See how your CPL compares. Explore lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Recreation and Travel cost-per-lead (CPL) showed a volatile year with clear momentum swings: a high mid-2025, a slide into autumn, a year-end spike, then a steep trough in early 2026 and a partial rebound into June 2026. This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for Recreation and Travel in All countries available compared to the global benchmark.
Starting in June 2025, Recreation and Travel CPL sat at roughly $51 per lead and finished the 13-month window at about $23 — a drop of roughly 55%. Across the period the median CPL averaged about $31.6 for this industry and geography, with a high of $51.03 (December 2025) and a low of $14.75 (April 2026). Monthly moves were dramatic: several double-digit declines (Aug, Oct, Feb–Apr) and big recoveries (Nov, Dec, Mar–Jun). The absolute monthly swings averaged around 27% from month to month, signaling much higher volatility than the broader market.
By contrast, the baseline global median CPL averaged roughly $45.6 over the same months, with a more compressed profile: baseline highs near $53.35 (Feb 2026) and lows near $35.15 (Jun 2026). The global series declined about 19% from June 2025 to June 2026, far milder than the Recreation and Travel trajectory.
The Recreation and Travel series shows a seasonal pulse: a summer high in June 2025, easing into a lower-cost late summer/early autumn (Aug–Oct 2025), a pronounced year-end lift (Nov–Dec), followed by a sharp fall in early 2026 (Feb–Apr) and a gradual recovery into late spring. The deepest troughs occurred in February–April 2026 when CPLs bottomed between $16 and $14. The December 2025 spike to about $51 stands out as the strongest single-month lift in the period.
These rhythms align with expected irregular competition and demand swings for travel-related lead generation — peaks around travel search windows and softer periods when demand or bid pressure falls. The Recreation and Travel timeline is punctuated by sharper spikes and deeper troughs than the baseline.
Relative to the global benchmark, Recreation and Travel CPLs were above market only early and at year-end: June 2025 (+18%) and July 2025 (+11%), and again in December 2025 (+13%). For most of the window the industry trailed the global median — materially so. The largest gap occurred in February 2026 when Recreation and Travel CPL was about 69% below the global median; other deep underperformances (relative to baseline) appeared March–April 2026 (≈61–64% below). On average across the 13 months the Recreation and Travel CPL was about 31% lower than the global benchmark. Volatility comparison underscores the difference: Recreation and Travel moved roughly 27% month-to-month on average versus about 7.5% for the baseline — roughly 3–4x more volatile.
Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-lead benchmarks and industry ad performance for Recreation and Travel in All countries available reveals a story of high volatility: elevated mid-2025 CPLs, a year-end lift, a deep early-2026 trough, and partial recovery by June 2026. These country-specific ad costs and CPL trends sit alongside broader CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance as contextual benchmarks for campaign evaluation and competitive pacing.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. In the Recreation and Travel industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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A good CPL usually ranges from $10 to $50, depending on your industry and target audience. B2C offers tend to be cheaper, while B2B or high-ticket services may see CPLs over $100.
Your CPL could be high due to weak creative, irrelevant targeting, or an offer that doesn't resonate. Low engagement or poor conversion rates on your landing page can also drive up costs.
Yes. Campaigns optimized for conversions or leads tend to generate cheaper and more qualified leads compared to traffic or engagement objectives. Facebook needs clear signals to find the right users.
Focus on improving your offer, targeting the right audience, and using high-converting creative. Test native lead forms, but make sure you're still qualifying users properly.
If your goal is sales or revenue, optimizing for deeper funnel conversions is better. Optimizing for leads alone can inflate volume but hurt quality.
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