US domestic travel recovering as coronavirus restrictions ease
Airbnb saw rentals surge more than 55 percent between May and June domestically
Domestic travel in the United States is on the road to recovery.
Bookings on vacation rental website Airbnb surged by more than 55 percent for family travel between May 17 and June 6 increase over the same time period last year, the company revealed Thursday.
More families are traveling as stay-at-home orders ease in states across the country. (iStock)
And with international restrictions still in place, Americans eager to start their summer vacation are considering trips across the country instead. Indeed, nearly half of US respondents to a survey of more than 2,000 people said they will prefer to stay within a day’s drive for their first trip, data from Morning Consult commissioned by Airbnb shows.
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With states easing up coronavirus restrictions as more businesses start reopening, travel markets in the South that began easing up restrictions in mid-to-late April have seen the biggest spikes, the data shows.
Destinations across Florida such as Panama City Beach, Destin and Mira are among the top 10 trending destinations in the U.S., according to Airbnb's findings, followed by trips to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and Port Aransas in Texas with the average night stay per family totaling $150 a night, a spokesperson for Airbnb confirmed.
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Areas in Northern Michigan and Northern Wisconsin have also seen strong growth, the findings show.
With hotels shuttered across the country in mid-March and through much of April to contain the spread of the coronavirus, healthcare professionals cautioned Americans to consider the risks before staying at home or other various vacation rentals.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAR | MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC. | 279.27 | -2.18 | -0.77% |
“Entering a rental property which may not have been adequately cleaned -- let alone disinfected, sterilized and decontaminated -- could ultimately result in COVID-19 exposure," Dr. Louis Morledge, an Internist who specializes in travel medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told FOX Business in April.
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While the CDC strong advises against non-essential travel, a number of hotel chains have reopened with heightened health and safety protocols to reassure consumers such as contactless check-ins, removing serve-yourself options ad buffets and upholding social distancing and capacity limits throughout properties. Marriott International, for example, enlisted its “Cleanliness Council” to reboot its basic housekeeping procedures.
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In May, states that started in loosen stay-at-home restrictions like North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia lifted their bans on home rental websites like Airbnb and VRBO, while others will easy restrictions next month. The platforms have been banned in places like Vermont, California, Maine and Connecticut over health concerns.
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