Skift Take
The Q2 numbers will look even better when the summer numbers start rolling in.
Last quarter Conde Nast Traveler sat atop the U.S. travel magazine market, but this time around it’s the Conde Nast’s rival from American Express that nabbed the top spot, with nearly $36 million in advertising revenue at Travel + Leisure for the second quarter of 2013.
This quarter was a big bright spot for National Geographic Traveler, too, as it added nearly $10 million in additional revenue over its dismal first quarter. Islands‘ remarkable 73.7% improvement over last year came at the cost of Caribbean Travel + Life, which parent company Bonnier shuttered and folded into Islands in November.
Spring is typically strong for magazines as readers stock up on titles to plan summer travel to destinations such as Italy.
| Publication | Q2 2013 dollars | Q2 2012 dollars | %CHG | Q2 2013 ad pages | Q2 2012 ad pages | %CHG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel + Leisure | $35,760,308 | $32,164,498 | 11.2 | 268.2 | 253.14 | 5.9 |
| Conde Nast Traveler | $29,894,147 | $28,469,930 | 5 | 221.45 | 220.63 | 0.4 |
| Departures | $15,308,968 | $11,145,736 | 37.4 | 148.7 | 118.62 | 25.4 |
| National Geographic Traveler | $11,997,211 | $10,612,706 | 13 | 142.53 | 122.86 | 16 |
| Southwest Airlines Spirit | $11,925,507 | $12,613,811 | -5.5 | 270.19 | 284.27 | -5 |
| Cruising World | $6,660,713 | $6,869,920 | -3 | 190.85 | 202.15 | -5.6 |
| American Way | $4,657,600 | $8,954,778 | -48 | 194.59 | 279.61 | -30.4 |
| Islands | $3,569,103 | $2,055,278 | 73.7 | 82.78 | 55.48 | 49.2 |
| US Airways Magazine | $3,280,408 | $4,038,032 | -18.8 | 145.18 | 175.58 | -17.3 |
| AFAR | $2,305,650 | $1,126,475 | 104.7 | 79 | 54 | 46.3 |
| Destination Weddings & Honeymoons | $831,203 | $856,621 | -3 | 44.98 | 47.39 | -5.1 |
| Executive Travel Magazine | $578,525 | $0 | n/a | 22.33 | 0 | n/a |
| Budget Travel | $0 | $2,626,341 | n/a | 0 | 39.77 | n/a |
| Caribbean Travel & Life | $0 | $2,086,663 | n/a | 0 | 85.25 | n/a |
| Endless Vacation | $0 | $2,689,000 | n/a | 0 | 30.35 | n/a |
| Executive Travel Sky Guide | $0 | $1,393,100 | n/a | 0 | 46.83 | n/a |
Sources: Ad pages detail from Association of Magazine Media.
Note: Departures has a controlled circulation based on membership status at American Express; in-flight magazine numbers are based on estimates by airlines.
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Tags: magazines