Summary
- Orlando is the top destination for Thanksgiving this year, while Tokyo takes the top spot for Christmas and New Year’s travel.
- International destinations are recorded to be the more popular choice for end-of-year travel than Thanksgiving holiday travel.
- Airlines appear to be better prepared to deal with operational disruptions this year than they were in the past.
With the end-of-year holiday periods approaching in a few months, Google has revealed the top travel destinations that people from the United States are searching for when planning to travel during those periods. While the majority of travelers wish to stay within the country, a few international destinations also appear to be popular among those planning to travel.
This article will examine the top 10 destinations according to Google search data for the 2024 Thanksgiving and Christmas – New Year’s periods.
Thanksgiving top 10
The Google Flights search data, as reported by Fox News, shows that among the top 10 popular travel destinations, the four destinations for which flights are being searched are international destinations. While Orlando and New York hold positions at number one and number three (respectively), the remaining three spots in the top five are held by international cities.
|
Position |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Destination |
Orlando |
Cancun |
New York |
Tokyo |
London |
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The data considered for this list is based on the top-searched Google Flights destinations for trips departing from November 24th through December 1st.
In a statement made to Fox News by Google’s group product manager, James Byers, states:
“If you’re traveling within the U.S. for Thanksgiving, our aggregate data shows that the cheapest fares are usually available in early October.”
When the search results are broadened to the top 20 destinations for Thanksgiving, eight additional international destinations make the list. Of these, only Paris makes the top 10, coming in at number seven.
|
Position |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Destination |
Miami |
Paris |
Los Angeles |
Las Vegas |
Honolulu |
Top Christmas and New Year’s destinations
On the other hand, when considering the most searched destinations for end-of-year holidays, the data shows a different trend of more travelers wishing to travel abroad. While the top spot is held by Tokyo, a further four international cities make up the top 10.
|
Position |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Destination |
Tokyo |
Orlando |
Cancun |
Miami |
New York |
|
Position |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
|
Destination |
London |
San Juan |
Honolulu |
Paris |
Las Vegas |
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The data considered for this list is based on the top-searched Google Flights destinations for trips departing from December 22nd through January 1st.
Reports also suggest that the best time to book domestic flights for Christmas travel would be late October, when prices are forecasted to be the lowest. However, it is dependent on the destination being considered. To help passengers find the best time to book flight itineraries, Google offers tools such as “cheapest time to book” on its portal.
Overall, a good year for airlines
While 2023 showed great passenger air travel recovery trends after the downturn caused due to the pandemic, this year has seen record passenger numbers traveling through airports across the country and airlines flying more passengers.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) having recorded historic passenger numbers during the 4th of July week and a year-on-year increase during the Labor Day travel week, for most parts, the passenger numbers have recovered well.
Photo: David S Swierczek | Shutterstock
Considering there were massive flight disruptions and subsequent cancelations due to weather during the Christmas period last year, it will be interesting to see how airlines cope with the operations during Christmas.
Despite record numbers this summer, along with major operational disruption caused by the global CrowdStrike system outage, most airlines across the country were able to maintain rates, suggesting that the carriers are better prepared for operational disruptions now than they were previously.