Recent Release | 27 Oct 2022
The Economic Impact of Online Travel Agencies in United States and Canada 2019 – 2021
Tourism Consulting Team
Tourism Economics
In addition to generating significant economic impacts in terms of GDP and jobs, OTAs benefit the accommodation markets in both the United States and Canada (North America) through downward effects on rates and by expanding the number of room nights available to consumers.
This study conducted by Tourism Economics for Booking.com quantifies the incremental impact of online travel agencies on the tourism industries and broader economies of the United States and Canada. The number of travellers organizing travel through online travel agencies (OTAs) increased steadily from 2012 to 2019 to 724 million nights, which represented almost 1 in 4 nights booked in North America – a proportion of these nights and associated economic benefits would not have happened without the trusted information, transparency and choice provided by OTAs.
All travel bookings fell sharply during the pandemic, including some shifts in OTA use resulting in a lower impact on the tourism market and the broader economy in 2020 and 2021. OTAs still play an important role in matching evolving consumer demand with available supply.
Watch here to find out more about The Economic Impact of Online Travel Agencies in the US.
About the team
Our consulting team at Tourism Economics are the world’s leading analysts of the global tourism and travel sector. They combine their expert insight with our state-of-the-art economic models and tools to answer the crucial questions facing our clients. Lead consultants on the project were:
Matthew Dass
Associate Director, Tourism Economics
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