Americans Choosing Mexico & The Caribbean Over Europe For Summer Vacation This Year

Travel to Cancun Declines, While London and Paris Disappear from Top International Destinations List, Shows Travel Data by Allianz Global Assistance

 

Richmond, Va., April 29, 2019 – Despite a decrease by five percentage points in travel to Cancun, the hotspot still claims the #1 spot for the third year in a row on the 10 most popular international summer destinations for 2019. It is joined by Mexico’s third destination on the list, newcomer Puerto Vallarta (#9), and the Cayman Islands (#10), nabbing a coveted spot on the list for the first time, after placing #14 in 2018, according to a new survey by Allianz Global Assistance.

 

Allianz Global Assistance, a leading travel insurance and assistance company, analyzed customers’ trips planned from May 24, 2019 through September 3, 2019*, and found that all 2019’s top 10 international destinations are in Mexico and the Caribbean. Past favorites of London (#9 in 2018 and #7 in 2017) and Paris (#8 in 2018 and #10 in 2017) were absent from the Top 10 for the first time.

 

Mexico’s defunding of the Mexico Tourism Board and closure of its international offices are dramatically impacting visitation, at a time when U.S. State Department alerts have spiked due to crime and drug violence. Summer travel to Cancun will drop significantly this year, with just 10.5 percent compared to 15.7 percent in 2018.

 

Meanwhile Aruba Island, Aruba (#2) saw an increase from 4 percent in 2018 to 6.6 percent this year, and travel to San José del Cabo, Mexico (#3) increased from 4.3 percent in 2018 to 6.2 percent in 2019. The following round out the list of top international getaways: Nassau, Bahamas (5.7 percent), Higuey, Dominican Republic (5.6 percent), Montego Bay, Jamaica (5.2 percent), Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (3.8 percent), San Juan, Puerto Rico (3.7 percent), Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (3.1 percent) and Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (2.9 percent).

 

Americans traveling domestically this summer are still planning trips to Orlando (7.4 percent), which has topped the list every year, and New York City (4.7 percent), #2 for the second year running. The next most popular domestic destinations are: Seattle (4.0 percent), Las Vegas (3.9 percent), Boston (3.5 percent), Los Angeles (3.5 percent), Maui (3.1 percent), Honolulu (2.8 percent), San Francisco (2.5 percent) and Portland (2.3 percent).

 

“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. “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. 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.”

 

Allianz Global Assistance offers travel insurance** through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, other travel suppliers and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz Global Assistance and the policies offered for travelers, please visit: http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com.

 

Top Domestic Summer Travel Destinations
Rank	2019 Domestic City	% of Domestic Offers	2018 Domestic City	% of Domestic Offers	2017 Domestic City	% of Domestic Offers
1	Orlando	7.4%	Orlando	8.8%	Orlando	8.6%
2	New York	4.7%	New York	5.5%	Las Vegas	4.7%
3	Seattle	4.0%	Las Vegas	5.4%	Honolulu	4.3%
4	Las Vegas	3.9%	Los Angeles	4.0%	Los Angeles	3.7%
5	Boston	3.5%	Honolulu	3.1%	Seattle	3.4%
6	Los Angeles	3.5%	Miami	3.1%	San Francisco	3.2%
7	Maui	3.1%	Seattle	3.0%	Maui	2.9%
8	Honolulu	2.8%	Boston	2.9%	Boston	2.9%
9	San Francisco	2.5%	Fort Lauderdale	2.9%	Denver	2.9%
10	Portland	2.3%	San Francisco	2.6%	Fort Lauderdale	2.6%

 

 

Top International Summer Travel Destinations
Rank	2019 International City	% of Int’l Offers	2018 International City	% of Int’l Offers	2017 International City	% of Int’l Offers
1	Cancun, Mexico	10.5%	Cancun, Mexico	15.7%	Cancun, Mexico	16.9%
2	Aruba Island, Aruba	6.6%	Higuey, Dominican Republic	7.8%	Punta Cana, Dominican Republic	5.3%
3	San José del Cabo, Mexico	6.2%	Montego Bay, Jamaica	5.8%	San José del Cabo, Mexico	4.6%
4	Nassau, Bahamas	5.7%	Nassau, Bahamas	4.3%	Montego Bay, Jamaica	4.2%
5	Higuey, Dominican Republic	5.6%	San José del Cabo, Mexico	4.3%	San Juan, Puerto Rico	3.9%
6	Montego Bay, Jamaica	5.2%	Aruba Island, Aruba	4.0%	Aruba Island, Aruba	3.9%
7	Providenciales, Turks and Caicos	3.8%	London, United Kingdom	3.5%	London, United Kingdom	3.6%
8	San Juan, Puerto Rico	3.7%	San Juan, Puerto Rico	2.9%	St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands	3.4%
9	Puerto Vallarta, Mexico	3.1%	Paris, France	2.8%	Nassau, Bahamas	3.2%
10	Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands	2.9%	Providenciales, Turks and Caicos	2.5%	Paris, France	2.3%

 

 

Allianz Global Assistance USA 

Allianz Global Assistance USA is a leading consumer specialty insurance and assistance company with operation centers in 35 countries. In the United States, Allianz Global Assistance USA (AGA Service Company) serves 40 million customers annually and is best known for its Allianz Travel Insurance plans. In addition to travel insurance, Allianz Global Assistance USA offers tuition insurance, event ticket protection, registration protection for endurance events and unique travel assistance services such as international medical assistance and concierge services. The company also serves as an outsource provider for in-bound call center services and claims administration for property and casualty insurers and credit card companies.

 

To learn more about Allianz Travel Insurance, please visit allianztravelinsurance.com or Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/AllianzTravelInsuranceUS.