We recently compiled a list of the 13 Best Vacation Stocks to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) stands against the other vacation stocks.

In early 2024, The World Travel & Tourism Council projected a strong year for travel & tourism, with the sector’s global economic contribution expected to touch an all-time high of $11.1 trillion. As per the global tourism body’s 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR), travel & tourism should be able to contribute an additional $770 billion over its previous record. WTTC anticipates that ~142 countries, of the 185 analysed, are expected to outperform previous national records.

WTTC forecasts a strong future for the next decade, characterized by healthy growth and unmatched career opportunities. By 2034, the sector is expected to supercharge the global economy with a staggering $16 trillion, accounting for ~11.4% of the entire economic landscape.

Travel and Vacationing in 2024 and Beyond

In 2024, the travel sector continues to break boundaries. Mastercard Economics Institute expects that this momentum will continue, with consumers prioritizing meaningful experiences and earmarking more of their budgets to travel.

Apart from air travel, cruise vacationing saw extraordinary growth, outpacing 2019 records. Through 1Q 2024, the US travel story was characterized by contrasting outbound and inbound dynamics. By November 2022, the US travelers vacationing overseas (excluding Canada and Mexico) outpaced 2019 levels. As of March 2024, the US travel overseas stood at ~20% above that level.

In comparison, the visitor traffic arrivals in the US from abroad were ~6% below 2019 levels as of March 2024. At this pace, the Economics Institute estimated that foreign passenger traffic in the US is expected to surpass 2019 levels later in 2024.

As per the Conference Board survey of consumer attitudes and buying plans in the US, the data as of April 2024 demonstrates that around 1 in 5 of the survey respondents expect to travel internationally in the upcoming 6 months. This was the record high since the survey began in February 1967. During this similar time in 2020, only 1 in every 20 Americans wanted to travel.

Recent Trends in Vacations

A big trend for 2024 remains the preference for experiential traveling over traditional celebrations for achieving some milestones. A recent survey demonstrated that ~40% of respondents continue to plan vacations for celebrating milestone occasions in 2024. One major shift in travel trends is the concept of a journey as the final destination. While travelers are seeking rail journeys along with epic boat trips, some travelers are opting for extended stopovers in certain destinations. This helps in turning layovers into small vacations.

The Cruise Lines International Association expects that ~82% of those who have cruised are expected to cruise again. The vacation rental market has been pegged at US$99.6 billion in 2023 and should be able to compound at more than 3% between 2024 and 2032 (as per Global Market Insights). This is expected on the back of elevated demand from the younger generation as they seek unique and authentic travel experiences. Notably, millennials and Gen Z are prioritizing experiences rather than material possessions, resulting in an increased demand for engaging and authentic travel.

Therefore, growth in the vacation rental market should stem from the increased use of online booking platforms, advancements in AI-driven property management technology, and the adoption of remote working.

Our methodology

To list the 13 Best Vacation Stocks to Buy Now, we used the Finviz screener to compile a list of 20 stocks catering to relevant industries. We then ranked the stocks in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment, as of Q2 2024, and chose the following 13 companies.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 63

Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) operates an online marketplace for travel and booking services. The company provides lodging, homestay, and tourism services.

The company is expected to be supported by its strong network effects. Experts believe that Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB)’s network has reached a critical mass scale, thanks to its healthy booking share of the alternative accommodation market along with ongoing expansion into experiences. Over the coming years, the company’s network advantage will be supplemented by artificial intelligence investment and further expansion into the experiences vertical and global markets. Also, the company appears to be well-positioned to benefit from the shift to mobile bookings.

Moreover, Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) should be aided by its unique asset-light business model, which is less common in the travel industry. This is because the company does not own or operate the stays listed on its platform. Even though travel spending remains a cyclical business, the consistent consumer spending category over the long term should continue to support Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB). The company also has strong financial health, courtesy of its prudent management of finances, which is demonstrated by the higher cash reserves as compared to its liabilities.

As per Wall Street analysts, the shares of Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) have an average price target of $126.65. In the second quarter, 63 hedge funds held positions in the stock, totalling $2.61 billion.

Polen Capital, an investment management company, released its first-quarter 2024 investor letter and mentioned Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB). Here is what the fund said:

“During the quarter, we initiated new positions in Sage Group and Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) and added to our existing position in Globant.

Airbnb is a great business model, according to our research, due to its two-sided global network effects. For several reasons, Airbnb has a better mousetrap with its supply growth engine, with its hosts having a far lower cost of capital and more flexibility than hotels. We think private rentals should continue to grow their share of overall accommodation stays, potentially up to 30% of lodging or higher over the long term, letting the private rental gross booking value grow at a low double-digit rate. We also think Airbnb should continue to gain share within the private rental market as its global network effects strengthen, allowing for mid-teens revenue growth. With flat to rising margins over time, significant free cash flow generation, and a management team that has demonstrated its owner orientation, this should result in high-teens EPS growth over time. While the path there will not be linear, and it is a more discretionary spending-tied business, we think the long-term secular growth opportunity is very compelling.”

Overall ABNB ranks 1st on our list of the best vacation stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of ABNB as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than ABNB but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.