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.
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Pent-up demand for big vacations following the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an “appetite for international travel” that’s 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’t necessarily available to them in 2020 and 2021.
“It’s a sign of the times that there are more options on the table and there is more of an appetite for international travel,” Garrity said. “There has been a pent-up demand.”
In comparison, domestic travel packages this Labor Day weekend are only up about 4% compared to a year ago, Garrity said. Those “bigger trips” to national parks at home saw a boom amidst the height of the pandemic as people explored the outdoors while many international bookings weren’t 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.
“A 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. ‘Let’s book that big trip.’ It’s been growing year after year,” 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’t 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.
“You couldn’t really leave the country at all during the pandemic,” Garrity said. “Then more stuff opened up, but there were stipulations. There wasn’t a comfort level. I think people are finally there.”
That’s 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’s 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.
“I see a lot of foreign travel because I think people have saved up for the last couple of years, so they’re doing big vacations,” Davis said. “It’s been pretty affordable.”
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 “megaships” 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.
“People are traveling,” Davis said. “As long as they can use that plastic credit card.”