With cold weather driving people indoors, concerns about variants like Omicron and ever-changing requirements, international holiday travel planning has slowed around the world, according to new data from trivago N.V. (NASDAQ: TRVG). Much like 2020, domestic travel is the preferred option as consumers look to reunite with friends and family.
From the US to Germany and the UK to Italy, most travelers are choosing domestic destinations with one exception: Dubai which appeared in the top 10 searches for holiday travel from each country. Dubai has become one of the most desired locations for holiday travel, taking the No. 3 spot for Germany, the UK and the US, and the No. 10 spot for Italy. US travelers are sticking with Las Vegas and New York as top holiday destinations.
Concerns about the Omicron COVID-19 variant and related travel restrictions has resulted in an increased cancellation rate of 35 percent since November. Furthermore, overall traffic around holiday travel planning has slowed, growing by just 4% since the variant was discovered. In comparison, 2019 Christmas travel increased by 34.7% in the same one-to-two-week period.