Inflation Continues to Scare US Travelers

Booking.com says the impact of inflation continues to hamstring the U.S. travel industry.

Demand is down as cautious consumers hold off on making their vacation plans, Ewout Steenbergen, the online travel platform’s finance chief, told Bloomberg News in an interview published Tuesday (Dec. 17).

“We haven’t seen so much of a movement in the U.S. around the booking window recently,” Steenbergen said.

He was referring, the report said, to a measure of how far in advance a traveler books a trip, with a shorter window signifying that consumers are waiting to pencil in their vacations.

That’s what’s the opposite of what’s happening in Europe, Steenbergen said when the company announced its earnings recently, with travelers booking earlier, planning to go skiing in February or trips during the Easter holidays.

Bloomberg noted that his remarks highlight a moderation in the travel sector after a boom following the pandemic. Booking.com is the largest online travel…