Hawaii tops list of 2019 most desirable U.S. travel destinations

The results of a recent consumer travel trends survey suggest 2019 is going to be another boon year for the travel industry. More than 3,500 consumers participated in the survey and a whopping 96 percent indicated they intend to travel for vacation in the coming year with nearly 90 percent stating they will take the same or more trips in 2019. The overwhelming majority (76 percent) are planning at least two or more leisure trips next year with 36 percent indicating their travels, at least in part, involve solo trips.

Topping the list of U.S. destinations consumers are most interested in traveling to in 2019 is Hawaii, followed by Alaska and California. The full top 10 in order is:

11. Hawaii
12. Alaska
13. California
14. Florida
15. Louisiana
16. Colorado
17. New York
18. Arizona
19. Montana
20. Washington D.C.

Among solo travelers, the top five U.S. destinations they are most interested in traveling to in 2019 are:

6. Florida
7. California
8. Hawaii
9. New York
10. Alaska

The top international destinations by region consumers are most interested in traveling to in 2019 are:

6. The Caribbean
7. Western Europe
8. Mexico
9. Canada
10. Eastern Europe

For solo travelers, the top international regions they are most interested in traveling to in 2019 are:

6. Western Europe
7. Caribbean
8. UK/Ireland
9. Eastern Europe
10. Australia

While forty-three percent of survey respondents said they plan to spend more on vacation travel in 2019 versus the previous year, at the same time, ‘money’ was the number one reason consumers indicated they don’t travel more. Work obligations and not enough time off were the second and third most common reasons people said they don’t travel more frequently.

Among solo travelers, the most popular method of traveling (cited by 40 percent of solo travelers) is to travel and explore independently while 25 percent indicated they prefer to join an organized group journey when traveling solo. Thirty-five percent of solo travelers like to participate in one or more guided tour experiences while traveling.