In this article, we discuss 12 cheap travel stocks to buy now. If you want to see more stocks in this selection, check out 5 Cheap Travel Stocks to Buy Now.

Revenge travel is the new phenomenon as travelers try to compensate for the lost time and opportunity over the last two years due COVID-19 restrictions. Opening of borders and easing of restrictions even in China is the catalyst behind the 11% annual online travel market growth rate. The segment has seen a spike in tourists searching and booking various travel services, including hotel and Airbnb accommodations, flights, cars, tours, and cruises.

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) is one of the companies benefiting from the surge in airline demand, with its stock up by about 40% year to date. Tripadvisor Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) and Expedia Group Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) are other stocks flying high as more people worldwide make travel arrangements to try and make up for the lost time following the Covid 19 pandemic. The companies are benefiting from a rebound in travel to urban centers, with some of the biggest cities in the world experiencing a significant uptick in tourists.

Solo trips were a thing at the height of the pandemic due to the need for minimal interaction to avert contracting or spreading the virus. Nevertheless, solo trips hurt the travel industry due to reduced revenues. Fast forward, there is a significant decrease in solo trips, with people opting to travel in large packs, which benefits most companies in the segment.

Even though most Americans are fearful that the economic situation will worsen and therefore cut back on expenditure, there was a 47% increase in people traveling in the U.S. compared to the second quarter of last year. Despite the cautious sentiment around finances, wary of the economic situation, people are still making travel arrangements and spending big in the process.

According to Calvin Li of JLL Hotels & Hospitality, sentiments in the travel industry have improved significantly.

“Everyone thought, Rates will decline. This is just a blip. Everyone's traveling now, but it's going to dissipate. That hasn't happened. It hasn't happened in Asia. It hasn't happened in the U.S. or Europe. So, investors are a little bit more confident now that they have more data on their fingertips,” Li said in an interview with CNBC.

Experts are already predicting a booming travel demand in 2023, with 26% of Americans planning to increase their spending on leisure travel. Additionally, 53% of all Americans and 81% of leisure travelers have already made arrangements to travel over the next six months.

Technological advancement also significantly impacts the travel industry and is one of the catalysts behind robust growth. The thought of queueing for long hours in airports and losing luggage deterred many people from traveling. However, not anymore. Tech solutions like biometric identification are becoming common in airports, making it easy to check in and out.

Techniques such as facial recognition and iris scans have enhanced airport screening, enabling after-passenger processing. For instance, the Dubai international airport has implemented biometric Smart Gate tunnels that allow travelers to verify their identity within seconds.

Pixabay/Public Domain

On the other hand, Chief financial officers and other executives in the hospitality and travel industry are prioritizing investments in I.T. to stay ahead of the curve and enhance customer experience. According to Li, there is also increased focus on ESG as stakeholders’ shareholders and guests demand owners to be held accountable to recap carbon-neutral targets.

While inflation levels are still high, travel costs have eased significantly with airline tickets down, thus helping attract most people into traveling. While the focus has always been on big players in the travel and tourism industry, little-known gems are poised to benefit from the expected travel boom.

With the interest rate cycles stabilizing and inflation abating in developed markets, expectations are high of increased investments as demand for risk grows. Now could be the best time to scan for cheap travel stocks to buy as high net-worth investors and corporates on the sidelines join the party.

Our Methodology 

For this article, we first used the Finviz stock screener to find the list of the cheap travel stocks to buy now. From a lengthy list of stocks, we filtered and focused on those with an Upside Potential of 10% or higher. Our analysis is also based on the hedge fund sentiment gathered from Insider Monkey's database, which tracks 943 elite hedge funds as of the conclusion of the first quarter of 2023. The stocks were then ranked based on their upside potential.

12. Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN)

Upside Potential: 14.79%

Price target: $124.27

Number of Hedge Fund Holders:46

Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN) has been flying high, rallying by about 32% year to date even on facing a shaky economy, persistent inflation, and high-interest rates. Nevertheless, the company has continued to deliver impressive results from its core business of designing, developing, and operating integrated resorts. It’s one of the companies benefiting from a bounce back of the travel and tourism industry. Occupancy levels at its hotels and casino are above 80%. The company reinstating its dividend has also made it a Wall Street darling.

Likewise, analysts have a $124.27 price target on Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN), implying a 14.79% upside potential from current levels. In the first quarter of 2023, 46 hedge funds had a stake in Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN) compared to 36 in the previous quarter. In Q1, the company’s biggest hedge fund holder, Citadel Investment Group owned 1.12 million shares of the company worth $125.52 million.

Baron Funds made the following comment about Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN) in its first quarter 2023 investor letter:

11. MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM)

Upside Potential: 17.10%

Price target: $58.42

Number of Hedge Fund Holders:54

MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) is another cheap travel stock to buy now, as it operates casino hotels and entertainment resorts in the U.S. and Macau. The company has been delivering impressive revenues from its Las Vegas properties amid increased consumer spending. Reopening the Macao strip in China has also strengthened the company’s prospects after remarkable results in recent years due to China’s lockdown. The company is also expanding its footprint into Japan with plans for an integrated resort.

With the company firing on all angles, analysts have a $58.42 price target on the stock, implying a 17.10% upside potential from current levels.

54 of the 943 hedge funds part of Insider Monkey’s research for this year’s first quarter had bought and owned MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM)’s shares. Out of these, the firm’s largest shareholder is Keith Meister’s Corvex Capital with investment more than $296 million.

Cove Street Capital  made the following comment about MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) in its second quarter 2023 investor letter:

10. Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Upside Potential: 18.20%

Price target: $70.92

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 50

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) owns and operates integrated resorts in Macao and Singapore. The stock is already up by about 22% for the year as investors take notice of the company’s strong business in Singapore and improving prospects in the Macao region of China. It reported a $549 million in revenues from its Marina Bay Sands resorts in Singapore, with total revenues coming in at $848 million. In the last quarter, the company also generated the first billion dollars in revenues from its operations in the Macao region.

As more people travel to Singapore and Macao, the company aims to deliver impressive results. Similarly, analysts are confident the company will continue outperforming, going by the $70.92 price target, implying an 18.20% upside potential from current levels.

According to the Insider Monkey database, 50 hedge funds held stakes in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS), with a combined value of $783.7 million in Q1 2023. The most notable shareholder in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) is Steadfast Capital Management, with 1.94 million shares worth $111.45 million.

In the investor letter for the first quarter of 2023, Baron Funds expressed its views on Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS):

9. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL)

Upside Potential: 23.80%

Price target: $59.88

Number of Hedge Fund Holders:56

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) has been one of the best-performing airlines rallying 37% year to date on delivering impressive quarterly results amid strong air travel demand that has defied fears of an economic slowdown. The airline is benefiting from strong demand for premium first-class seats and a significant drop in fuel costs. It delivered earnings of $2.68 a share in Q2 against the $2.40 expected as revenues jumped to $14.61 billion against the $14.49 expected, thanks to a 16% capacity increase.

Likewise, analysts remain confident about its prospects, with a $59.88 price target implying a 23.80% upside potential.

During the analysis of 943 hedge fund portfolios for their Q1 2023 investments, Insider Monkey discovered that 56 of them had chosen to invest in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL). Among these investors, Thomas E. Claugus' GMT Capital emerged as the largest stakeholder in our database, holding a significant position valued at $217 million.

8. Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY)

Upside Potential: 25.22%

Price target: $137.75

Number of Hedge Fund Holders:17

Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY) is another cheap stock worth paying attention to in the travel and tourism industry as it continues to see improved traffic growth on its scheduled passenger airline services. A rebound in air traffic from pandemic lows has seen the airline raise its traffic view for the year to 185 million for 168 million. It also continues to deliver impressive traffic numbers due to up-bit air travel demand.

Analysts are confident about Ryanair's prospects as the air travel business recovers from the COVID-19 slowdown. Consequently, they have an average price target of $137.75, implying a 25.22% upside potential from current levels.

17 of the 943 hedge funds surveyed by Insider Monkey had held Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY)’s shares in Q1 2023. Out of these, the firm’s largest investor is Natixis Global Asset Management’s Harris Associates through its 10.15 million shares that are worth $957 million.

7. Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA)

Upside Potential: 26.27%

Price target: $148.63

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 33

Headquartered in Panama City, Panama, Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA), together with its subsidiaries, offers airline, passenger, and cargo services. It offers 327 daily scheduled flights to 78 destinations in 32 countries as more people travel to various destinations around the globe. The company continues to register a booming business. Its net profit increased to $121.5 million in Q1 from $89.4 million before the pandemic.

It stands out as one of the best travel stocks as it benefits from travel and cargo business growth. Analysts have a $148.63 price target on the stock, implying a 26.27% upside potential from current levels.

As of the end of the first quarter, there were 33 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database that held stakes in Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE:CPA), compared to 26 funds in the previous quarter. Ken Griffin’s, Citadel Investment Group with 836,618 shares, is the biggest stakeholder in the company.

6. Trip.com Group Ltd (NASDAQ:TCOM)

Upside Potential: 27.93%

Price target: $46.17

Number of Hedge Fund Holders:41

Trip.com Group Ltd (NASDAQ:TCOM) has carved a niche as a provider of accommodation reservations, transportation ticketing, packaged tours, and corporate travel management services. Acting as an agent for hotel-related transactions and selling air tickets, the company is benefiting from a booming tourism and travel industry. Its already tapped the power of artificial intelligence with a new travel-oriented large language model dubbed Wendao that will allow its customers to access accurate travel data.

Even though the stock is yet to register a significant move to the upside year to date, analysts have an average price target of $46.17, implying the stock could rally 27.93% from current levels.

As of the first quarter of 2023, Insider Monkey's database revealed that 41 hedge funds retained their investments in Trip.com Group Ltd (NASDAQ:TCOM), compared to 36 funds in the previous quarter. Among these hedge funds, Pzena Investment Management, managed by Richard S. Pzena, stood out as the most significant shareholder, holding an impressive 7.89 million shares worth $297.18 million in the company.

In its Q4 2022 investor letter, Artisan Partners provided a statement or commentary regarding Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM):

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Disclosure: None. 12 Cheap Travel Stocks to Buy Now is originally published on Insider Monkey.