Expedia CEO: Travel slowdown is real, but things may get better for the holidays

Your suitcases may be collecting dust for the next few months.

With a more cautious consumer and high travel costs, some of the country’s biggest travel companies are calling out a summer slowdown.

New Expedia (EXPE) Group CEO Ariane Gorin told me on Yahoo Finance’s Market Domination that the company has seen a “slowdown” in demand that could extend deep into the current quarter. Demand is expected to improve for the holiday travel season, or Expedia’s fourth quarter.

Gorin officially assumed her role from longtime CEO Peter Kern on May 13. Kern remains on Expedia’s board as vice chairman.

The slackening in demand has been relatively shallow and doesn’t suggest a recession is looming, but the tone change from top leaders has been noticeable.

Airbnb (ABNB) warned that investors should expect moderation in year-over-year growth in its nights and experiences category for the quarter. The company also cautioned that it’s “seeing shorter booking lead times globally and some signs of slowing demand from US guests.”

The cutback is seen in both Europe and North America, Airbnb CFO Ellie Mertz told analysts on the company’s earnings call.

Disney struck a cautious note on theme park demand for the next few quarters as consumers become more discerning with their discretionary spending.

“We certainly see consumers behaving in a way — I wouldn’t call it recessionary necessarily — they’re watching their pennies a little bit more,” Disney CFO Hugh Johnston told me on Yahoo Finance’s Morning Brief.

As for Gorin, she is doubling down on marketing for brands such as Hotels.com and Vrbo while also looking to new overseas growth opportunities. This is after Kern spent several years slashing expenses, refocusing the company, overhauling the tech stack, and debuting the OneKey rewards program.

Expedia is showing signs of turning the corner.

Second quarter sales and adjusted net income rose 6% and 10%, respectively, year over year. Booked room nights increased by 10%. The overall performance of Vrbo — which has been struggling — improved sequentially.

The company has repurchased $1.2 billion of its stock year to date.

“Expedia reported solid 2Q results driven by Brand Expedia strength & Vrbo improvement, and despite some macro softening into July, the lower full-year outlook landed better than feared,” JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth wrote in a note to clients.

Anmuth rated Expedia shares at Neutral.

Expedia’s stock is up 13% since Gorin took over as CEO, outperforming the S&P 500’s 1.8% gain.

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