Richmond, VA, March 10, 2021 —Travelers are flocking south and steering their wagons west this Spring, according to Allianz Partners’ Top 10 Spring Break Destinations review. Americans are looking to escape the winter in sunny Florida, the American West as well as the Aloha State while warm-weather destinations like Mexico and the Dominican Republic, which have worked diligently to stay open for tourists, are also welcoming travelers looking for international Spring Break getaways.
The travel insurance and assistance company analyzed more than 1.8 million flight itineraries* for trips between five and eight days in length and found that for the fifth year in a row, Orlando is the most popular domestic destination among Americans, with other favorite Floridian cities filling up the Top 10 chart: Miami (#3), Fort Lauderdale (#4), Fort Myers (#6) and Tampa (#7).
Domestic travel is indeed on the rise – an Allianz Partners’ survey** of its U.S. travel insurance customers revealed that 77% of customers who are taking Spring Break trips will be traveling within the continental US, and 43% of customers who always travel or travel most of the time for Spring Break are planning a trip for the 2021 season.
Smaller destinations are also proving more popular: New York City (#5 last year, #4 in 2019) and Los Angeles (#4 in 2020, #3 in 2019) fell off the Top 10, making way for newcomers Honolulu (#9) and Denver (#10). Allianz’s customer survey noted that road trips are popular for Spring Break travel this year: 40% of travelers plan to drive to their destination. With demand moving away from larger cities, this year’s findings imply travel hungry spring breakers are seeking smaller destinations offering plenty of outdoor attractions like beaches and mountains to activities like camping, hiking, biking and aquatic sports.
International travel demand still faces barriers, with many popular destinations like Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (#9 last year, #10 in 2019) and London (#8 last year) placing restrictions on international visitors, leaving many refreshing their browsers on the latest “Where can Americans travel right now?” articles. Mexico will see an influx of American visitors as the Spring Break favorite dominates with Cancun (#1), San Jose Del Cabo (#2), and Puerto Vallarta (#3) leading the Top 10 International list, in a top three repeat from last year. In November, more than half a million Americans visited Mexico, according to The New York Times. The flood of Americans can be attributed in part to relatively relaxed entry requirements. Similarly, the Dominican Republic has eased its visitor entry process, allowing Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, to move from spot #10 last year to #6 this year on Allianz’s Top 10 International list. Costa Rica, a destination popular with thrill seekers and outdoor adventurers, started welcoming American tourists as of September 1 last year, though only from select states, and is new on this year’s list with both San Jose (#9), and Liberia (#10) rounding out the list.
“Americans are beginning to travel again with almost half of our travel-forward customers planning a trip for the 2021 Spring Break season,” said Daniel Durazo, director of marketing and communications for Allianz Partners, USA. “Our survey also shows many travelers are planning domestic getaways and looking for a dose of Spring Break sunshine in Florida, Hawaii and out West, while international destinations like Mexico and the Dominican Republic will also welcome winter-weary travelers.”
Allianz Partners offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz and the policies offered for travelers, please visit: http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com.
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