Shivansh Tiwari
(Reuters) – Heat warnings have Americans rethinking their Fourth of July travel plans and prompting a desire for cooler vacation destinations, data from Booking (NASDAQ:).com shows.
Coastal destinations and places offering water activities have emerged as top choices, with a third of Americans seeking water-based activities, including float yoga, the travel booking site said in an email to Reuters.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
More than 100 million people in the U.S. were under heat warnings as of Sunday, and cities on the East Coast are bracing for record temperatures as a heat dome causing dangerous conditions spreads to the West Coast.
The scorching heat has prompted vacationers to reconsider their plans ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, a time when significant numbers of Americans are eager to travel.
IN NUMBERS
According to Booking.com, nearly 64% of American travelers say rising local temperatures are forcing them to seek vacation destinations with tolerable temperatures.
Between July 3 and July 7, Panama City Beach, Florida, saw a 32% year-over-year increase in searches, and a 30% increase in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. These are among other popular destinations that are seeing similar trends.
CONTEXT
The largest US airlines predict a sharp increase in demand for travel in the summer season. United Airlines expects this Fourth of July weekend to be its busiest ever and expects an average of 520,000 people to fly daily during the period.
However, home search data shows increased interest in various waterfront destinations, indicating a clear link to the current heat wave.