蘑菇AV

For Uber, it deepens its footprint in the high-margin airport travel segment. And for consumers, it鈥檚 a welcome opportunity to earn rewards and save鈥攅specially when travel dollars are being stretched further than ever.

Canada spends more on tourism in the US than the US does in Canada. In 2024, Canada had a services trade deficit of C$12.60 billion ($9.19 billion) with the US, mainly because of the travel deficit. Automobile trips to the US by Canadians plummeted in February, down 23% compared with that month in 2024, according to Statistics Canada.

Social media becomes engine for big buys: Platforms鈥� role in expensive transactions like travel and cars is rising.

The card鈥檚 unique waitlist promotion can help the card gain a sizable user base

Affirm also wants to penetrate deeper into the travel industry, making Cali Pass an even more attractive partnership. Affirm鈥檚 travel volume grew 26% in its fiscal Q3 2025 (ended March 31). With the generational targeting well aligned, both Affirm and Cali Pass seem set to hit their individual targets for success.

Gen Z also prioritizes health and wellness, while older generations prioritize travel and experiences. Everyday cost-cutting vs. experience splurges. Consumers are saving on basics but splurging on high-impact extras鈥攍ike boutique gyms or designer fashion. As Ingram said, people 鈥渁re focusing their dollars where they feel the most impact.鈥�. Saving. Gen Z is saving for cars and travel.

Consumers electing to use BNPL over credit cards sacrifice sizable cash-back opportunities and travel points. It鈥檚 one reason why BNPL remains more popular among consumers with lower incomes and credit scores鈥攚ho might not qualify for the most rewards-rich credit cards in the first place.

Not only will it gain new cardholders and more revenues, but solidifying itself as the sole co-brand partner to one of the largest US airlines can boost the issuer鈥檚 push into travel. The company launched a booking platform, Citi Travel, in partnership with Booking.com in 2023 that lets cardholders book flights, hotels, car rentals, and other travel services.

Shifting travel trends and priorities have also resulted in fewer luxury spending sprees abroad鈥攆ormerly an important source of growth for brands. With demand from Chinese consumers set to remain uncertain amid the country鈥檚 prolonged economic downturn and trade war with the US, it鈥檚 no surprise that luxury brands are targeting China鈥檚 wealthiest to stay afloat.

蘑菇AV 4 in 10 US consumers now qualify as value-seekers鈥攅xhibiting at least three deal-driven, cost-conscious, or convenience-compromising behaviors each month across categories like grocery, retail, dining, travel, and automotive. Value seekers span all age groups and income levels. For example, nearly 3 in 10 value seekers are part of young families with six-figure median incomes. The details:.

As the desire to travel fuels spending by consumers, travel service providers have responded by upping their ad spending. Click here to view our full forecast for travel industry digital ad spending. More than half of internet users book travel digitally. The online booking market will continue its steady upward trajectory.

The brand has also been hit hard by weakness in China and travel retail sector, as well as trade-down behavior from US consumers. Our take: Beauty brands have been understandably eager to capitalize on fierce demand from younger consumers.

RH expects Q4 revenues to grow 18% to 20% YoY as furniture industry turns a corner: The retailer鈥檚 brand-elevation efforts and hospitality concepts are also resonating with shoppers.

This should help boost volume for both the booking platform and for the card-linked installment offering, given BNPL鈥檚 popularity in the travel category and an overall spike in popularity for card-linked BNPL

Even though a recent YouGov survey found 64% of US adults wouldn鈥檛 trust AI assistants with shopping, travel, or reservations, many merchants believe adoption is inevitable. That鈥檚 why 43% of retailers are already testing AI agents, and 75% expect them to be critical to competitiveness by 2026, per Salesforce鈥檚 Connected Shoppers report,.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the travel stats that sum up how the year has gone, if a full recovery is even on the cards, and what鈥檚 next for budget airlines. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson, forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, and forecasting analyst Zach Goldner.

The new park in Abu Dhabi represents a major global play for Disney, especially as development of the Middle East鈥檚 tourism infrastructure accelerates. By pursuing a capital-light model, Disney is expanding its global footprint without overextending financially during a volatile period. Still, results from its Asia-based resorts highlight real macroeconomic pressure.

and spirits, and consumer electronics; includes goods sold in owned stores, department stores, and outlets, as well as travel retail, through online and offline channels; excludes secondhand sales of luxury goods.

In addition to Manus, startup Zhipu AI offers a free AI agent that can conduct research, perform web searches, and plan travel. And in March, Alibaba launched a new AI multimodal model that can be deployed on edge devices as a powerful way to build cost-effective agents. China鈥檚 significant spending on AI will help spur the intense global AI arms race.