Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for Recreation and Travel

Introduction

Recreation and Travel lead costs moved through a year of sharp contrasts across all countries: a dramatic February spike, a long slide into a September–October trough, and a late-year rebound that accelerated into January 2026. Across the full period, cost per lead (CPL) for the category averaged 49.7, notably higher than the 41.0 global, all‑industry benchmark. However, that average is skewed by February’s outlier; excluding that month, Recreation and Travel’s average settles near 41.6 — essentially in line with the broader market. Volatility was the defining feature.

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 across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

The year opened at 33.5 in January 2025, then surged to a one‑month high of 146.5 in February — the standout anomaly. From there, CPL cooled rapidly to 45.9 in March and continued easing through midyear: 67.0 in April, stabilizing around 49–50 in May–June, and stepping down to 47.7 in July. The floor arrived in early fall: 25.3 in August, the year’s low of 21.9 in September, and 22.8 in October. A measured rebuild followed — 40.1 in November and 39.1 in December — before a strong lift to 57.2 in January 2026. That marks a 71% rise versus the prior January and a 46% month‑over‑month jump from December.

Volatility averaged a sizable 26.5 points month to month, driven by the February spike and March correction. Removing those two swings, average monthly movement still clocked in at 10.4 — roughly triple the global benchmark’s steadier 3.5.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The category’s rhythm split into three acts:

• Elevated and choppy in H1, with February’s spike and a gradual normalization through June (Q2 average: 55.4).
• A pronounced soft patch in late summer into early fall, with the lowest CPL in September and October (Q3 average: 31.7; October at 22.8).
• A controlled rebuild in Q4 (average: 34.0) and a sharp upswing into January 2026 at 57.2.

By contrast, the global benchmark followed a more classic seasonal slope: rising from Q1 (36.2) through Q3 (44.2) and peaking in Q4 (46.5), before pulling back to 34.5 in January 2026. In other words, while global Facebook Ads benchmarks tightened through the back half of the year, Recreation and Travel CPL found its low point then and only began rising at year’s end.

Country vs. Global

Relative to the all‑industry global baseline, Recreation and Travel was:

• Above market from February through July — most notably April (+79%) and February (+265%).
• Below average from August through December, with the widest discounts in September (−55%) and October (−53%).
• Back above market in January 2026 (+66%).

Across the full window, the category’s CPL ran 21% above the global average, but excluding February’s anomaly it was effectively flat versus the market (+2%). The narrowest gap appeared in January 2025 (−4%), while the widest spread was February’s +265%.

Closing

Understanding Facebook Ads cost‑per‑lead benchmarks for Recreation and Travel across all countries highlights how a single spike reshaped the headline average, while the underlying trend traced a summer–fall trough and a year‑end rebound. These CPL trends situate industry ad performance against the global benchmark, helping frame country‑specific ad costs and CTR performance narratives alongside broader CPC and CPM analysis.