Spring is right around the corner, and it’s no surprise that Americans are ready to celebrate the season with a vacation. From the most popular destinations in the U.S. to hot international trip spots and expected changes in travel costs, we’ve rounded up the latest spring travel trends — here’s what travel advisors and their clients should know about the upcoming season.
What Are the Most Popular Spring Break Destinations?
Unsurprisingly, after a winter of extreme weather around much of the U.S., many travelers are looking for a warm and sunny spring escape. According to a recent AAA survey, beach vacations are the most popular trip type for the upcoming season, with Florida ranking as the top domestic destination in demand, followed by Hawaii.
Allianz Partners also reported a high demand for warm weather in its Top 10 Spring Break Destinations review, which analyzed more than 2.6 million flight itineraries. For the eighth consecutive year, Allianz found Orlando, Fla., to be the top domestic destination for American travelers, followed by Phoenix. And Mexico again dominated as a top spot for international spring travel, with Cancun ranking in the top spot, San Jose del Cabo coming in at No. 2 and Puerto Vallarta ranking fourth. Nassau, Bahamas, meanwhile, ranked third and Montego Bay, Jamaica, came in fifth on the international list.
Spring Travel to Europe Is Trending
Another hot location for spring trips this year is Europe, according to data from VisitorsCoverage, Inc. The travel insurance marketplace found that 30% of travelers are planning spring trips to the continent, with France, Italy and the Netherlands highlighted as some of the most sought-after destinations.
Allianz, meanwhile, notes that London jumped four positions year-over-year to No. 6 on its list of international hot spots, while Paris made the spring break getaways list for the first time.
More International Hot Spots
AAA’s survey revealed that international travel for spring 2023 is up 30% over 2022. Some of the most popular destinations include:
- Cancun, Riviera Maya and Mexico City in Mexico
- Nassau, Bahamas; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and San Juan, Puerto Rico in the Caribbean
- Paris, London, Amsterdam, Rome and Barcelona in Europe
Finally, AAA notes that cruising is hot this spring, especially to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.
Additional insight from VisitorsCoverage indicates that 25% of travelers are planning to visit Asia and the Middle East this spring. Another 15% are opting for North America (Canada and Mexico are most popular), 9% are headed to Oceania, 7% to the Caribbean, 7% to Africa and 4% to South America.
And new data from travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth found that “distant destinations” are gaining popularity, with the following five locales seeing the highest increases in booking for the spring break travel period:
- New Zealand (+2,556%)
- Vietnam (+1,875%)
- Japan (+537%)
- Indonesia (+368%)
- Antarctica (+258%)
Spring Travel Destinations in the U.S.
Among the 2.6 million spring flights Allianz reviewed, 84% were for domestic trips, indicating strong demand for U.S. travel. Florida made an especially strong showing on its top 10 domestic destinations list, including Orlando (No. 1), Fort Lauderdale (No. 6), Tampa (No. 7) and Miami (No. 8). Other top spots went to Phoenix (No. 2), New York (No. 3), Las Vegas (No. 4), Los Angeles (No. 5), Seattle (No. 9) and Salt Lake City (No. 10).
AAA’s U.S. spring hot spots range from Florida and Hawaii to Las Vegas, New York City, San Francisco and New Orleans.
Many Will Be Traveling With the Family
Family travel is another big spring trend this year, especially multigenerational getaways: In fact, AAA found that more than 40% of U.S. adults with spring breaks plans are traveling with three generations in tow.
“Families are making up for lost time,” said Heather Felix, vice president of travel products and services for Auto Club, who adds that AAA is “seeing grandparents traveling with their adult children and grandkids."
And Squaremouth’s data reveals that families are favoring the Caribbean this spring, ranking Turks and Caicos, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands as the most popular destinations for a family escape.
Clients Should Expect Higher Travel Costs
Finally, findings from both Squaremouth and AAA reveal that the cost of travel is on the rise this spring. According to the latter, domestic airfare is expected to be at least 20-25% more expensive than in 2022, and hotel rates will likely rise 20-30% (potentially even more in the most popular destinations). Squaremouth, meanwhile, shared that the average insured trip cost for this spring has increased 3.4%, rising from $5,420.81 in 2022 to $5,606.05 in 2023.
Luxury Travelers Are Looking to Advisors This Spring
Analyzing information from $63.6 billion in transactions, Virtuoso has revealed that luxury travelers are most frequently booking the following destinations for spring travel: the United States, Italy, France, Mexico, Spain, the Bahamas, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and Portugal.
What's more, the expertise of a travel advisor is in high demand among luxury clientele. Virtuoso reports that interest in finding an advisor through its website is at a record high, with the network seeing a 34% increase in the use of its "Find an Advisor" feature compared to 2021.
Finally, Virtuoso's findings indicate that overall interest in private yacht vacations is on the rise, particularly for destinations such as the Caribbean, Croatia, Greece and Saint Tropez (France).
