Travel companies rein in their forecasts as US consumers cut spending

[August 08, 2024]  By Doyinsola Oladipo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Travel companies including Airbnb and Marriott International are forecasting a slowdown in leisure travel as U.S. consumers wait longer to book vacations in a time when the economic outlook remains uncertain.

After several years in which robust demand padded the industry's bottom line while regions in other parts of the world were still recovering from the pandemic, travel companies have warned investors that U.S. bookings in the third quarter will be flat.

"They have less available, less disposable income and (less) capacity to do anything including travel," Hilton Worldwide CEO Christopher Nassetta told analysts on an earnings call on Wednesday.

The company said it expects growth in all travel segments but cautioned that growth in leisure travel will be "very, very low."

Hilton Worldwide raised its profit forecast for 2024 as international revenue offset losses from slowing U.S. demand.

Other companies are feeling the effects as well, from Delta Air Lines and United Airlines to Walt Disney, which flagged weakness in its parks division in its quarterly results on Wednesday.

Hilton peer Marriott lowered its forecast for growth in room revenue in 2024, in part due to softer demand in North America. Leisure room revenue in the region grew just 1% in its most recent quarter.

Vacation rental company Airbnb and online travel agency Booking Holdings both said they are seeing slowing growth in the United States. Some consumers are trading down for lower-priced options while others are booking trips at the last minute, which is another signal of weakening demand.

A woman takes a picture from Ponte della Costituzione (Constitution Bridge) in Venice, Italy, September 6, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo

"We’re not seeing as many people book all of their vacations at the beginning of the calendar year any longer," said Julie Brinkman, chief executive of short-term rental management platform Beyond. "They’re now waiting until they get closer to the travel date, and can confirm that they have the funds to actually take a trip."

Airbnb shares closed 13.4% lower on Wednesday at $113, their lowest close since May 26, 2023. Shares of Booking Holdings closed 3.3% lower on Wednesday. The company said room night bookings in the second quarter grew more slowly in the United States than in the rest of the world.

"As we look ahead to the third quarter, we believe room night growth will be impacted by a booking window that expands less than it did in the second quarter," said Glenn Fogel, Booking Holdings' CEO.

Investors will get another look at trends in leisure travel on Thursday when online travel agency Expedia Group reports second-quarter earnings after the bell.

(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Additional reporting by Aiswarya Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

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