Skift Take
Most statistics look at travel trends over a certain number of years, but the landscape of the U.S. tourism industry changes noticeably throughout the year.
American travelers plan further ahead, stay for longer, and move in larger groups in the summer, according to data released this morning by Sojern, a traveler engagement platform. Sojern analyzed more than 520 million U.S. traveler data points to find the top travel trends from June, July, and August.
Summer is – not surprisingly – the most popular time of year for leisure travel.
Leisure travel accounted for 57 percent of trips taken this summer, which is more than the 52 and 43 percent of travel it accounted for in the first and second quarter of 2013.
Business travel’s share of industry movement declines as the months inch towards summer.
Three Months of Family Trips
Summer is also the most common time for families to travel. The number of family trips, defined by groups of 4 or more people, doubles between the second quarter and the summer months.
Family travel also means planning ahead. The percentage of travelers that book trips at least 30 days in advance jumps from 24 percent in the second quarter to 35 percent during the summer months.
July was the most popular month to travel in 2013.
The below infographic created by Sojern outlines more 2013 summer travel trends:
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Tags: skiftstats, summer, Travel Trends
Photo credit: Kids build sand castles on the beach. FDR Resorts / Flickr