Traveling during peak season generally is a nightmare. Those traveling to Europe in the summertime, for instance, should contend with higher prices, limited availability, and crowds of fellow travelers.
For this reason, many savvy travelers decide to vacation during “Low season” that lie between high season and low season – spring and autumn for a lot of destinations. But Remote work and overcrowding during peak season has increased the recognition of those off-seasons.
Take Jersey Shore, for instance, a well-liked seaside destination in New Jersey. This coastal region sees a big increase in visitors through the fall months. According to a report from AirDNA, a short-term rental analytics firm, occupancy rates from October to December in 2023 are up as much as 50% in comparison with pre-pandemic levels. And it's not the one place that's seeing more visitors outside of peak season.
With increasingly more tourists flocking to the back streets in lots of destinations, the query arises: what’s the perfect option to avoid these crowds through the off-season?
Avoid trendy destinations
When everyone seems to be zigzagging with their travel plans, possibly it's time to zigzag.
Japan, for instance, experienced an enormous influx of travelers this spring. The variety of U.S. residents departing for Japan between March and May 2024 increased 17% in comparison with the identical months in 2023 and a whopping 41% in comparison with the identical months in 2019, in accordance with the International Trade Administration. Greece also saw nearly 3 times as many U.S. visitors between March and May 2024 because it did through the same period in 2019.
Closer to home, popular National Parks have experienced a big increase in visitor numbers through the off-season.
In Maine, “Acadia National Park, which used to be highly seasonal and only had peak demand in July and August, now sees high demand from June to October,” said Chloé Garlaschi, communications manager at AirDNA, in an email. “This trend is part of a broader evolution where national parks are attracting visitors outside of their traditional peak times.”
If everyone you realize is talking about visiting Tokyo or Athens, Greece, it may be value researching places which have had fewer tourists in recent times. For example, Australia saw 27% fewer visitors from the US within the spring months of 2024 than in the identical months of 2019. China, which has seen much less US tourism because the COVID-19 pandemic began, had 78% fewer US visitors this spring than in 2019.
Embrace the unconventional
Even in popular destinations, you may enterprise to lesser-known places where there are far fewer tourists. Most travelers to Japan visit the eastern cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, but fewer enterprise inland to mountain towns like Takayama, which boasts impressive temples and a quiet, picturesque atmosphere. And few foreign tourists visit the island prefecture of Okinawa in southern Japan, despite the nice and cozy weather and different culture from the mainland.
In the USA, well-known national parks reminiscent of Acadia (in Maine) and Yosemite (in California) are very talked-about within the off-season. Less well-known parks reminiscent of Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado or Channel Islands National Park in California are often less crowded.
Avoid high prices
When demand for travel to a destination peaks, prices for airline tickets, accommodations and ground transportation also rise, so searching for deals can allow you to lower your expenses and avoid probably the most crowded places.
According to data from travel booking platform Hopper, these U.S. destinations are seeing the most important increase in demand for flight bookings this fall:
- Seattle.
- Portland, Oregon.
- Salt Lake City – a must-see city.
- San Jose, California.
- Hawaiian Island, Hawaii.
- The Washington Post.
- Hawaii.
- ^ “Indianapolis: The Secret World”.
- Portland, Maine.
- Asheville, North Carolina
These international travel destinations at the moment are seeing the most important price increases:
- Seoul, South Korea.
- Shanghai.
- Athens, Greece.
- Frankfurt, Germany.
- Venice, Italy.
- Zurich.
- Peruvian culture
- Brussels.
- Malaysia
- Bangalore, India.
Of course, an expensive flight doesn't mean that the destination shall be crowded, nevertheless it is an indicator of demand. These lists give an idea of which places are popular even when the weather is bad.
Know your shoulder
Not all shoulder seasons follow the identical pattern, so knowing when to travel to avoid crowds means greater than just heading out within the spring or fall.
“In Phoenix and Scottsdale [Arizona]we’re seeing an unconventional seasonal pattern,” said Garlaschi. “The peak season actually falls within the months of February and March because of the mild winter climate.”
And remember that while travel data shows that shoulder seasons are becoming increasingly popular, crowds (and prices) are still much smaller during these off-seasons. You don't have to travel to the North Pole in winter to avoid overtourism.
Originally published:
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