#TheCaribbean – November 23, 2020 — Millions of Americans are travelling despite warning from the Centers of Disease Control, not to do so due to the fear of a further surge of Covid-19 infections, and it is regional destinations which are benefitting in bookings.
According to Travel Pulse, Mexico and the Caribbean are getting a healthy share of what was the busiest travel weekend since the pandemic hit in March.
The Transportation Safety Authority, (TSA) reported three million airline travelers between November 20-22; Sunday charting the highest numbers of airport security screenings at 1,047,934.
Gatherings, using public transportation and just moving around is putting the US at great risk explains, the US top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who surmised there will be an explosion of positives for the virus.
“What we’re doing now is going to be reflected two, three weeks from now.”
Though down 23 and 29 percent for Thanksgiving and Christmas respectively, Mexico is leading the region and happy with higher long-stay bookings when compared to 2019.
The Turks and Caicos Islands has for the past two years been chronicling the same story. In fact, Grace Bay Resorts informs bookings for their properties have been trending higher at Thanksgiving for the past two years.
“Thanksgiving this year is looking good; better than many previous years. We find that people are booking in the month for the month and so we have offered more flexible policies and extended stay benefits. All Grace Bay Resorts have a 24-hour cancelation policy until December 22. This week is actually sold out at Point Grace and West Bay Club and Grace Bay Club is very close,” said executives in a recent event held to announce Point Grace as Conde Nast Traveler Magazine’s #1 Reader’s Choice Award Winner for 2020.
The top prize for Point Grace was for the northern Atlantic Ocean region.
The Turks and Caicos which sits southeast of The Bahamas have welcomed around 15,000 guests to the country since reopening to tourism on July 22, 2020.
Travel data compiled by Adara explains longer haul trips are off the list for a Covid-wearied public. Shorter flights and closer destinations are top choices and among them are: Jamaica, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, The Bahamas and Haiti. The surge in travel by air and automobile for Americans coincides – frighteningly for officials – with a surge in coronavirus cases. The US has a positivity rate of 14 percent says The Washington Post and so far, 12.5 million Americans have been infected with the virus.
