Where are luxury travelers and parents vacationing this year?

Where are luxury travelers and parents vacationing this year?

Janice Fernandes - March 27th, 2024

YouGov's recent Destination Rankings 2024 white paper connects custom research to data from YouGov Profiles to find out where American travelers want to go next. We look at where two key travel segments, luxury travelers and parents with young children, are setting their sights.

When it comes to travelers who book luxury accommodations when possible, Hawaii takes the top spot, with over a third (35%) considering a visit in the near future. Las Vegas (33%) and New York City (31%) follow closely behind.

However, luxury travelers stand out for their preference of certain destinations compared to the general population. This includes destinations in Florida such as Miami (27% vs. 19% of all US adults) and Key West (28% vs. 21%). They are also 35% more likely than the general population to choose Sedona, Arizona as a destination.

For parents with young children (under the age of 18), New York City tops their list, with nearly three in ten (30%) considering a future trip to the Big Apple. Florida again emerges as a popular choice, with Miami (27%) and Orlando (26%) attracting significant interest from parents. Similar to luxury travelers, parents with kids exhibit a stronger preference for Florida compared to the general population.

Notably, Houston emerges as a hotspot for parents. They are 36% more likely to consider Houston a vacation destination compared to the general population (15% vs. 11%). LA is not far behind with 23% of parents considering it as a destination (vs. 18% of general population).

Digging deeper with YouGov Profiles gives us further insights into the traveler preferences of niche audiences. For example, while 13.3% of all Americans would consider taking a vacation in Austin, Texas, that rises to 27.9% among Texans. Country music fans are more likely than the general population to visit Nashville.

Want to know the top domestic vacation destinations for Americans and the places Gen Z are likely to visit? Read the full story here

YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online in December 2023, with a nationally representative sample of 500 adults (aged 18+ years) in the US, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, race, gender, education, and region to be representative of all adults in the US (18 years or older), and reflect the latest population estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.

This survey asked about 21 domestic travel locations selected by AI: Austin, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; Charleston, South Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Hawaii (various islands); Houston, TX; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California; Key West, Florida; Miami, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York City, New York; Orlando, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Sedona, Arizona; Washington, D.C.

Image: Unsplash.com