valued at $622.6 billion USD in 2025 and is expected to reach $1.43 trillion by 2034. This is a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8%. ( Research and Markets )
- Key trends driving growth in the travel industry include increasing use of smart devices, easy access to high-speed internet connectivity, the rising popularity of solo travel, and an increasing number of business travelers. ( Research and Markets )
- In surveyed countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Japan, and Mexico, approximately 39% to 40% of global travelers plan to spend more on travel in 2026 than they did in 2025 ( American Express )
- 65% of travelers acknowledge that cost of living continues to impact their 2026 plans, only 2% plan to skip holidays entirely, 44% are taking fewer trips and 17% are opting for shorter breaks. ( Moneynet )
- Global business travel spending is expected to surpass the 2025 figure of $1.64 trillion.
( Amadeus ) - The travel app market generated $1.1 trillion in 2025 revenue, a 10% increase from the previous year. ( Business of Apps ) .
- Total global downloads of travel apps reached $4.2 billion in 2024, while in-app revenue was around $180 million. ( Sensor Tower )
How people book: Researching and buying behaviors
- According to the 2024 Trends Global Survey, 80% of global travelers surveyed feel it’s important to be able to book their trips entirely online, with 86% of Millennials and 83% of Gen Zers leading the charge. ( Hilton )
- 76% of global travelers said they look for travel apps that reduce the friction and stress of travel. ( Hilton )
- Last year, the top five resources used by travelers for travel guidance were: search engines (46%), travel review websites (36%), recommendations from family or friends (35%), hotel websites (31%) and OTAs (28%). ( Skift )
- Social media had the greatest influence on leisure travelers’ travel destinations, with 75% of travelers now using social media to choose where to go. ( Hotelagio )
- According to the 2025 Travel Trends Report, 64% of Gen Z and 57% of Millennial travelers planned and booked activities such as museums or experiences, in advance of their trip.. ( ToursByLocals )
- 60% of travelers say they prioritize booking travel with one brand or credit card to maximize loyalty points, with Millennials being the most loyal group (67%). ( Hilton )
- In 2024, 26% of travelers said they used an OTA for researching flights, and 36% said they used OTAs for booking flights. Travelers also used OTAs for booking hotels (43%), paid activities (28%), and packages (38%). ( Skift )
- 62% of global adult Gen Z travelers said they used AI to help them save money on travel ( EMerchant ).
- Over 900 million people used a travel app to help them plan travel in 2024. ( Business of Apps )
- In 2025, approximately 40% of travelers worldwide used AI-based tools for planning a trip. ( Travala )
- By June 2023, travel app log-ins were 87% higher than by the end of 2019. ( Adjust )
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Online booking statistics indicate a renewed outlook of travellers worldwide
- In 2025, a large majority of travelers (72%) said they preferred to book their trips online, compared to only 12% that preferred using a travel agency. ( Oyster Link )
- Of those that book travel online, 53% said it’s because of the speed at which they can plan their trip (perfect for last-minute trips), 47% said it’s easier to compare prices and 42% said it’s better to find cheaper deals. ( Statista )
- The global online travel market is project to hit $1 trillion by 2030 ( Grand View Research )
- 70%+ of all travel bookings were made online in 2025, with 63% of all bookings happening via mobile. ( Trappe )
- It’s forecasted that 75% of total revenue in the tourism and travel sector will be generated through online sales by 2029. ( Statista )
- 95% of travelers surveyed in 2024 said they would cut spending in other areas (such as food or entertainment) to fund their travels. ( Skift )
- 95% of travelers surveyed in 2024 said they planned to travel as much or more in summer 2024 compared to the previous year. Of those, 80% planned 1-2 summer trips, lasting five nights on average. ( Tripadvisor )
- In 2026, mobile dominance has surged: 68% of travel searches now originate on mobile devices, and mobile platforms account for 63% of all online travel bookings globally.
( Trappe ) - 97.8% of travel executives stated that AI would have an impact over the next 1-5 years in the industry. ( Euromonitor )
- 28% of global travelers have used AI tools such as ChatGPT to plan trips. ( Kaspersky )
- 80% of travelers who booked online visited an OTA "at some point" before booking, "even if travelers booked on another website." ( TravelWeekly )
Biggest blockers and frustrations in online travel booking
- In a study of 15,000 Tripadvisor reviews, it was found that flight irregularities were the most discussed topic (36%) for disappointed travelers in 2023, compared to 20% in 2019. ( TNMT )
- 43% of Americans didn’t like booking travel, including 23% of GenZ travelers.
( TravelPort ) - The experience gap between booking travel and actually traveling is notably high — while 64% of people really like traveling, only 26% enjoy the booking process.
( TravelPort ) - Many travelers reported feeling anxious when booking travel, most commonly due to the possibility of delays or cancellations (32%), pricing issues (18%), and long waiting lines at congested airports (17%). ( TNMT )
- 89% of business travelers were affected by travel disruptions in 2025 - the highest number from the past three years. ( Perk )
- An average of 42% of travelers say they’re checking for travel updates more frequently because of the delays, while 36% say they now prefer to book options with flexible cancellation policies. ( Perk )
- Online travel booking remains a source of friction, with around 52% abandoning booking due to poor user experience. ( Hotel Tech News )
- In 2025, 86% of those using AI for travel planning have data security concerns.
( Kaspersky ) - 74% of travel agents surveyed believed buying and selling travel plans could be simplified. 86% of agents were in favor of modernizing the user experience to boost online travel sales. ( TravelPort )
- 43% of business travelers felt frustrated that the search function of travel sites was limited to the budget or the date. ( Statista )
- 87% of business travelers said that they wanted booking business travel to be as easy as booking a vacation, but 42% said booking business travel is even more difficult.
( Travel Port ) - In 2025, the main consequence to employees wellbeing from travel disruptions included higher stress (66%), worse work-life balance (56%), and disruption to personal plans (42%). ( Perk )
- Travelers want all-in-one stops for booking travel. 45% of travelers preferred booking a trip from start to finish from a single website that presents options for flights, accommodations, car rentals, and extras, including 50% of Gen Z travelers.
( Expedia Group ) - Desktop bookings continue to generate a larger share of travel revenue than mobile, accounting for around 50% of revenue compared to 47% from mobile bookings.
( Hotel Online )
Travel booking is going mobile
- 70.5% of online traffic for travel and hospitality websites in 2024 was from mobile devices. ( Statista ).
- Although mobile accounts for around 60% of online travel traffic, desktop accounts for about 62% of sales — even though travelers do more research on mobile, they still use desktop to book. ( SaleCycle )
- 39% of users would use an app over using the mobile website because of the speed, while 30% enjoy the increased functionality of a mobile app. ( Condor Ferries )
- The mobile users’ average online order value has grown by 29% since 2020. ( SaleCycle )
- The global mobile travel booking market was valued at $291.7 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $489.1 billion by 2030. ( Research and Markets ) .
- In 2025, mobile continues to close the gap with desktop in travel bookings, accounting for nearly half of all online bookings globally. ( Phocus Wright )
How online business travel booking is evolving
- 82% of travel agents reported a need for digital retailing for both leisure and business travel. A better customer experience is a priority for both types of travel. ( TravelPort )
- In 2025, 86% of business travelers found work trips worthwhile, and 94% stated that business travel is essential for their role success. ( GBTA )
- 76% of CEOs believe that increasing travel budgets would positively impact company revenue, and 62% of CEOs are actively planning to increase travel budgets this year. ( Perk )
- 86% of corporate travel managers said that airfares had affected their companies’ ability or willingness to travel ( Deloitte ).
- But around 30% of business travelers use unmanaged channels to book business travel rather than using corporate agents. Why? Business travelers are attracted to OTAs with better inventory and deals, more flexibility, and a better digital travel experience. ( Deloitte )
- 40% of employees say that corporate travel is great for their personal and professional growth ( Perk ).
- However, despite there being more interest in business travel, companies were worried about their carbon footprint. In fact, more than half of US corporate travel managers surveyed said they needed to cut business travel by 10-20% to meet sustainability targets. ( Deloitte ).
- 46% of corporate travel managers said they have strategies in place to reduce carbon emissions in 2024 and beyond, up from 30% in 2023. ( Deloitte )
- In 2024, 63% of companies are investing more in sustainable travel and 80% of business travelers want more sustainable options when booking. ( TravelPort )
- 88% of corporate travelers want full transparency into what they are buying when booking travel online. ( TravelPort )
- In 2025, 35% of global professionals chose flexible itineraries to recover costs when trips didn’t go to plan. ( Perk )
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Role of online travel agencies in a digital world
- 80% of users booked with a single online travel agency (OTAs) in 2023, while 17% used just two OTAs. This indicates a strong loyalty to OTAs once users find one that meets their needs. ( Yodlee )
- In 2023, 51% of travelers booked with OTAs, compared to 37% who booked directly with airlines, 23% who booked directly with hotels, and 13% who used vacation rental brands like Airbnb. ( Expedia Group )
- 34% of Millennials would book with a travel agent over an OTA, with 60% of Millennials saying they’d be happy to pay more for travel agents’ advice, recommendations, and destination knowledge. ( Condor Ferries )
- The average cart abandonment rate for OTAs was approximately 81%, indicating how travelers frequently used online travel booking websites to find and compare options. ( Condor Ferries )
- Approximately 75% of U.S travellers booked at least one flight, hotel or travel package through OTA platforms in 2024 ( Market Reports World )
- Some of the biggest reasons why people preferred OTAs were the security, convenience, loyalty discounts, and credible online reviews that they offered. ( Hospitalitynet )
- 12% of people who book via OTAs say they do so because it’s faster than booking directly. ( Hospitalitynet )
Travellers take a stand for sustainability
Here’s what ecotourism market reports suggest consumers are looking for:
- 73% of global travelers now say they want to make more sustainable travel choices, yet only 37% actually follow through. ( Booking.com ).
- 43% of travelers plan to avoid crowds, 42% plan to travel out of season and 25% plan to visit cooler destinations. ( Booking.com ).
- 74 % of American travelers said in 2024 that they wanted to travel more sustainability over the following 12 months ( Booking.com )
- In a 2026 study, 43% to 50% of travelers said they were willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly or certified sustainable options. ( Hotelagio ).
- In 2022, 66% of travelers wanted travel companies to offer more sustainable travel choices. However, in 2023, that number increased to 74%. ( GSTC )
- 74% of business travelers said it was important to them to minimalize their environmental footprint in 2024. ( Hilton )
- 66% of travelers in 2024 said that considering climate change was overwhelming as they considered travel plans ( Hilton ).
- Nearly half of travelers (49%) said that sustainable travel options were too expensive, but 43% said they would pay more for sustainable accommodation options. ( GSTC )
- With more travelers interested in sustainable travel and eco-tourism, the ecotourism industry was valued at approximately $295.8 billion in 2025. ( Fortune Business Insights ).
- 78% of travelers want to stay in eco-friendly accommodation now, while 35% want energy-efficient options in accommodations, such as smart room thermostat controls. 40% of travelers want to travel outside of peak season to reduce impact, and 42% want to shop local when traveling to support local communities. ( Avantio ).
- Business travelers are also looking for more sustainable accommodation options, with almost half of corporate travel managers partnering with sustainable accommodation providers ( Statista ).
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Online travel booking is here to stay
- Access to one of the widest inventories of flights, accommodation, car rentals, rail, and more.
- Corporate travel rates and group booking options .
- Flexible fares that allow you to get back 80% of your trip cost when trips are cancelled.
- 24/7 customer support for when you need it.
- Carbon offsetting and our Green Trip program to aid you on your journey to a more sustainable travel program.
- Policies and approvals to get travelers an easy way to self-book on a user-friendly platform while still keeping your program compliant.
- Our corporate travel app is available on both iOS and Android devices, making it easy for business travelers to manage their trips on the go.
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