Expedia Group's Unpack '26 Summer Report: Domestic Demand Rises as Travelers Take Measured Approach
Expedia Group released the first-ever summer edition of its Unpack '26 report, revealing that domestic travel demand dominates summer vacation planning. Social conversation about domestic vacations increased 77% year-over-year globally, with 63% of U.S. travelers planning a domestic trip. The report highlights trends such as hotel hopping, sports-driven travel, and set-jetting, along with top destinations.
Impact and considerations
Based on first-party data from Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, the report offers insights into summer demand, indicating a shift toward domestic and value-driven travel, which may influence hotel and OTA marketing strategies.
Key points
- Global social conversation about domestic vacations up 77% YoY; 63% of U.S. travelers plan domestic trips.
- Expedia's Destinations of the Summer list shows significant search increases for St. George, Tacoma, and others.
- Hotel hopping trend rises, driven by events, road trips, and bleisure travel.
- Sports events drive host city searches, with Kansas City up 700%.
- Average daily rates drop in some international destinations, e.g., Fukuoka and Buenos Aires down 35%.
- Set-jetting continues to shape demand, with Yorkshire searches up 35%.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- Expedia Group
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 21 May 2026, 08:00
- Page published
- 12 Aug 2026, 14:28
- Last updated
- 21 May 2026, 08:00
- Original links
- Expedia Group Newsroom：UNPACK ’26 SUMMER TRAVEL TRENDS: DOMESTIC DEMAND RISES AS TRAVELERS TAKE A MORE MEASURED APPROACH (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 21 May 2026, 08:00