2026 Summer Travel Outlook
The current economic environment appears to pose a threat to summer travel spending: consumer sentiment has fallen in four straight months, and rising gas prices have introduced a pronounced financial anxiety directly tied to travel. However, Morning Consult travel intent and spending data paints a more positive picture for the industry: a more cost-conscious consumer than we’ve seen in recent summers, but one that’s maintaining travel as a priority.
Author
Nick Laughlin
VP of Content
Report takeaways
Intent is outrunning sentiment. Consumer sentiment has slid four straight months to 88.1, its lowest since mid-2023. Yet leisure travel intent climbed every month this spring, and business travel is following a similar upward trajectory. Travelers aren’t waiting for the macro picture to clear before they book.
Spending is already moving. Self-reported spending on hotels and airfare hit series highs in April, and travelers expect to spend more this summer across nearly every category — led by gas (net +36), hotels (+20), and dining (+16). Millennials, Gen Z, and higher-income households are driving the lift.
Gas prices are the pressure point. 70% of U.S. adults cite rising gas prices as the highest-rated summer travel concern — well above general budget worries (59%) — and 53% say gas has already led them to scale back trips. The squeeze falls hardest on lower- and middle-income households.
The booking window is still open. 43% of summer travelers have already booked at least part of their trip and 31% plan to book in the weeks ahead, but 26% remain undecided.
AI is becoming a real travel-planning channel. More than half of U.S. adults are already using or open to AI tools for every travel-planning task tested, with adoption concentrated among the younger, higher-income households that are spending more on travel.