For many tourist destinations around the world, a spate of brutal murders at resorts in Cancun and other parts of Mexico has fanned fears about travel to the region. But for now, travelers aren’t shying away. Instead, destination vacation travel to all of Latin America, except Venezuela, was up almost 25 percent in January compared to the same period in 2017, according to the STR Global Hotel Industry Index. Among the reasons: the falling value of the US dollar in Venezuela, which makes overseas vacation travel cheaper. Tourism is also on the rise in Colombia, where hotel bookings were up 35 percent year-over-year. In an ironic twist, Venezuelans who flee their economically ravaged country are flocking to Cuba, where expenses aren’t as expensive as in the U.S. Travellers seeking a high-altitude escape, like snowbirds, are heading to Alaska and some areas of the U.S. This helps explain why vacation bookings for the Northeast are more than 20 percent higher than last year.
In any case, travelers aren’t being discouraged just yet. “Tennis and golfing haven’t been the top leisure sectors due to the proximity to Trump’s residence,” said STR analyst Christopher Leinberger. “Water sports are on the rise in parts of the Caribbean where the hurricane damage to resorts was minimal, as travel plans continue to recover.”
Read the full story at Travel + Leisure.
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