We recently published a list of 10 Best Travel Stocks To Buy Right Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Tripadvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) stands against other best travel stocks to buy right now.
The State of International Tourism in 2024
According to a report by UN Tourism published on September 19, international tourism revived back 96% of the pre-pandemic levels during the first seven months of 2024. Around 790 million tourists were traveling around the globe during the said time, which is 11% greater than that in 2023 but still 4% less than in 2019. As per the report, the key drivers of this growth have been a strong demand for travel in Europe and also the re-opening of markets in the Asia Pacific region.
The Secretary-General of UN Tourism, Zurab Pololikashvili noted that the growth in international tourism has been in line with the projections made by the department. He mentioned that the sector is on its way to achieving full recovery from the biggest crises in history and that too in an environment of economic and geopolitical challenges. Pololikashvili suggested that the recovery highlights the growing demand for international tourism planning and managing companies to cater to the revival in a way that benefits the communities through inclusive and sustainable policies. In addition, to an increase in tourism, the air connections have also improved along with an easing in visa restrictions.
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The report also highlighted that increased air connectivity and visa facilitation have supported the recovery. Data collected by the UN World Tourism Barometer showed that the Middle East remained the strongest region relative to others as it surpassed the 2019 levels by 26% during the first seven months of 2024. Moreover, Africa also remained strong and hosted 7% more tourists than in 2019. On the other hand, Europe and the Americas which host the most tourists combined recovered 99% and 97%, respectively. Despite the robust growth, certain challenges remain unaddressed including geopolitical challenges, extreme climate conditions, and high inflation in certain regions of the world. Regardless, the report anticipates continued recovery and expects strong revenue from international tourism to persist for a long period.
Our Methodology
To compile the list of the 10 best travel stocks to buy right now, we used the Finviz stock screener. Using the screener we aggregated a list of travel services stocks sorted by market capitalization. Next, we ranked these stocks based on the number of hedge fund holders as per Insider Monkey’s third-quarter 2024 database.
Why do we care about what hedge funds do? 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).
A family boarding an airplane with their suitcases, symbolic of the company’s reach into the global travel industry.
Tripadvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 34
Tripadvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) is an online travel company that connects travelers with various travel-related services through its platform. Its platform allows users to book over 350,000 experiences (such as tours and activities) from more than 55,000 operators globally, through its Viator marketplace. Moreover, it also allows users to discover and make reservations at restaurants across 11 countries.
Management has previously noted some softness in its hotel bookings and was expecting third-quarter results accordingly. During the fiscal third quarter of 2024, the company generated $532 million in revenue, which is flat compared to the same quarter last year. As expected, the Brand Tripadvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) revenue declined 12% year-over-year due to challenges in its legacy hotel offerings. However, on the bright side, its Viator and TheFork brands performed well. Viator revenue reached $270 million, reflecting a 10% year-over-year growth, with Gross Booking Value up 9%. While TheFork achieved a record revenue of $49 million, a notable increase of 17% year-over-year.
Management is focusing on transitioning from its legacy offerings to more strategically focused growth areas, particularly in experiences and dining reservations. Moreover, the company is also leveraging generative AI to enhance customer service and improve product recommendations, which has contributed to increased app bookings and user engagement. It is one of the best travel stocks to buy right now.
Overall, TRIP ranks 8th on our list of best travel stocks to buy right now. While we acknowledge the potential of TRIP to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than TRIP 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.
