LET'S TALK 2021 TRAVEL PREDICTIONS WITH AMTRAK VACATIONS
Good Afternoon,
The unexpected events of 2020 significantly thwarted the travel plans of Americans. Suddenly travelers were faced with exploring domestically and the industry as a whole saw increases in road trips, train trips, RV holidays, and more. So what can we expect for 2021?
Frank Marini, President of Amtrak Vacations, pulled the latest booking data for 2021 and beyond for the company and here is what he is seeing:
- Travel via train is going to continue to grow in popularity as consumers and travel agents see that even the British Royal Family are doing it — Prince William and Kate Middleton just concluded a 1,250-mile Royal Train journey around Britain.
- Bookings for private cabin travel in Roomettes and Sleepers are spiking. Whereas they were popular, prior to COVID, travelers now want to social distance and are seeking their own private space. And coupled with the fact that Amtrak has reduced long distance trains from 7x per week to 3x per week to reduce costs and have also cut the amount of sleeper trains, space is booking quickly and availability is becoming limited.
- The trend of National Parks vacations is definitely continuing into 2021. For many consumers, it seems to be a safer bet to book domestically for the foreseeable future and they can finally take that “bucket list” cross-country train trip they have always wanted to try. As a result, Amtrak Vacations is witnessing significant bookings for Glacier National Park, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and New Orleans.
- Travelers are holding off a bit with 2021 plans. Most travel to the National Parks is scheduled for April to October of 2021. Glacier National Park bookings begin a bit later in May. For New Orleans, heaviest booking periods are March and April and then October and November.
I’m happy to provide more info or arrange an interview with Frank for more specifics.
Thanks for your time.
Best,
Jane Coloccia
JC Communications
Jane@JCCommunicationsllc.com
917-930-002