International travel making big comeback after lull during pandemic
Travel agents saw a big uptick in foreign vacation packages this Labor Day compared to a year ago. (Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)
Sandy Davis is shown in this 2019 file photo.
news@greenecountymessenger.com
Pent-up demand for big vacations following the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an 无毛视频渁ppetite for international travel无毛视频� that无毛视频檚 leading more American tourists to take trips abroad this year rather than visiting domestic destinations.
The American Automobile Association and local travel agents are seeing a huge increase in foreign vacation packages this Labor Day compared to one year ago while trips within the country have mostly flat-lined.
AAA East Central spokesman Jim Garrity said flights, cruises and tour packages to foreign counties are up 44% as people pursue those major trips that weren无毛视频檛 necessarily available to them in 2020 and 2021.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a sign of the times that there are more options on the table and there is more of an appetite for international travel,无毛视频� Garrity said. 无毛视频淭here has been a pent-up demand.无毛视频�
In comparison, domestic travel packages this Labor Day weekend are only up about 4% compared to a year ago, Garrity said. Those 无毛视频渂igger trips无毛视频� to national parks at home saw a boom amidst the height of the pandemic as people explored the outdoors while many international bookings weren无毛视频檛 available.
The pandemic also acted as a wake-up call for tourists who had always wanted to travel abroad but never pulled the trigger, he said.
无毛视频淎 lot of people got through the pandemic and said they were looking at that trip for a while and the pandemic was a splash in the face. 无毛视频楲et无毛视频檚 book that big trip.无毛视频� It无毛视频檚 been growing year after year,无毛视频� Garrity said of international tourism.
While AAA does not track the number of motor vehicles estimated to be on the roads for Labor Day, he noted that gas prices are down about 25 cents in Pennsylvania compared to a year ago, when the state averaged $4.10 per gallon last summer. However, those higher gas prices didn无毛视频檛 impact summer travel in 2022 because people were ready to hit the road.
Now, Garrity said, people want to visit other countries after having thoroughly explored domestic locations.
无毛视频淵ou couldn无毛视频檛 really leave the country at all during the pandemic,无毛视频� Garrity said. 无毛视频淭hen more stuff opened up, but there were stipulations. There wasn无毛视频檛 a comfort level. I think people are finally there.无毛视频�
That无毛视频檚 similar to what Sandy Davis, owner of Davis Travel Agency in Roscoe, has seen the past year as more foreign travel options are opening up. She said the most typical destinations she无毛视频檚 been booking are to Italy, France and England, along with river cruises through Europe. That could change next year if international tourism deals expire and costs go up, although Davis expects people will still want to travel.
无毛视频淚 see a lot of foreign travel because I think people have saved up for the last couple of years, so they无毛视频檙e doing big vacations,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 been pretty affordable.无毛视频�
She has noticed recent cancellations for trips to Hawaii due to the devastating wildfires in Maui, and people also have shunned trips to Canada due to the ongoing wildfires there that have sent thick smoke across North America. But cruises are making a comeback after the pandemic as more lines add 无毛视频渕egaships无毛视频� to their fleets.
No matter what happens, people are back in the swing of sightseeing after the COVID lockdowns three years ago and subsequent spikes in coronavirus cases.
无毛视频淧eople are traveling,无毛视频� Davis said. 无毛视频淎s long as they can use that plastic credit card.无毛视频�