Global Travel Grows, but U.S. Drags Down Momentum
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Global Travel Grows, but U.S. Drags Down Momentum
Global travel showed modest growth in April, but the gains masked weakness in North America. The weakening U.S. economy, combined with political uncertainty ahead of the November election, has led to what some analysts are calling a “Trump Effect” Europe’s overall travel performance has stayed steady compared to last year, aside from a slight dip in February 2025. The Skift Travel Health Index: April 2025 Highlights is a real-time measure of the performance of the travel industry at large, and the core verticals within it. We have been tracking travel for 22 of the largest global economies since 2020, with consistent monthly data inputs across 88 indicators that are aggregated to cover categories such as aviation, hotels, short-term rentals, and car rentals.
Global travel showed modest growth in April, but the gains masked weakness in North America. According to the latest Skift Travel Health Index, global travel activity rose 1% from March, while North America slumped 5%, dragged down by weaker U.S. consumer sentiment and reduced travel spending.
The declines in North America contrasted with steady or rising performance elsewhere: Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa all posted gains, while Europe held steady. The weakening U.S. economy, combined with political uncertainty ahead of the November election, has led to what some analysts are calling a “Trump Effect” on American travel behavior.
Skift Travel Health Index Score by Region
Region Jan-25 Feb-25 Mar-25 Apr-25 Asia-Pacific 102 105 107 106 Europe 100 97 100 100 Latin America 104 103 106 104 Middle East and Africa 99 101 101 105 North America 104 98 98 95 Global 101 100 102 101
Note: Weighted average. The index is benchmarked to the same month of the previous year.
Read the April 2025 highlights for more insights on U.S. travel shifts.
Europe Anticipates a Summer Upswing
A weaker U.S. dollar has made international trips pricier for Americans, yet outbound travel to Europe is holding up. ForwardKeys, an Amadeus company, forecasts nearly five million Americans will visit Europe this summer between July and August.
Europe’s overall travel performance has stayed steady compared to last year, aside from a slight dip in February 2025.
Short-term rentals in Europe have made headlines, with the Spanish government’s recent order to Airbnb to remove more than 65,000 listings, driven by concerns relating to affordable housing shortages. This follows broader crackdowns in Spain, including Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s January announcement of higher taxes on holiday rentals and Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni’s declaration last June to ban them all by 2029.
However, the narrative of a significant slowdown in short-term rentals in Europe might be overstated, given that Skift Research has seen a 10% increase in the sector’s performance. According to our partner, Beyond, there was a travel boost from the Easter holiday in April 2025.
In addition, there have not been significant decreases in short-term rental supply. The largest decline has been in Ibiza, which has fallen by a modest 2.5% since the new Spanish order.
The Skift Travel Health Index is a real-time measure of the performance of the travel industry at large, and the core verticals within it, which provides the travel industry with a powerful tool for strategic planning. We have been tracking travel for 22 of the largest global economies since 2020, with consistent monthly data inputs across 88 indicators that are aggregated to cover categories such as aviation, hotels, short-term rentals, and car rentals.
Access the Skift Travel Health Index: April 2025 Highlights for an in-depth analysis and the Travel Health Index dashboard to visualize the data.
Skift Travel Health Index: April 2025 Highlights While Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa showed growth and Europe remained stable, North America witnessed a 5% slowdown, mainly due to the “Trump Effect” bringing policy changes, travel bans, and tariffs, leading to shifts in travel sentiment. Read More
Source: https://skift.com/2025/06/16/global-travel-grows-but-u-s-drags-down-momentum/