Despite spring break mayhem, Florida still one of the top dream vacation destinations
After a year of pandemic and growing vaccine availability, Americans are ready to travel. And a lot of them — surprise! — want to travel to Florida.
A new survey by travel website TripIt from Concur shows that 94 percent of Americans are planning vacations in 2021 — and that Florida is one of the top bucket list destinations in the U.S.
Here in Miami, we are not surprised by this information, though it makes us a little weary. Despite COVID-19, twothirds of New York has been cramming itself onto our highways and into our restaurants for months, telling us how superior their highways and restaurants are (even though many of their restaurants seem to be moving here).
Added to that unwelcome swarm was the crush of spring breakers who packed South Beach and upset locals by playing that newfangled hip-hop and performing the occasional car twerk. They taught us that people want to come here no matter how many pepper balls we shoot at them, how many bridges we shut down or how early our curfews are. We literally cannot get rid of tourists. They can make fun of us all they like, but they can’t quit us.
Still, with summer looming, we hoped the mayhem would end. Apparently not, according to TripIt. The survey reports that while Hawaii is the No. 1 dream destination for Americans, Florida is No. 2 on bucket lists across the country.
If we’re lucky, they’ll all go to Disney World. But the Florida Keys are a strong draw, too: In January, Tripadvisor reported that among its users Key West was one of the most popular destinations in the U.S. Tripadvisor users also chose St. Pete Beach as the best beach in the country, despite a distinct lack of automotive twerking.
The other top dream destinations in the U.S. are Arizona (No. 3 — we see you, Grand Canyon) and Colorado and California (tied at No. 4.)
When would-be travelers factor in the rest of the world, though, Europe is the No. 1 destination, with Italy, Greece, France, Spain and Scotland the top countries of interest. Sorry, Lithuania.
TripIt surveyed more than 3,200 U.S.-based users on their 2021 travel plans to get the results.
Connie Ogle: 305-376-3649, @OgleConnie