With the summer travel season just around the corner, AAA has released its annual study of the top destinations and trends to expect this year. According to the latest survey, more than two-thirds of leisure travelers (64 percent) plan to take vacations this summer, many of who will head to historic European cities or the theme parks and attractions of Orlando.
The top summer travel destinations, based on AAA Travel booking data for trips June 1 through August 15, 2019, are:
- Orlando, Florida (1)
- London, England (5)
- Rome, Italy (2)
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (3)
- Dublin, Ireland (4)
- Paris, France (7)
- Seattle, Washington (9)
- Anchorage, Alaska (8)
- Honolulu, Hawaii (6)
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (12)
*Number in parentheses indicates summer 2018 ranking.
In terms of trends, AAA notes that Orlando has once again claimed the top spot as the most-visited summer travel destination. Families headed there this year will be able to experience a number of new attractions at Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World.
In Europe, London has grown in popularity compared to last year, while Rome, Dublin and Paris continue to be hotspots, AAA said. Additionally, perhaps because of a harsh winter, warm-weather destinations will prove popular this summer, particularly in Hawaii and the Caribbean. Notably, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic has made the top 10 list again this year after briefly dropping off the list in 2018.
In a written statement AAA Travel VP Paula Twidale noted that Montego Bay, Jamaica; Calgary, Canada; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Anaheim, California, were also popular in this year’s survey, even though they did not quite make the top 10 list.
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