Summary:
- Marriott International's US Summer Travel Trends report shows US travellers are preferring city to beach breaks;
- The findings also highlight that families with children are increasingly allowing kids to choose their holiday destination;
- The top five domestic destinations for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend are New York City, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago and San Diego, while Toronto and Cancun are the top international cities;
- Marriott’s research shows consumers are planning to take an average of 4.4 days off, and families with children have more days off and leisure trips planned for this summer.
The accommodation company’s second annual US Summer Travel Trends report shows that in addition to a higher preference for city getaways, families with children are increasingly allowing kids to choose the destination. Children aged six to 12 tend to have the heaviest involvement in selecting trip destinations, said Marriott.
The top five destinations for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend are New York City, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago and San Diego. Outside the US, Toronto and Cancun were the top international cities for Memorial Day holidays.
For the fourth of July holiday, Houston, New York, Orlando, Seattle and Chicago are the top destinations.
Marriott’s research shows consumers are planning to take an average of 4.4 days off, and families with children have more days off and leisure trips planned for this summer. Major cities, beaches and national parks top the list for those travellers, and the five most booked destinations – New York City, Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta and Seattle – reflect that travel diversity.
Other summer travel trends Marriott uncovered in its research include half of consumers reporting they are taking the longest vacation of the year in the summer, with an average of two leisure trips planned for the busy high season in the US. Millennials are also more likely to increase their number of leisure trips in 2018 versus 2017.
Family travel is forecasted to be more popular in 2018, with 64% of families reporting taking their longest trip of the year this summer.
Marriott compiled the data from more than one million Marriott.com searches and bookings and a digital survey of more than 2,000 individuals aged 18 and over to determine summer travel preference between the US Memorial Day and Labour Day weekends.
“Travellers are heading to the cities to soak up the summer sun in urban destinations like New York City and Chicago which come alive in the summer with amazing food, festivals, and live outdoor concerts,” Marriott declared.
Another trend revealed in Marriott’s report is strong, continued interest in seeking out summer package deals that include items such as breakfast, parking or Wi-Fi. Consumers booked package rates about 7% more often for their holiday weekend vacations than their non-holiday trips, according to the report.