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The numbers don't lie and they show that many Americans are done with staying home. As warm weather approaches, vaccinations are rolled out and spring break is full swing, tourism numbers across the United States are beginning to boom. Get ready for the summer of travel as its going to be big. For those planning vacations, you might want to start now as those pandemic deals may begin to dry up as demand skyrockets.
Vaccination Rollout Speeds Up
One of the biggest factors restoring confidence in travelers are the Covid-19 vaccines. 107 million doses have now been administered to Americans and 11% of the populations is now fully vaccinated. With the U.S. administering over 2.4 million shots per day, it won't be long before most of the United States is vaccinated and travelers begin to feel safer than they have in over a year.
Jeremy Abelman, a 62 year old retiree from Santa Fe, New Mexico told Travel Off Path that the first thing he did once receiving his second shot was start planning a trip. “I don't feel that I'm at risk anymore and I'm excited to travel again,” said Abelman. “First stop will be Hawaii in June.”
Record Breaking Weekend Numbers
This past weekend saw the highest levels of air passenger traffic in over a year. On Friday alone, over 1.35 million Americans were screened in airports across the United States, marking the busiest day since the inception of the global pandemic last year.
Cheap Flights Will Only Last So Long
For now, domestic U.S. airfares remain 30% cheaper than last year and the lowest inflation-adjusted average they have been since 1995.
Airlines are in fierce competition to lure back travelers and are offering heavily discounted seats. While these deals are amazing, they're only going to last so long as demand for flights increases. With pandemic-era passenger records being set and airlines constantly adding new routes to keep up with demand, it's only a matter of time before the ticket prices go up as well.
Hawaii Has its Best 3 Days of Tourist Arrivals in Over a Year
Hawaii tourism saw a solid increase in air travel last week when it recorded the highest three-day tourism streak since the pandemic began. On Saturday alone, over 21,400 trans-pacific travelers arrived in Hawaii marking its biggest day in the last year. While tourist arrivals continue to increase, it could take until 2023 before numbers are back to their pre-pandemic levels due to a lower number of international arrivals from group tours.
U.S. Domestic Connectivity Increasing
Across the United States, airlines are ramping up connectivity for domestic flights.
- American Airlines announced 10 returning and seasonal routes from Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS).
- Alaska Airlines has announced four new routes starting in June, two each from Seattle (SEA) and Boise (BOI).
- Carrier Southwest announced last week that it intends to add services to three new destinations, being Bellingham (BLI), Washington; Eugene (EUG), Oregon; and Myrtle Beach (MYR), South Carolina.
- Frontier Airlines adds new direct routes to Las Vegas from Little Rock, Wichita, El Paso and Oklahoma City.
Major U.S. Tourism Hotspots Gearing Up For Influx of Tourism
Major tourism destinations including New York, Miami and Las Vegas are ready for a spike in domestic tourism demand.
Miami has been mostly welcoming to the increase of tourists flocking to its beaches for spring break with the exception of unruly crowds that formed leading to the arrest of over 100 people.
In New York, domestic tourism is set to return as Governor Andrew Cuomo, said Thursday that starting on April 1st, 2021, domestic travelers will no longer be required to quarantine after entering New York from another U.S. state or territory.
Meanwhile Las Vegas is welcoming back throngs of tourists as more restrictions have been lifted and flight connectivity has been restored from over 50 U.S. cities. Cheap airfares coming in at under $50 for a one way ticket are already leading to swarms of tourists once again collecting on the strip. As of March 15, capacity limits on hotels, casinos, restaurants and shows were all increased to 50%.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.