Mexico City and Nassau, Bahamas Crack Allianz Global Assistance’s top10 holiday destinations for first time.
RICHMOD, VA – According to Allianz Global Assistance’s 2018 Top Holiday Destinations Report, American travel increased 15 percent this holiday season over last year. New York City and Cancun continue to reign as the most popular domestic and international destinations.
After reviewing American plans* to travel from December 19 to December 27, 2018, Allianz Global Assistance found that warmer-weather international getaways once again prevailed, with Cancun, Mexico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; San Jose del Cabo, Mexico; Nassau, Bahamas; and Montego Bay, Jamaica, claiming the top five slots.
As the only non-tropical destination to make the international top 10, London placed sixth, dropping from second last year, followed by Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Mexico City, Mexico; Higuey, Dominican Republic; and Aruba. This is the first time Mexico City and Nassau, Bahamas were included in Allianz’s Top Holiday Destinations Report for international travel.
New York City took the number one domestic spot again, followed by Los Angeles, Orlando, Boston, Seattle, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. Boston jumped to fourth from 10th place, and San Francisco climbed back into the top 10 this year, knocking Denver out of the ranking.
“Our holiday travel survey revealed that travel is up 15 percent over last year. Mexico City, named 2018’s World Design Capital by World Design Organization (WDO), is a first-timer to the list, while Puerto Rico jumped up to the second most popular international destination,” said Daniel Durazo, director of marketing and communications for Allianz Global Assistance USA. “Whether you’re escaping to a sunny beach or exploring a new city, the busy holiday season can bring with it unpredictable winter weather delays or illnesses. It’s a good idea to protect your holiday trip with the right travel insurance policy for extra peace of mind to reach your destination safely.”
In addition to travel insurance, Allianz Global Assistance recommends these tips and resources when traveling over the holidays and year-round:
- When possible, avoid traveling on the busiest travel dates (in terms of volume, most Americans have plans to travel on – Friday, December 21 and return on Wednesday, December 26)
- Wash hands and carry anti-bacterial hand gel to prevent sickness
- Download Allianz’s TravelSmart app to quickly access assistance, file and track claims, check flight status in real-time, translate first aid/medical terms and more
- With its new customer-friendly SmartBenefitsSM, Allianz travel protection features new proactive payments and allows travelers to file other travel delay and baggage delay claims with no receipts
Allianz Global Assistance offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies and directly to consumers.
*Methodology: The data of U.S. travelers’ 2018 holiday travel plans was gathered by analyzing the number of travelers who went through the online booking process of airfare and package paths for partners offering Allianz Global Assistance travel to generate itineraries for flights departing from US airports during 12/19/2018 -12/26/2018 and returning 12/20/2018-12/27/2018, compared to the total ticket counts of travelers in 2017 departing from the same U.S.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
