Global leisure tourism spending grew by **** percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. Despite the significant annual increase, the expenditure by leisure travelers worldwide remained below pre-pandemic levels, amounting to around **** trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. Leisure tourism vs. business travel Leisure tourism mainly refers to vacations, visits to friends or relatives, and all journeys made for leisure purposes. On the other hand, business travel includes all trips taken for work-related reasons, such as attending meetings, congresses, and conferences. In 2023, the total travel and tourism expenditure worldwide, including leisure and business trips, exceeded *** trillion U.S. dollars. How many people travel every year? In 2023, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide, including leisure and business travelers, surpassed *** billion, growing sharply over the previous year but not yet catching up with the peak in travelers reported in 2019. Overall, either before and after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe ranked as the leading region worldwide based on inbound tourist arrivals.

Leisure tourism is the largest sector of the tourism industry. Leisure travel generally consists of taking a vacation from work or everyday life. During vacation, the traveler typically aims to relax, experience new cultures and locations, broaden their mindset and more, depending on the type of travel chosen. The outlook for global leisure tourism spending in 2029 is 9,332 billion U.S. dollars.

There were approximately **** billion domestic trips taken in the United States in 2022. Around **** billion of these were taken by leisure travelers. Both the number of business and leisure trips were forecast to increase annually between 2023 and 2027.

A 2024 survey of adults in the United States found that 19 percent of respondents aged 30 to 44 traveled annually internationally or to other U.S. regions. In contrast, 29 percent of individuals in the same age group reported that they never traveled.

A 2024 survey of adults in the United States found that 16 percent of male respondents traveled as tourists to other countries or different regions within the United States multiple times per year. Meanwhile, just 11 percent of female respondents did the same.

Leisure travel accounts for the highest global travel and tourism expenditure. In 2024, leisure trips represented roughly ** percent of travel and tourism spending worldwide, showing an increase of *** percentage points over 2019.

A 2024 study explored the main ways digital travelers in the United States used generative AI for leisure travel. While 65 percent of the sample reported having used this tool to get ideas about where to go, less than 40 percent of respondents mentioned having used generative AI for researching car rentals.

In a global survey published in January 2025, cultural attractions ranked as the most popular activities during leisure trips, as mentioned by ** percent of respondents. Outdoor and sports activities followed in the ranking, as indicated by ** percent of the sample.

In 2023, ** percent of high net worth individuals surveyed in the Middle East said that they had traveled more for leisure than the year before. A similar number of HNWI, around ** percent, also said that their business travel had increased from the year before.

Domestic leisure travelers contributed the majority of direct travel spending in the United States in 2022, spending over *** billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, business travelers spent around *** billion U.S. dollars that year.

In 2024, global leisure travel spending increased by almost ** percent over 2019, amounting to *** trillion U.S. dollars. This figure was forecast to reach an estimated **** trillion U.S. dollars in 2040, with the domestic travel market expected to generate over ************** of the global expenditure on leisure trips.

This statistic shows the average spending per day during business and leisure travel in Germany from 2007 to 2023. In 2023, business travelers spent 158 euros a day on average, whereas vacationers spent 102 euros.

In 2022, leisure related travel expenses in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries amounted to 114 billion U.S. dollars. Furthermore, during the examined period, the value of leisure travel spending in the GCC was the highest in 2019, valuing to 103.7 billion U.S. dollars.

According to a 2023 study, Thailand is forecast to record the highest percentage change in inbound leisure travel spending among the selected leading destinations in 2033 compared to 2024. Over the period considered, inbound leisure travel spending in the country is expected to grow by 178 percent. China reported the second-highest figure, with an estimated 158 percent increase in inbound leisure travel spending in 2033 compared to 2024.

A March 2025 survey focused on European travelers planning a leisure overnight trip domestically or within Europe over the following six months. According to the study, sun and beach holidays were the favorite type of vacation, preferred by roughly ** percent of respondents. Meanwhile, around ** percent of surveyed travelers planned a city break.

In 2024, the average unit price of same-day leisure trips per person recorded in Japan amounted to about 19.99 thousand Japanese yen, the highest price of the past decade. This number continues the upward trend for travel prices during the past decade.

According to a 2023 study, China is expected to record the highest percentage change in outbound leisure travel spending among the selected countries in 2033 compared to 2024. Over the period considered, outbound leisure travel spending in the country is forecast to increase by *** percent. In contrast, the same expenditure in the United States is estimated to grow by ** percent in 2033 compared to 2024.

The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom topped the ranking of most competitive destinations for business and other non-leisure travelers in 2024, each obtaining more than six points out of a perfect score of seven in the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI).

According to a March 2024 study, trips made by leisure travelers worldwide over the previous 12 months lasted on average 5.5 days. Among the selected markets, South Africa reported the highest length of stay, with travelers from that country taking leisure trips which lasted an average of 10.6 days.

A March 2024 survey analyzed the share of leisure travelers in the United States and Canada who used generative artificial intelligence (AI) for trip inspiration or itinerary planning. As of that month, ** percent of respondents under the age of 45 reported having recently used generative AI for such travel purposes. Comparatively, only ** percent of those over the age of 45 stated they used AI for this purpose.