Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for Recreation and Travel

Introduction

Cost per lead for Recreation and Travel across all countries moved through a dramatic reset over the last 13 months, starting with outsized readings, sliding into a late-summer trough, and finishing with a measured rebound. Against the global, all‑industry Facebook Ads benchmarks, the category averaged higher costs overall but spent much of late Q3 and Q4 below market. Volatility was the headline early; steadiness defined the back half.

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

• Starting point to finish: Recreation and Travel CPL opened at 184.05 in December 2024 and closed at 46.20 in December 2025, a 75% decline across the period.
• Highs and lows: The category’s two notable peaks were December 2024 (184.05) and February 2025 (146.98). The low hit in September 2025 at 20.55, with October near that floor (21.42).
• Averages: The 13‑month average landed at 59.82. Excluding the two early spikes, the average drops to 40.60—almost identical to the 40.06 global mean. The median month for the category was 46.43 versus a 39.77 global median.
• Volatility: Average absolute month‑to‑month change was 38.21 for Recreation and Travel versus just 3.91 globally—about 10× more volatile—driven by the early surges. From April onward, swings normalized to roughly 10.47 on average.

Key moves: After January’s reset (33.67), February spiked to 146.98 before giving way to a steady comedown: mid‑Q2 hovered around 49–67; Q3 pushed decisively lower, breaking below 30 in August and bottoming at 20.55 in September. The category then rebounded through Q4 to 46.20 by December.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Quarterly rhythm shows the arc clearly:

• Q1 2025 (Jan–Mar): 75.70 average, shaped by a February surge.
• Q2 (Apr–Jun): 55.26 average, consolidation in the high‑40s to mid‑60s.
• Q3 (Jul–Sep): 31.20 average, a continued slide to the September low.
• Q4 (Oct–Dec): 35.69 average, progressive recovery from October’s floor.

This path contrasts with the broader market’s pattern. Global CPL typically firmed through late summer and early Q4 (global Q3 average 43.74; October peak 48.41) before an end‑of‑year dip to 32.53 in December, while Recreation and Travel became cheapest in late Q3 and then climbed into December.

Country vs. Global

Relative positioning shifted over the year:

• On average, Recreation and Travel CPL was 49% above the global mean, but the median gap was a narrower +17%.
• The category ran above the global benchmark in 8 of 13 months, yet trailed through late Q3 and much of Q4. August through November sat 14–57% below global levels, with the gap tightest in January (−4%) and widest at the start (December 2024: +379%) and in February (+270%).
• Trend comparison: From January to October, the global benchmark rose 39%, while Recreation and Travel fell 36%; from September’s low to December, the category rebounded 125% even as the global series declined 32%.

Closing

Taken together, these Facebook Ads benchmarks show cost‑per‑lead trends for Recreation and Travel across all countries that began with outsized early‑year costs, reset sharply into a late‑summer low, and ended close to long‑run global levels. Understanding CPL benchmarks for Recreation and Travel across all countries helps marketers evaluate category ad performance, country‑specific ad costs, and how this industry aligns with or diverges from the global trend line.