Rising prices haven’t slowed travelers down as much as you might expect. Carnival Corporation just posted a record second-quarter result, with adjusted net income and revenue both hitting new highs, a sign that cruise demand remains strong even as overall travel costs climb.
That resilience shows up across the industry. Surveys find 57% of Americans say travel costs more now than it did last year, yet 56% still plan to take a summer trip, mostly by adjusting where they go rather than whether they go at all, leaning toward closer-to-home destinations or lower-cost alternatives to stretch their budgets further.
Airlines are telling a more mixed story. Ethiopian Airlines posted more than $4.4 billion in six-month revenue on rising passenger and cargo demand, while Hawaiian Airlines reported a loss that nonetheless signals stabilization under its ownership by Alaska Airlines rather than a full recovery. On the hotel side, analysts are tempering optimism for 2026 given uncertain international travel demand, even as individual properties like Copenhagen’s Admiral Hotel invest in major renovations.
The overall picture: the travel industry is adjusting to a higher-cost environment rather than seeing demand collapse, with cruises and value-conscious trip planning holding up the strongest.
I-Journey 
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