Start planning next year’s trip
Your first destination: Our 2018 travel forecast
Where will U.S. travelers venture out to in 2018?
When making these decisions, many people are wondering what is open for business.
Wildfires ravaged Napa and Sonoma counties and other parts of California. Hurricanes hit Florida, Texas and the Caribbean. An earthquake pummeled Mexico City and other parts of the country. And domestic terrorism hit Las Vegas with a mass shooting.
But the destinations are coming back. Although parts of Puerto Rico still lack power after Hurricane Maria, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company says that more than 75% of hotels are operational and taking reservations.
Randy Johnson, owner of Getaway Adventures, a Sonoma County company that offers bike, kayak and hiking tours of Napa and Sonoma, saw business drop after the wildfires. But now businesses are ready for tourists.
“The fires that swept through the area are now only a bad memory for most of us,” he says. “Only three out of 450 wineries were destroyed and everyone is more than happy to greet wine enthusiasts.”
Vegas is thriving and welcoming visitors and new entertainment acts, with Lady Gaga announcing a residency there.
A survey by Eric Mower + Associates, a marketing company, asked 754 U.S. adults if recent natural disasters had affected their winter vacation plans. Two-thirds of the respondents said they would return to destinations that have been stricken. But many U.S. travelers are looking beyond those spots for new places to explore.
Lonely Planet also named Detroit a top city to visit next year. Young entrepreneurs have turned abandoned buildings into distilleries, bike shops and galleries. There’s a new hockey and basketball arena downtown. Three new parks will extend the riverfront trail.
“After decades of neglect, Detroit is rolling again,” Lonely Planet says.
The U.S. Tour Operators Association, whose members offer tours and custom packages to 8.6 million travelers annually, forecasts that California, Florida and Hawaii (tied for second), New York, Alaska and Nevada (tied for fourth), and Washington D.C. will be the most popular U.S. destinations for its clients in 2018.
Booking.com looked at year-overyear transactions from September 2016 to September 2017 to determine the top 10 emerging destinations.
The U.S. destinations that made the list were Nashville and Portland, Ore. Both get high marks for their thriving food, hotel and entertainment scenes. Nashville alone has more than 12,000 new hotels rooms opening or under construction, says Clem Bason, CEO of the search site goSeek.com.
International destinations
Iceland continues to entice, with the U.S. Tour Operators Association naming it the top emerging destination for 2018. The association also named Australia, Spain, Italy, France and Japan as hot destinations.
Vietnam has recently attracted more interest, having been spotlighted this year by documentarian Ken Burns.
Portugal has earned places on various popular destination lists as a lowkey European alternative with affordable prices. Bason has named Dublin as a budget destination. New hotels are opening, and low-cost carrier Norwegian Air added flights there this year.
Jonny Bealby, founder of tour operator Wild Frontiers, says Balkan destinations such as Montenegro, Albania and Serbia are resonating with his clients. Montenegro’s Venetian forts recently became UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Georgia is also becoming a hot spot, with a thriving wine region.
“Since the tragic war of the late 1990’s, the Balkans has been quietly developing into an off-the -beaten track destination for those looking for hidden gems in Europe,” Bealby says.
South Africa has become more popular with U.S. travelers because of a favorable exchange rate. The country will celebrate the "Nelson Mandela Centenary 2018: Be the Legacy," a program of events honoring the leader.
In Asia, all eyes will be on South Korea this winter as the Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang. A new high-speed railway will link Seoul to the Games.