Domestic U.S. leisure travel volume is seeing a slow growth as revealed by U.S. Travel Association’s current travel index. It showed that the index dropped from 52.2 in August to 51.9 in September and to 51.6 in October.
The association’s current travel index also marked October as the 82nd consecutive month when the travel has expanded. Index score above 50 indicates expansion, and the six-month moving average index score is 51.8.
The other index values showed that domestic travel slipped into 51.6 while international travel improved slightly over its six-month average to 51.7. The corporate business travel index score declined by 2.5 points month over month from 52.0 in September to 49.5. Keeping up the trend, the leisure travel index rose by a point to 52.7.
The U.S. Travel Association commented on domestic travel for the months ahead:
Domestic leisure travel will likely continue to lead the U.S. travel market, though at a decelerating pace, as leisure-related forward-looking travel bookings and vacation intentions slow. After outperforming domestic leisure in September, domestic business travel declined in October. This is due in part to the shift of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to this month from September, which contributed to a decline in group travel from last year.
International inbound travel to the United States remained positive in October 2016, growing at a rate slightly above its 6 month average. However, the [leisure travel index] indicates that international travel through the early months of 2017 will remain quite sluggish—and possibly decline—due in part to the stronger dollar.
