Travel advisor shopping data from VAX shows that domestic and perhaps familiar destinations increased in late 2020 and into 2021 . In Florida , Miami , Fort Myers , Key West and Tampa went from the 15th , 18th , 23rd and 25th spots on VAX ’ s most-shopped destinations to the 13th , 15th , 17th and 23rd spots . New Orleans , Fort Lauderdale , Denver and Phoenix also moved their way up the list and the mainstays of Orlando , Florida , and Las Vegas stayed at the top , where they usually are .
So will close-to-home domestic trips or trips to familiar destinations lead the way to recovery ?
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Trending destinations Not one travel-related phrase ended up in Google ’ s top 10 searches in 2020 .
There were definitely other things on people ’ s minds since phrases like “ election results ,” “ coronavirus ,” “ Zoom ” and “ PlayStation 5 ” were in the top 10 .
Near the end of 2020 , travelers were beginning to feel more confident in planning their 2021 trips . A survey conducted by Travel Leaders in October 2020 found that 99 % of U . S . and Canadian travelers were eager to travel again and that 70 % said they were planning to take a vacation in 2021 . The survey also found that close-in bookings will be the norm for a bit .
VAX ’ s most-shopped destinations for 2021 are familiar favorites : Cancun , Mexico ; Orlando , Florida ; Punta Cana , Dominican Republic ; Montego Bay , Jamaica ; and Las Vegas . These locales exactly align with the list of 2021 trending destinations revealed in the list Expedia shared in its 2021 Travel Trends Report . More well-shopped destinations on VAX for 2021 trips include Mexican hotspots like Los Cabos , Puerto Vallarta and Cozumel . Punta Cana , Aruba , San Juan and St . Lucia are top Caribbean spots , and Florida destinations like Miami , Key West , Fort Myers and Tampa are at the top , too . Some unexpected destinations include Liberia , Costa Rica ; Antigua ; St . Martin and Barbados .
Vaccine passports When we do get back out into the world , travelers may need to show proof of
In a survey conducted in November of last year , travelers reported that they felt safer in their personal car versus taking a domestic flight .
vaccination against COVID-19 , as is common for some countries to require vaccination for yellow fever or malaria . Destinations like the Seychelles are slowly dropping quarantine requirements for travelers who can prove that they ’ ve been vaccinated . A vaccine passport is documentation proving you ’ ve been vaccinated for COVID-19 and therefore can meet that entry requirement for a destination .
Digital options for vaccine passports are popping up , and being able to recommend a solid one to your clients is key . IBM is developing its Digital Health Pass , billing it as “ a smart way to return to society .” It uses IBM ’ s blockchain technology to enable organizations to verify the health credentials of travelers ( as well as employees ) in order to grant them entry into a destination , property , mode of transportation or event .
A digital platform called CommonPass is a joint venture between The Commons Project , the World Economic Forum and more public and private partners for travelers to use to track their COVID-19 status ( whether they ’ ve been tested or vaccinated ) and present it to officials via QR code to meet countries ’ entry requirements . CommonPass is focused on data privacy and ensuring that users ’ health data will be protected . The platform is being piloted by airlines first before being released to the public for use .
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