The influx of soft news stories centered around vacation travel will make your head spin. Headlines of travel deals and inspirational top-10 lists are offset with travel safety warnings and news on how artificial intelligence will apparently fix everything in the world of travel. So, naturally, it got us thinking: What are the real, down-to-earth trends—the kind based on actual headcount? Not just your run-of-the-mill domestic travel; we’re talking about the international scene, including the aspirational ones like Hawaii and Alaska. We dove into our consumer data tools and uncovered some seriously intriguing findings.

Now, let’s talk winners. Hawaii, that tropical paradise, grew by an estimated 9.5% in the past two years. That’s right, 734,000 extra beach bums hitting the Aloha state, bringing the total unique visitors in 2023 to a whopping 2,246,000. South America, as a whole, snagged an additional 261,000 visitors, clocking in at nearly 3.2 million total guests. Mexico? Oh, they casually added 237,000 more folks to their fiestas, making it a cool 16.4 million vacationers in 2023.

Now, for the not-so-lucky ones—the losers. Picture this: Canada, England, and France, once family favorites, now experiencing a nosedive in vacationers. Time for you to pounce on these desperate destinations for your 2024 vacation plans, where discounts and sweet extras might just be begging for your attention.

In our study, Canada took a hit, losing over 1.8 million travelers in 2023 compared to 2021. Canada, ingesting a bit over 4.8 million total vacationers, needs a bit of a pick-me-up. England, bless its heart, lost over 1.4 million travelers in 2023 compared to 2021. With an estimated 3.2 million total vacationers in 2023—a drop of 31% versus 2021—England’s looking a bit blue. And then there’s France, with a 25% drop in vacationers in 2023, totaling 3.4 million. Ooh la la, not exactly the kind of numbers they were toasting to.

So there you have it, folks. The travel world’s got its winners strutting their stuff and its losers desperately seeking a dance partner. Time to pack your bags, but choose wisely, because, in the words of New York, these trends are as real as a hot slice of pizza on a Brooklyn street corner.

Source: 2021 and 2023 MRI-Simmons Spring Doublebase USA