As winter approaches, travel advisors say their clients are flocking to warm-weather destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico – many of which welcomed record numbers of visitors in 2022.

“Our agency is busier than ever even with last-minute bookings for the holidays,” said Brenda O’Neale, owner of WithThisRing Wedding Travel. “The first quarter is also shaping up to be one of the best ever. Clients have been saving money and now feel comfortable to travel again and spend the money.”

Cruise Requests

Tom Carr, CEO of Preferred Vacations, said he also is selling tropical vacations on land and sea. “Demand is still surging for the Caribbean,” he said. “In the last month, cruise requests have surpassed those for all-inclusive resorts. Regionally, clients are opting to drive to cruise ports to avoid the high cost of airfare. Families are driving this move to cruising. A family of four is priced out of many all-inclusive options in today’s market.”

Carr added that charter air package sales are “way up” as people look for value. “It’s the one way to still make an all-inclusive vacation happen,” he said.

O’Neale also noted the rising cost of air travel. “Airfares are at an all-time high, but clients are eager to travel,” she said. “I do have some concerns for next year if the airfares do not drop. Some suppliers are offering reduced deposits, and some companies allow you to spread out payments, which is helpful. Cruise clients do tend to drive to New York, Baltimore or Galveston to board the cruise ships to save money.”

Those taking land vacations are heading for popular destinations. “The big three are still king for all-inclusive resorts – Cancun/Riviera Maya, Punta Cana and Jamaica,” Carr said. “Saint Lucia has been very popular as an alternative.”

Cancun and Beyond

O’ Neale said that clients are still traveling to Cancun in large numbers but are branching out as well.

“Clients are still enjoying Cancun but are also booking Tulum, Merida, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta,” she said. “Mexico has so many regions that are really embracing tourism. For those who love the resorts, the culture and history of Mexico, there is so much more now to explore.”

Puerto Rico also is a popular destination since most of its tourism infrastructure is operating normally after Hurricane Fiona hit in mid-September.

“Those without passports and others are now eager to travel to Puerto Rico even after the devastation,” O’Neale said. “They have done an awesome job of recovery and getting the word out that they are open for business.”

'Urge to Splurge'

Both travel advisors said their clients are splurging on travel now, with COVID rarely a concern anymore. “People have been in splurge mode for months,” Carr said. “I’m seeing some pushback now with the astronomical increases in package pricing. Pent-up demand drove the splurge factor, but clients have been jolted back to reality with cost-of-living increases unseen in many of their lifetimes.

“I forewarned many Millennial and Gen Z clients about what is now their first real taste of inflation. I do think the public will continue to spend more lavishly for travel in the short term but once that ‘urge to splurge’ has run its course, we will get back to a normal travel cycle.”

O’Neale said, “I find that clients are spending more money and traveling to different destinations such as Antigua, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Maarten and Anguilla. They are traveling for milestone birthdays and other celebrations. Destination weddings are back in full force as well. The challenge is availability and reduced flight schedules. I have not had any questions concerning COVID, and clients are booking more excursions and celebrating that travel is really back.”

Skyrocketing Tourism Numbers

Vacation destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico are expected to welcome record numbers of visitors during the peak 2022-23 winter season after many recorded banner years in 2022 as post-pandemic travel skyrocketed.

Jamaica, for example, reported in November that the island welcomed more than 2 million stopover arrivals through October and is projecting that it will hit over 3 million and generate $3.7 billion in tourism impact for the full year 2022.

The destination is expected to return to 2019 pre-COVID arrivals levels in 2023 and remains on track to welcome 5 million visitors by 2025.

“It is truly gratifying to see our arrivals numbers returning to growth in recent months,” Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said in a statement. “Having posted our best summer ever on record in 2022 and with arrivals now pacing well through fall, it is a clear demonstration that Jamaica’s tourism sector is indeed resilient and has a lasting appeal among consumers.”

The Mexican Caribbean destinations of Cancun, Riviera Maya, Isla Mujeres, Tulum, Chetumal and Holbox reported a combined 17 million tourist arrivals from January to September 2022.

“Maybe we are going to have the most successful year in the history of Quintana Roo,” Javier Aranda, the new director of the Tourism Promotion Council of Quintana Roo, said in mid-October in an interview with AGENTatHOME Publisher Maura Lee Byrne that ran on TravelPulse.com.