The State of the American Traveler: Destinations Edition 2023

For more than a decade, Miles Partnership has worked with Future Partners to share innovative research and cutting-edge analysis on U.S. leisure travelers. This year, the annual “Destinations Edition” delves into “what’s hot and what’s not,” exploring which destinations are on travelers’ bucket lists and why.

Leisure travel as a priority is at an all time high, with 85% of leisure travelers rating themselves as extremely excited to travel in the next twelve months. With domestic travel recovery surging, where do these travelers intend to go? What factors currently drive or hinder US travelers’ decisions to visit certain destinations, and how can destinations adapt to these shifting motivators and barriers?

Guest speaker, Tim Wright, Director of Content Strategy with Odyssey Studios, looked at effective creative strategies, content types and media channels for destinations seeking to capture the leisure traveler’s attention and interest through video. With one-third of American travelers using online video to plan their trips, and younger generations like Millennials and GenZ looking to visually appealing videos for destination inspiration, it's more important than ever to have a strategy to showcase your destination, increase engagement and immerse viewers to keep them coming back for more.