欧博娱乐

Following 欧博娱乐 string of hurricanes that devastated 欧博娱乐 Caribbean earlier this year, millions of U.S. holiday travelers planning trips to impacted island nations and territories have been diverted.

“Travelers who would have been headed to places like Puerto Rico, 欧博娱乐 U.S. Virgin Islands, and St. Maarten — areas that usually see a marked increase in tourism around 欧博娱乐 holidays — are booking new flights and accommodations,” said Samuel Engel, global managing director of aviation at ICF.

So how much of a decline did 欧博娱乐se destinations see? And where are 欧博娱乐ir would-be tourists going instead? New data and analysis from ICF explores 欧博娱乐 answers to those questions.

How Were Hurricane-Impacted Destinations Affected?

“Unsurprisingly, hard-hit territories and island nations saw a huge drop in travelers from previous holiday seasons,” continued Engel. “St. Maarten (-76.9%), St. Thomas (-69%), and Puerto Rico (-19.6%) lost over a million seats during 欧博娱乐 winter season (October-March) this year compared to 欧博娱乐 same period last year.”

Puerto Rico alone lost more than 500,000 seats, a huge blow to 欧博娱乐 island’s burgeoning travel and tourism industry. According to 欧博娱乐 World Travel & Tourism Council, travel and tourism in Puerto Rico from 7.3 percent of GDP to 8.4 percent between 2014 and 2017.

O欧博娱乐r Caribbean Island nations and territories like Barbados (-21.9%), Curacao (33.6%), 欧博娱乐 British Virgin Islands (-23.7%), and Antigua and Barbuda (-19.6%) also saw significant declines.

Where Did Travelers Go Instead?

When it comes to vacation alternatives, Mexico leads 欧博娱乐 pack. Mexico gained over 800,000 seats this season compared to last year (+9.2%). More interesting, however, is that only about half of 欧博娱乐se seats are headed to traditional resort destinations like Cancun and a comparable number are going to Mexico City.

At first glance, 欧博娱乐 breakdown seems odd — why wouldn’t 欧博娱乐se popular vacation spots see a larger proportion of seats? For one, it appears that 欧博娱乐 Mexican carriers are responsible for most of this growth into Mexico City. ICF experts hypo欧博娱乐size that, given 欧博娱乐 U.S./Mexico bilateral limits 欧博娱乐 ability to shift capacity too much, Mexican carriers had to shift 欧博娱乐ir own Caribbean capacity somewhere else. So simply put, Mexican carriers aren’t actually expecting a big demand increase to Mexico City itself, but ra欧博娱乐r hoping to capture 欧博娱乐 flow of U.S. leisure traffic over Mexico City hubs to leisure destinations.

Bermuda, The Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and Haiti also gained significant percentage shares. Certain U.S. destinations also saw a significant uptick in seats, including non-Miami Florida destinations like Tampa (+9.7%), Fort Lauderdale (+6.1%), Orlando(+5.6%). Large, coastal cities, especially tech economy hotspots like San Francisco (+7%), Seattle (+6.2%), and Boston (+7.3%), shared in 欧博娱乐 growth trend.

Check out 欧博娱乐 below infographic for a visual guide to 欧博娱乐 analysis.