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Once again, Cancun tops the list for international travel destinations for travelers from the United States during the upcoming busy summer travel season.
That’s according to data from the popular internet travel portal TripAdvisor.
Cancun Takes First
TripAdvisor asked 2,400 travelers and monitored traffic on its website to make its selection of the most popular travel destinations.
Searches for vacation travel between June 1 and August 31 showed that travelers from the United States looking for international travel destinations were mostly looking for trips to Cancun.
Cancun was followed in ranking by London, Punta Cana, and Paris. Fellow Mexican beach resort destination hotspot Cabo San Lucas came in No. 5.
Cancun traditionally ranks high on this annual list of popular summer international travel destinations among United States travelers.
Tourists Spending More
TripAdvisor found that most tourists plan to spend more money on their vacations this year.
According to the survey findings, nearly all tourists expect to pay the same as last year. However, more than half expect to pay more for their vacation getaway compared to last year.
What was unknown was whether the tourists were planning to spend more because they had more money or simply because the price of a vacation had increased overall.
“As travel continues to defy expectations, we’re seeing an uptick in travel intent, with consumers channeling discretionary spending toward vacations and experiences, despite increasingly squeezed household budgets for many,” says Alice Jong, senior research analyst at TripAdvisor.
Airfares to Cancun have been up over the last year. However, the opening of the new airport in Tulum has recently created some deals for Mexican Caribbean travelers.
Definitely the price of hotel rooms, food and entertainment have all increased in Cancun over last year due to inflation and currency adjustments.
More than a quarter of all travelers from the United States had a budget of $5,000 or more to spend on their upcoming summer vacation travel getaway.
Additionally, 44 percent of travelers plan more trips this year, while 55 percent expect to stay longer on their travel escape.
Travel Means Happiness
Despite the higher costs and more crowded popular destinations, travel to destinations such as Cancun simply makes visitors happy.
More than 86 percent said that travel meant happy experiences for their vacation getaway. While more than 65 percent said travel created “excitement” or “happiness” for them.
The reason why most people ventured to places such as the Mexican Caribbean for a vacation getaway was to “make memories” or “let loose” according to the TripAdvisor survey results.
What Travelers Need to Know
Tourists planning a beach resort vacation getaway to Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean should expect crowds and strong demand for hotel rooms and flights.
Because of this, it is highly recommended to lock in hotel room rates and flights now as the demand is only expected to increase over the next couple of weeks leading into the busy summer travel season.
Those concerned about the chance of falling room rates may want to look for cancelable rates as opposed to the cheaper pay in advance rates that can’t be cancelled.
The wild card right now for what appears to be a busy summer travel season is the weather.
Predictions are calling for a more active than normal tropical weather season in the Mexican Caribbean with several hurricanes expected in the area.
How many will impact Cancun directly is currently unknown.
However, travelers should definitely consider purchasing travel insurance which includes coverage for tropical storms and hurricanes at the same time they make their reservations for best pricing.
Hopefully it is not needed. However, this summer it may be better safe than sorry for travelers in the Mexican Caribbean.
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