For the first time since it began compiling the report, all 10 of the top summer travel destinations are in Mexico and the Caribbean, according to the annual study from Allianz Global Assistance. Despite a drop of five percentage points in travel to Cancun, that destination is still number one for summer travel for the third year in a row.
To compile the report Allianz said it analyzed customers’ trips planned from May 24 through September 3. Based on that data, the top 10 international summer travel destinations are:
- Cancun
- Aruba
- San José del Cabo
- Nassau, the Bahamas
- Higuey, Dominican Republic
- Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Puerto Vallarta
- Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Allianz noted that summer travel to Cancun is set to decline significantly this year, coming in at just 10.5 percent of trips as compared to 15.7 percent in 2018. The company said it attributes the drop to Mexico’s defunding of the Mexico Tourism Board and the closure of its international offices, which are impacting visitation at a time of headlines and State Department advisories regarding crime and drug violence.
New to the top 10 international destinations list this year are Puerto Vallarta, marking the third destination in Mexico, as well as the Cayman Islands, which placed in the top 10 for the first time after coming in at number 14 last year. Past favorites London, which came in at number 9 in 2018 and number seven in 2017, and Paris, which came in at number eight in 2018 and number 10 in 2017, dropped out of the top 10 for the first time, marking Europe’s departure from the list.
Meanwhile Aruba saw an increase from 4 percent in 2018 to 6.6 percent this year, while travel to San José del Cabo rose from 4.3 percent to 6.2 percent.
In terms of domestic travel, the top 10 summer destinations are:
- Orlando
- New York
- Seattle
- Las Vegas
- Boston
- Los Angeles
- Maui
- Honolulu
- San Francisco
- Portland
Orlando returns at the top of the list, as it has every year, with New York City taking the second spot for the second year running.
“Americans are staying closer to home this summer, with all top 10 international destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico for the first time,” said Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA, in a written statement.
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