Leading Brands in US Travel & Tourism: Q2 2024 Analysis

Introduction

The Travel & Tourism sector in the US has experienced significant shifts in audience engagement and advertising strategies from Q1 to Q2 2024. This article delves into the performance of three leading brands: Google Maps, Ride with Uber, and Expedia. Leveraging Sensor Tower's comprehensive data, we uncover insights into cross-platform user behavior, monthly ad spend, and audience trends.

Google Maps

Google Maps, accessible via maps.google.com and the Google Maps app, remains a cornerstone in navigation and travel planning.

• Audience Trends: The monthly deduplicated audience for Google Maps consistently remained above 210M throughout Q1 and Q2 2024. The website saw fluctuations, with visits peaking at over 770K in June.

• App Engagement: Monthly app usage increased steadily, reaching nearly 26.5M active users by June. This growth underscores the mobile platform's dominance in user engagement.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Google Maps maintained a low profile in advertising, with minimal monthly spend solely on Instagram in March, resulting in around 26K impressions.

Ride with Uber

Ride with Uber, available at uber.com and the Uber - Request a ride app, has demonstrated robust performance across platforms.

• Audience Trends: Uber's monthly deduplicated audience grew from 39M in January to over 44M by June. The website consistently attracted over 31M visits monthly.

• App Engagement: The app's monthly active users climbed to approximately 32M in June, reflecting a strong preference for mobile access.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Uber significantly increased its monthly ad spend, peaking at over $6.9M in June, with substantial impressions across OTT, Snapchat, and YouTube channels.

Expedia

Expedia, operating through expedia.com and the Expedia: Hotels, Flights, Cars app, continues to lead in travel bookings.

• Audience Trends: Expedia's website visits soared to over 358M in June. The monthly deduplicated audience remained stable, hovering around 37M.

• App Engagement: The app saw a gradual increase in monthly active users, reaching over 5.6M by June, indicating growing mobile engagement.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Expedia's monthly ad spend peaked in May at over $35M, largely through YouTube and OTT channels, generating billions of impressions.

Conclusion

The analysis of Q1 to Q2 2024 data highlights the varied strategies and user engagement trends among Google Maps, Ride with Uber, and Expedia. Sensor Tower's unique ability to cross-reference web, app, and advertising data provides unparalleled insights into these trends. Access our Web Insights, Pathmatics, and App Performance Insights for a deeper understanding of the Travel & Tourism sector's dynamics.