The coronavirus pandemic has halt travel but it couldn’t stop travelers dreaming for their next travel. Booking.com reveals the top destinations and properties on peoples’ minds as they wait for when the time is right to travel again.
Delving into the millions of travel wish lists created by hopeful travelers on its platform over the last two months, with properties selected across over 100,000 different destinations since the start of March, Booking.com data shows that while international destinations like Bali, Andalusia, London, Florida and Paris continue to inspire travel dreams for people across the world, it’s no surprise that over half (51%) of wish listings feature domestic stays.
Of all destinations on global wish lists, this is a jump from the same time last year when domestic properties accounted for a third (33%) of those on wish lists.
Since the start of March, the top domestic wish-listed destinations for Americans — who are among the top ten (10) nationalities wish-listing the most — are:
Orlando, FL
Myrtle Beach, SC
Miami Beach, FL
New York, NY
Las Vegas, NV
These top wish-listed destinations suggest that sunshine and beach escapism are at the forefront of travel imaginations, alongside the stimulation of the big city after weeks of confinement. Endorsements left for these destinations by past American travelers on Booking.com suggests that their shared appeal lies in restaurants, entertainment and shopping, indicating perhaps the experiences that Americans are most excited to embrace again.
When it comes to international adventures featuring most heavily in American travel dreams, it’s a similar picture with Mexican beach destinations taking center stage alongside major European cities. Cancun (Mexico) tops the list, followed by Paris (France), London (UK), San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Tulum (Mexico), while Playa del Carmen (Mexico), Rome (Italy) and Barcelona (Spain) also appear strongly top of mind.
Similarly, when looking at the international countries featuring most prominently across wish lists, American imaginations are clearly gravitating towards Mexico, Italy, UK, France, and Greece.
Dreaming about a change in scenery and the opportunity to enjoy a stay experience outside of their own home, the most desired types of places to stay for Americans are hotels, resorts, apartments, homes and motels. Hotels account for 54% of all properties on wish lists by Americans over the last two months, noticeably higher than the global average of 40%.
Three of the top places on U.S wish lists include:
OB Brickell Miami – Miami, FL (ApartHotel)
Arlo SoHo—New York, NY (Hotel)
Mandalay Bay—Las Vegas, NV (Resort)
Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com, said: “These are unprecedented and challenging times in which safety remains the top priority. We also know that in such times, dreaming about experiencing the world again has immense power to fire our imaginations and keep spirits high. It’s amazing to see the array of different travel experiences our customers have been busy dreaming about while they wait for the opportunity to travel again. Building a wish list on Booking.com is an inspirational way for everyone to start dreaming about travel again, and we are committed to making it easy for them to turn those dreams into reality when the time is right.”
*Methodology: based on comparing wish list data on Booking.com between March and April 2020 to the same months in 2019. Customers on Booking.com can wish list properties by clicking the ‘heart’ button present on every property’s listing on the platform.
