Expedia CEO Ariane Gorin Bets on Global Markets as US Travel Demand Slows
Expedia is ramping up investment outside America as the U.S. travel market cools.
Expedia Group CEO Ariane Gorin is betting the company’s future growth lies outside America. Speaking at the Skift Global Forum in New York City today (Sept. 18), she said the Seattle-based travel giant, which owns Expedia, Hotels.com and Trivago, has been “leaning into our business outside of the U.S.” for the past 18 months, with plans to ramp up investment in fast-growing international markets.
That pivot comes at a time when the U.S. travel market is faltering. International visits to the U.S. have slowed as travelers shy away from the country’s volatile trade backdrop and restrictive government policies. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) projects the U.S. will lose some $12.5 billion in international visitor spending this year. “Without urgent action to restore international traveller confidence, it could take several years for the U.S. just to return to pre-pandemic levels,” WTTC CEO Julia Simpson warned in a statement accompanying the report in May.
Expedia is already feeling the impact. In the most recent quarter, consumer business revenue, which is still heavily concentrated in the U.S., grew only 1 percent year-over-year. Earlier this year, the company reported a 7 percent plunge in inbound U.S. travel during the first quarter, with Canadian visitors dropping by nearly 30 percent. “The U.S. market was quite soft,” Gorin acknowledged.
Against that backdrop, Gorin is pushing Expedia to double down abroad. The company is seeing strong gains in Japan and Brazil, where growth surged 20 percent last quarter, and in Northern Europe, which is expanding at double-digit rates. “Those are fast-growing markets—not only for the travel industry, but for us,” Gorin said.
Expedia’s global push mirrors a broader shift across the industry. Airlines like WestJet have scaled back flights to the U.S. in favor of other destinations, while Airbnb and Booking Holdings are both reporting strong momentum in Europe, Asia and Latin America even as U.S. demand lags.
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