Though there are factors like the economy and flight cancellations deterring some clients from traveling, the fall booking season has largely been a brisk one thus far, according to Travel Experts.
The Raleigh, N.C.-based host agency recently polled its advisors, and found that agencies remain busy.
Related: ASTA survey shows Americans are determined to travel — and use advisors
“Our affiliated independent contractors are mostly reporting a continuation of the summer surge of bookings,” said Sharon Fake, the host agency’s executive director.
This fall, clients are still traveling to Europe, Fake said. Over the winter, they are planning trips to South America, the Caribbean and Mexico.
Advisors are also starting to reap the benefits of the frenetic pace of work they saw earlier this year.
Alexis Sherry, based in Livingston, N.J., said bookings her agency made between June and August this year were up more than 100% compared with the same period in 2021.
Those clients are traveling now, in the third quarter, as most of those June and August bookings were made for trips 55 to 65 days out.
Where are travelers headed this Thanksgiving?
Allianz Partners recently released data on where travelers are headed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Allianz reviewed more than 2 million itineraries to compile the data; it considered roundtrip flights departing U.S. airports from Saturday, Nov. 19, to Thursday, Nov. 24, and returning Friday, Nov. 25, to Tuesday, Nov. 29.
Domestically, the top 10 destinations are New York, Seattle, Orlando, Boston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington and Fort Lauderdale.
New York has held the title of No. 1 Thanksgiving destination for five of the past six years. In 2020, Seattle edged it out of its top spot, but it regained its crown in 2021 and again this year.
Internationally, sun-and-fun destinations are largely the most popular, with two European exceptions. In order, the top international destinations are Cancun; San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; London; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Oranjestad, Aruba; Paris; and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.
Mexico and the Caribbean have long been popular for Thanksgiving holidays, according to Allianz data. London and Paris have also been historical contenders for the top three, ranking Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, in both 2017 and 2018.
Source: Read Full Article