San Juan tops Fly.com’s list of summer travel hotspots
San Juan, Puerto Rico beat out second-place finisher London, England. (Credit: Víctor Román)
To celebrate the first day of summer, Fly.com identified America’s 20 most popular international destinations for summer travel. At the top of the list is San Juan, Puerto Rico, which beat out second-place finisher London, England, by a 16 percent margin.
Known for laid-back living, the Caribbean isles stand in stark contrast to the cultural hustle and bustle of Europe. Flight search activity to these regions was neck-and-neck, with Europe narrowly edging out the Caribbean as the most popular regional destination for American travelers.
Of the top 20 most-searched international destinations, eight European cities and seven Caribbean islands made the list. Winning cities were located in England, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Greece (for Europe), and the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Aruba and the U.S. Virgin Islands (for the Caribbean). The remainder of the top 20 was comprised of destinations in Asia, Central America and South America.
“When it comes to international travel, this year’s airfare search data shows that we are a divided nation of sun seekers and history buffs,” said Warren H. Chang, vice president and general manager, Fly.com.
Fly.com’s latest analysis indicates a growing popularity for Caribbean destinations. Late last year a survey of 875 U.S. travelers revealed Europe as the most-desired destination for 2013, with European destinations representing 40 percent of all responses. The Caribbean only garnered 7 percent of responses.
The Fly.com summer study used data from more than 2.28 million user searches with travel dates between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2013. Searches were conducted between Jan. 1 and May 31, 2013.
