According to Allianz Partners’ “Top 10 Spring Break Destinations” review, Americans are looking to escape the winter in sunny Florida, the American West and the "Aloha State," while warm-weather destinations like Mexico and the Dominican Republic, which have worked diligently to stay open for tourists, are also welcoming travelers looking for international spring break getaways.
The travel insurance and assistance company analyzed more than 1.8 million flight itineraries for trips between five and eight days in length and found that for the fifth year in a row, Orlando is the most popular domestic destination among Americans, with other favorite Floridian cities filling up the Top 10 chart: Miami (No. 3), Fort Lauderdale (No. 4), Fort Myers (No. 6) and Tampa (No. 7).
Allianz Partners also found that 77 percent of customers who are taking spring break trips will be traveling within the continental U.S., and 43 percent of customers who always travel or travel most of the time for spring break are planning a trip for the 2021 season.
Smaller destinations are also proving more popular: New York City (No. 5 last year, No. 4 in 2019) and Los Angeles (No. 4 in 2020, No. 3 in 2019) fell off the Top 10, making way for newcomers Honolulu (No. 9) and Denver (No. 10). Allianz’s customer survey noted that road trips are also popular for spring break travel this year, with 40 percent of travelers planning to drive to their destination. With demand moving away from larger cities, this year’s findings imply travel-hungry spring breakers are seeking smaller destinations offering outdoor attractions like beaches and mountains to activities like camping, hiking, biking and aquatic sports.
The full Top 10 Domestic Destinations are:
- Orlando, FL
- Phoenix, AZ
- Miami, FL
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Las Vegas, NV
- Fort Meyers, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Honolulu, HI
- Denver, CO
International Destinations
Cancun, Mexico // Photo by Jonathan Ross/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
International travel demand still faces barriers, with many popular destinations like Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (No. 9 last year, No. 10 in 2019) and London (No. 8 last year) placing restrictions on international visitors, leaving many refreshing their browsers on the latest “Where can Americans travel right now?” articles. Mexico will see an influx of American visitors as the spring break favorite dominates with Cancun (No. 1), San Jose Del Cabo (No. 2), and Puerto Vallarta (No. 3) leading the “Top 10 International” list, in a top-three repeat from last year. The flood of Americans can be attributed in part to relatively relaxed entry requirements.
Similarly, the Dominican Republic has eased its visitor entry process, allowing Punta Cana to move from spot No. 10 last year to No. 6 this year on Allianz’s “Top 10 International” list. Costa Rica, a destination popular with thrill-seekers and outdoor adventurers, started welcoming American tourists as of September 1 last year, though only from select states, and is new on this year’s list with both San Jose (No. 9), and Liberia (No. 10) rounding out the list. In all, each of the top 10 is located either in the Caribbean or Central America.
The Top 10 International Destinations are:
- Cancun, Mexico
- San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico
- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Aruba
- Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
- Nassau, Bahamas
- San Jose, Costa Rica
- Liberia, Costa Rica
Allianz Travel surveyed a random sample of 3,583 OTA, B2C, Airline and Retail customers. The survey ran from February 10 to March 1 and asked several questions about when and how respondents will travel next.
Source: Allianz Partners
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