July Fourth travel is expected to hit record highs this year — but just barely.
72.2 million Americans are expected to travel for the holiday, according to AAA, up 0.5% from last year. Most of that gain stems from more travelers using buses, trains, or cruises, with a busy Alaska cruise season bolstering growth.
Meanwhile, car and air travel is nearly flat from last year, with each mode of transportation up just 0.2%. Surveys suggest that a K-shaped economy is influencing summer travel: a Deloitte poll found 45% of Americans planned a summer trip with paid lodging, the lowest in six years, with lower-income travelers in particular pulling back.
A regular gallon of gas averaged about $4.00 Thursday, up 25% from a year ago, per AAA, while airfares to cities like Chicago and Denver are up 5%.
LOUISVILLE TOURISM + SKIFT MEETINGS
A new guide looks at how Louisville is giving planners access to hard-to-replicate local experiences — from VIP distillery visits to trackside trifecta tutorials and banjo-picking airport arrivals — to design memorable events.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Cruises Carry July Fourth Travel to a Slim Record
June 17, 2026
Yes, it's another record. But strip out cruises and growth in July Fourth travel nearly evaporates.
JTB Is Expanding Out of Japan. EXO Travel Is the Latest Deal
June 18, 2026
JTB no longer seems content being Japan's travel company. With the pieces now assembled, it intends to be Asia's, and is making a case for the world's.
If Only America Could Get Out of Its Own Way….
June 17, 2026
The brands lining up to buy a piece of Freddy are going to fail; it shows how little America's pull depends on marketing, and how much it depends on the country getting out of its own way.
Why Amex Spent $700 Million on TheFork and What’s Next for Tripadvisor
June 16, 2026
Tripadvisor now has almost all its focus on experiences and may not see the need to sell Viator — a disappointment for some investors.
Norwegian Air To Buy Nordic Leisure Travel Group in $843m Bet on End-to-End Travel
June 16, 2026
Why settle for just the airfare when you can own the whole holiday?
Europe Leads May’s U.S. Tourism Slide
June 15, 2026
Western Europe makes up more than 35% of the high-spending overseas tourist crowd. Federal data shows they’re continuing to pull back on U.S. travel.
Africa Is Not a Country, But the Travel Industry Keeps Treating It Like One
June 15, 2026
A localized Ebola outbreak is leading to a continent-wide demand slump. The mechanism is well understood and almost nothing has been done about it.
Tripadvisor To Sell TheFork for $700 Million to Fuel Its Bet on Experiences
June 15, 2026
The sale gives Tripadvisor the cash to chase the $1 trillion experiences market through Viator.
World Cup Host Cities Are Spending Millions to Tell Wary Tourists: You’re Welcome Here
June 12, 2026
The World Cup handed host cities a global stage. Marketing videos underscore how host cities are using it to reassure a world that has grown more hesitant to book U.S. travel.
Canadian Tourists Bailed On the U.S. — Canadian Airlines Still See Growth
June 11, 2026
As one of the largest travel markets continues to shrink due to political tensions, Canadian carriers told Skift that U.S. travel is still producing healthy margins.
SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK
Overseas visits to the U.S. drop sharply in May as Western Europe stays home, World Cup host cities spend millions on welcome campaigns to fight a perception problem, and a ten-year look at hotels vs. OTAs reveals who actually won.
On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why inbound tourism is still sliding even as the World Cup kicks off, how host cities are betting big-budget welcome campaigns can overcome visa headlines and entry policy concerns, and why the real winner of the hotel vs. OTA war wasn't market share — it was margin.
