Rising airfares may be squeezing household budgets, but they are not clearing international departure lounges.
The latest Global Rescue Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey suggests that experienced international travellers still intend to go abroad. Airfares, hotel rates and dining costs have climbed, yet 71 per cent of respondents said higher travel costs had not changed their plans.
The resolve was slightly stronger among US-based travellers. Some 73 per cent reported no change. The figure was 65 per cent among travellers based outside the United States.
That does not mean people are ignoring the bill. They are simply changing how they spend.
Many are studying prices more closely, booking sooner and cutting the optional parts of a holiday. The trip stays. The extras face the chop.
When respondents did alter their plans, 16 per cent reduced activities or other discretionary spending. Six per cent postponed a trip. Five per cent chose a cheaper destination, while 2 per cent shortened their stay.
Non-US travellers were more willing to seek lower-cost destinations. Nine per cent chose that option, compared with 4 per cent of US travellers. They were also slightly more likely to spend less or reduce the length of a trip.
“The survey shows experienced international travelers remain committed to seeing the world even as costs continue to rise,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies and a member of the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the US Department of Commerce. “Rather than canceling trips, they’re making thoughtful adjustments that preserve the experience while controlling discretionary spending.”
Airfares Deliver the Biggest Budget Blow
Airfare was the chief offender. It was named by 77 per cent of respondents as the cost that had risen most over the past year.
Hotels and accommodation followed at 47 per cent. Food and dining reached 40 per cent. Travel insurance was cited by 22 per cent, tours and activities by 19 per cent, baggage fees by 16 per cent and ground transport by 14 per cent.
The flight may deliver the first financial bruise. The destination can then continue the treatment.
Airfare rises were reported at almost the same rate by US and non-US travellers. The figures were 78 per cent and 77 per cent respectively. The larger differences appeared after arrival.
Sixty per cent of non-US respondents reported higher hotel and accommodation prices. That compared with 44 per cent of US respondents. Food and dining costs were also more noticeable among non-US travellers, at 45 per cent against 38 per cent.
“Airfare has become the great equalizer, nearly everyone feels those increases regardless of where they live,” Richards said. “But once travelers arrive, local costs vary significantly by destination, exchange rates and regional inflation, which helps explain why non-US travelers are reporting sharper increases in lodging and dining.”
Value Becomes the Travel Industry’s New Battleground
The findings carry a clear message for airlines, hotels, destinations and travel advisers. Demand remains firm, but value now matters more.
Experienced travellers are comparing inclusions and looking at the full cost of a trip. Optional tours, room upgrades and costly meals may be the first items removed when a budget tightens.
Suppliers should not treat strong demand as a licence for careless pricing. Clear fares, useful inclusions and flexible terms are likely to win more loyalty than a cheap headline followed by a small forest of fees.
Travel advisers also have an opening. Good advice on timing, exchange rates, hotel choices and pre-booked activities can help clients protect the parts of a journey they value most.
“International travel remains a priority for these travelers because they recognize its personal and professional value,” he said. “They’re adapting their budgets, not giving up their plans. That’s a sign of resilience and careful planning, not reduced interest in exploring the world.”
For the travel trade, that is good news with a warning attached. The customer is still travelling. They are simply counting the cost more closely and expecting the industry to do the same.
Further information is available from Global Rescue.
By: Michelle Warner – © 2026.
Read Time: 4 minutes.
Author Bio:
Michelle Warner has always carried stories the way others carry passports lightly, faithfully, and with purpose. She learned her craft in newsrooms, shaping sentences with care, before swapping deadlines for departures as a flight attendant with some of the world’s great airlines. Years aloft sharpened her eye for character and deepened her fondness for the small, dignified rituals of travel, the quiet kindness of strangers, the poetry of arrival, the patience learned between time zones.
Now grounded by choice, Michelle has come home to writing with the same calm authority she once brought to turbulent cabins. Her prose blends an editor’s discipline with a traveller’s wonder, tinged with humour and reverence for the golden age of travel. Each piece feels like a handwritten boarding pass, gracious, observant, and unmistakably alive.
