It looks like Americans are choosing to stay closer to home this summer travel season.
Recent data from Allianz Global Assistance has resulted in some surprising news when it comes to global travel hotspots.
In Allianz's recent analysis of customers' trips planned for this summer (May 24, 2019 through September 3, 2019), the results found that popular European cities have fallen off the list of the top destinations and that Mexico and the Caribbean dominate this year's list of the 10 Most Popular International Summer Destinations.
Even with travel to Cancun declining, the popular Mexico beach destination remained at the top of the heap for the third year running. Los Cabos is also on the list once again in number three, and another Mexico destination, Puerto Vallarta, made the list for the first time in the ninth spot.
The Caribbean basically dominates the rest of the list with Aruba in the number two spot; Nassau at number four; Higuey in the Dominican Republic at number 5; Montego Bay, Jamaica, in number six; Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, is number seven; San Juan, Puerto Rico, is number eight; and Grand Cayman is at number 10.
"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.
One thing that may be attracting more Americans to these destinations is value.
"Summer means shoulder season in much of the Caribbean and Mexico, so deals and discounts make it a great time to visit our tropical neighbors," added Durazo. "With hurricane season beginning in June, it's especially important to consider travel insurance for your summer vacations. Remember that once a storm or hurricane has been named, it's too late to get hurricane coverage, so it's important to buy travel insurance when booking your trip."
While there is a surge of travelers staying close to home, Allianz's research found that Mexico is losing some of its market share, in part due to the defunding of the Mexico Tourism Board. According to its findings, summer travel to Cancun will drop significantly this year, with just 10.5 percent of the market share compared to 15.7 percent in 2018.
At the same time, the Caribbean is noticing an uptick. Aruba (number two) saw an increase from 4 percent in 2018 to 6.6 percent this year.
Allianz also released its list of top U.S. destinations for summer travel. Orlando once again tops the list as Americans continue to enjoy theme park vacations. New York, Seattle, Las Vegas and Boston round out the top five this year.
Top Domestic Summer Travel Destinations
Orlando
New York
Seattle
Las Vegas
Boston
Los Angeles
Maui
Honolulu
San Francisco
Portland
Top International Summer Travel Destinations
Cancun, Mexico
Aruba Island, Aruba
San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
Nassau, Bahamas
Higuey, Dominican Republic
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
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